Untimely Reflections #27: Devin Goure & the Nietzschean Left
Jan 9, 2024
auto_awesome
Devin Goure, a scholar with a philosophy background, discusses the relevance of Nietzsche's ideas to leftism and neurodivergent politics. They explore Nietzsche's evaluations of socialism, democracy, and social justice. They also delve into the relationship between cultural and material levels in revolution, Nietzsche's views on anarchism and power relationships, and the ascetic ideal tied to capitalist ideology. The podcast also touches on political conversions, misrepresentation of Nietzsche by Jordan Peterson, and Peterson's view of Nietzsche's thought.
Nietzsche's philosophy offers resources for critically analyzing the damaging impact of capitalist domination and embracing neurodivergent perspectives in political discourse.
Nietzsche's philosophy provides insights into the deep sociality and cultural aspects of human cognition, production of knowledge, and the shift in historical periods.
Nietzsche's philosophy presents a tragic view of history, embracing the possibility of error and failure while still finding inspiration and potential for affirmation in the midst of negation.
Jordan Peterson's misinterpretation of Nietzsche serves his cynical quest to undermine social justice claims and positivist views of reality, cherry-picking passages to support his own agenda.
Deep dives
Devin Gore's Focus on Nietzschean Philosophy and Mental Health
Devin Gore's interest in Nietzsche lies in the context of mental health, madness, and neurodiversity. This aligns with his personal experiences and academic background, exploring the intersection of Nietzsche's philosophy with questions of mental health and the tragic nature of human existence.
Nietzsche's Relevance to Left Political Thought
Devin discusses the relevance of Nietzsche's philosophy to left political thought. He highlights the critique of capitalism, the focus on challenging normalized forms of subjectivity, and the exploration of a broader array of human cognitive and affective capabilities. Nietzsche's philosophy offers resources for critically analyzing the damaging impact of capitalist domination and the importance of embracing neurodivergent perspectives in political discourse.
Nietzsche's Perspective on Culture and Materiality
Devin delves into Nietzsche's perspective on the relationship between culture and materiality. He emphasizes that for Nietzsche, culture is intertwined with our material existence and cannot be disentangled from the way we understand and interact with the world. Nietzsche's philosophy provides insights into the deep sociality and cultural aspects of human cognition, production of knowledge, and the shift in historical periods.
Nietzsche and Hegel: Resolving Tension and Embracing Tragedy
Devin explores the tension between Nietzsche and Hegel. While Nietzsche critiques Hegelian optimism and the teleological progress of reason, he also shares certain philosophical inheritances with Hegel, such as the philosophical question of non-identity, the critique of foundationalism, and the pursuit of a universal history. Nietzsche's philosophy presents a tragic view of history, embracing the possibility of error and failure, while still finding inspiration and potential for affirmation in the midst of negation.
The Last Man Mentality and the Grift of Traditional Values
There is a resemblance between the right-wing Nietzscheans and Nietzsche's description of the last man in Zarathustra's prologue. The last man is resigned to the loss of higher meaning and seeks comfort and diversion in a life of exhaustion. Unable to create anything new, the last man clings to traditional religious values that even they cynically recognize as devalued. Figures like Jordan Peterson and Andrew Tate embody this last man mentality, offering self-help and political conversions as a means to reaffirm old values. However, they fail to create new values and are trapped in a state of nihilism. This tendency to revert to traditional values can be explained by American Protestantism's anti-institutional and strategically value-driven nature. Nietzsche's philosophy resonates with them because it allows them to undermine social justice claims while salvaging Christian morality without God.
Misinterpretation of Nietzsche and the Peterson Phenomenon
Jordan Peterson's misinterpretation of Nietzsche is characterized by his cherry-picking of passages to support his own agenda. While he recommends Nietzsche to everyone, Peterson fails to recognize that following Nietzsche's ideas would lead to conclusions that contradict his own public stance. Peterson's reading of Nietzsche serves his cynical and skeptical quest to undermine social justice claims and positivist views of reality. He attempts to introduce a new myth devoid of sacred content, similar to Wagner's approach. Peterson's instrumental use of myth and unionism mirrors Nietzsche's critique of Wagner and highlights his own attempt to revive mythology that lacks genuine belief. Peterson's turn to unionism aims to provide an alternative mythology without the true religious foundations he no longer believes in.
Upcoming Projects and Writing
Devin, along with Craig, Will, and Justin, is working on a book exploring multiple trajectories of Nietzsche's thought and its potential for left politics. The book is expected to be published by Zero Books. Devin is also actively writing on Nietzsche and madness in his sub-stack 'Methods of Madness'. To stay updated, follow Devin on Twitter and check out his writing on his sub-stack.
Devin Goure is a scholar with a background in philosophy, an interest in psychology, mental health & neurodivergence. He holds a PhD in political theory. He's known as Left Nietzschean on X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/DevinGoure
You can find Devin's substack here: https://devingour.substack.com/
In this conversation, Devin and I discuss the meaning of leftism in modernity. I asked him a number of questions concerning how the ideas of Nietzsche can be used for the left. How does Nietzsche compliment a Marxist philosophy? Where does Nietzsche conflict with Marx? Or with Hegel? How can we square an anarchist reading of Nietzsche? And what are the errors in interpretation of figures like B.A.P.?
Get the Snipd podcast app
Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
Save any moment
Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways
Share & Export
Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
