Menu Bar
Needs Plugin: Flash | Not Working?
Nietzche on Hardship
British philosopher Alain De Botton explores Friedrich Nietzsche's (1844-1900) dictum that any worthwhile achievements in life come from the experience of overcoming hardship. For him, any existence that is too comfortable is worthless, as are the twin refugees of drink or religion.
Apr 21, 2008 4:22 AM
Re: Nietzche on Hardship
Oh boy, here it comes, the monumental cliché of discussing the controversies of Nietzsche, I'll just keep it to the topics menioned in the documentary, a curious profile of a man consumed by his eventually tragic psychological condition, extolling the virtues of his reality plus thoroughly western, "storm und drang" ideals of spiritual and material hierarchies of achievement.
Contrast this with the Tao concept of Té, which can summed up in this nutshell: "The courage of being small" in a horizontal world, with no hidden vertical structures.
Let's go back to the example of the ballerina. Where is she going to be in ten years' time, when her body is incapable of taking the torture, her abilities thoroughly diminished, all she knows is how to dance, and here comes the next wave of ballerinas who punish their own bodies as severely? There are just so many things wrong with this particular example in the documentary, surely they could have done better. Or could they?
As for the hiking analogy, yeah it's lovely to walk up a mountain and contemplate the world from above. How long do climbers remain on top of Everest before beginning their descent? About a quarter of an hour. Which is to say, it's a beautiful place, but you wouldn't want to stay there overnight, let alone live there.
And then, you have the man moaning to his friend about the misery of his life without female companionship. Well shave the goddamn mustache off, then! Take one of the risks you write about!
All in all, a fascinating, infuriating show reflecting the man himself - fraught with inconsistencies once you scratch the surface a bit.
In physics they're called "toy theories", which serve to describe certain aspects of specific phenomena, and while they are quite elegant exercises, by no means should they be used as interpretations of reality as a whole.
Contrast this with the Tao concept of Té, which can summed up in this nutshell: "The courage of being small" in a horizontal world, with no hidden vertical structures.
Let's go back to the example of the ballerina. Where is she going to be in ten years' time, when her body is incapable of taking the torture, her abilities thoroughly diminished, all she knows is how to dance, and here comes the next wave of ballerinas who punish their own bodies as severely? There are just so many things wrong with this particular example in the documentary, surely they could have done better. Or could they?
As for the hiking analogy, yeah it's lovely to walk up a mountain and contemplate the world from above. How long do climbers remain on top of Everest before beginning their descent? About a quarter of an hour. Which is to say, it's a beautiful place, but you wouldn't want to stay there overnight, let alone live there.
And then, you have the man moaning to his friend about the misery of his life without female companionship. Well shave the goddamn mustache off, then! Take one of the risks you write about!
All in all, a fascinating, infuriating show reflecting the man himself - fraught with inconsistencies once you scratch the surface a bit.
In physics they're called "toy theories", which serve to describe certain aspects of specific phenomena, and while they are quite elegant exercises, by no means should they be used as interpretations of reality as a whole.
By: niktemadur
Re: Nietzche on Hardship
Most of your argument is based on ad hominem attacks and not real discussion of what Nietzche was getting at. It's a tactic that only works on retards. I don't completely agree with Nietzche regarding we need to feel pain completely without any escape, The reason he is taken to be such a a philosophical legend is that his ideas rang true across generations, and moved europe across the 19th century into the 20th. There is a reason why he's called the first modern man. What he did is basically rebel against the rotting classical worldview and move on to something more substantial. I believe that human will is limited and can break over a sustained period of stress. Which is what happened to him. He discounted humanity to his own detriment. But at least he climbed a mountain and showed us whats possible before burning away. I think his situation puts an interesting perspective on the human condition, That which feeds me, kills me.
By: SolInvictus
Re: Nietzche on Hardship
What people took from his philosophy is if you can look beyond the the carrot and stick of everyday existence you can see incredible wonders that you never imagined, It's not for everyone, and it might kill you, but what a view.
By: SolInvictus
