Devin Goure, a 'Left Nietzschean' scholar, discusses why socialists should read Nietzsche, his challenge to the left, and how Nietzsche has influenced left-wing thinkers. They also explore Nietzsche's philosophy of slave morality, will to power, critique of capitalism, and his views on elitism, hierarchy, and equality.
Nietzsche's critique of slave morality aligns with the left's emphasis on empowerment and self-determination.
Nietzsche emphasizes the importance of embracing creative and productive action while sustaining hope and faith in emancipatory possibilities.
Nietzsche's critique of capitalism challenges notions of productivity, accumulation, and alienation, providing valuable insights for Marxist inquiries.
Engaging with Nietzsche's ideas can enable the left to challenge oppressive systems, evaluate moral frameworks critically, and strive for a society fostering moral agency and human equality.
Deep dives
Nietzsche's critique of slave morality and its disempowering effect
Nietzsche argues that Christianity promotes a slave morality, which disempowers individuals by encouraging them to reject power, embrace suffering, and pursue transcendence rather than affirming their existence in the present. He highlights the danger of moralizing, where individuals negate their own desires and needs based on a moral framework that separates them from their own potentialities. This critique resonates with the left's rejection of moral systems imposed by oppressors and its emphasis on empowerment and self-determination.
Nietzsche's challenge to negation and the importance of affirmation
Nietzsche poses a fundamental question about how to avoid falling into a spiral of negation, where critique and resistance become paralyzing and self-destructive. He calls for an approach that affirms existence, despite the need for critique, and emphasizes the importance of embracing creative and productive action. This critique challenges Marxist and Hegelian teleological views by highlighting the role of tragedy and the need to sustain hope and faith in emancipatory possibilities in the face of continuous struggle and potential defeat.
Nietzsche's critique of capitalism and its stifling effects
Nietzsche offers a critique of capitalism, particularly in his middle works, identifying certain aspects of the system that circumscribe the universe of possibility and limit freedom. His analysis connects with critiques of asceticism and the Protestant ethic, highlighting how these principles have become embedded in capitalist structures. Nietzsche's critique challenges the notions of productivity, accumulation, and alienation inherent in capitalism, and provides a valuable perspective for Marxist inquiries into labor and the question of meaningful existence within the system.
Overcoming the misinterpretation of Nietzsche in right-wing ideology
While some right-leaning thinkers have embraced Nietzsche, it is important to separate his critique of morality and his call for affirmation from a reactionary or elitist agenda. Nietzsche's emphasis on empowering individuals, recognizing their distinctiveness, and affirming existence can be compatible with emancipatory politics on the left. By engaging with Nietzsche's ideas, the left can actively challenge oppressive systems, critically evaluate moral frameworks, and strive for a society that fosters meaningful moral agency and human equality.
Nietzsche's Argument Against the Culture of Fragmentation
Nietzsche criticizes the culture of fragmentation and post-modernism that lacks a unifying theme, style, or identity. He sees this culture as connected to a patchwork of infinite styles that cater to consumerism and the democratic ethos. According to Nietzsche, a valuable culture and aesthetic style require forms of unity to give birth to new and elevated creations. He emphasizes the need for an arduous ethical work that recognizes our complicity in decadence and aims for a higher creation or transformation, rather than self-expression without purpose.
The Temptation to Escape Decadence and the Importance of Critique
Nietzsche critiques the belief that one can detach oneself from a corrupt society and achieve pure strength and willpower. He argues that society's decay is deeply embedded within human consciousness, and escaping it requires a ruthless critique of existing structures and recognizing our own complicity in the decadence. Nietzsche stresses the need to engage in self-criticism to escape the traps of delusion and self-deception. He highlights the importance of conducting a genealogy to understand the ways in which we are entangled in slave morality and to strive for cultural excellence and nobility through a critique of decadence.
The Will to Power and the Possibility of Equality
The concept of the will to power in Nietzsche's philosophy is not solely about individuals seeking power but a fundamental function of organic life. Nietzsche argues that life, rather than merely willing to go on living, has an inherent drive to affirm and expand its capacities for action. This will to power is not limited to a select few but characterizes life as a whole. The Nietzschean argument encourages an exploration of perfectionist claims about cultural greatness, which involve a form of inherent inequality but are necessary for meaningful moral relationships and the realization of human potential. Nietzsche's philosophy challenges purely egalitarian thinking and calls for the establishment of productive forms of equality within a larger framework of power negotiation and rank ordering.
In this episode, I am joined by Devin Goure to discuss the philosophy of Fredrich Nietzche and what people can learn from his core concepts. In particular, we discuss why socialists should read Nietzsche, his challenge to the left, and how Nietzche has already influenced left-wing thinkers such as Deleuze, Foucault, and the Frankfurt School. Devin Goure is a self-described "Left Nietzschean" scholar who received his Ph.D. in Philosophy at Yale University in 2019, and his dissertation involved the works of Nietzsche.
In this episode, we discuss some key contributions of Nietzsche’s philosophy and their application to the broader political “left.” This includes ideas such as slave morality, will to power, the death of god, affirmation, and Nietzsche's critique of capitalism. I also question Devin regarding left interpretations of Nietzche and the role of Nietzche’s reactionary politics and views regarding elitism, hierarchy, perspectivism, nihilism, decadence, equality, class, and his aristocratic rebel politics.
