85: Philosophy in the Tragic Age of the Greeks, pt. 1 - Thales, Anaximander, Heraclitus
Feb 26, 2024
Explore the enigmatic world of early Greek philosophers like Thales, Anaximander, and Heraclitus. Discover how their holistic views laid the groundwork for modern thought, contrasting sharply with later thinkers like Socrates and Plato. Delve into the idea of water as the fundamental substance and Heraclitus's playful take on existence, where life is seen as a game. Uncover how these ancient insights challenge conventional morality and reveal the subjective nature of perception, fundamentally shaping our understanding of reality.
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insights INSIGHT
Pre-Platonic Philosophers
Nietzsche praises pre-Platonic philosophers for their integral and self-contained nature.
They devoted their lives exclusively to knowledge, unbound by convention.
insights INSIGHT
Origins of Greek Philosophy
Nietzsche's Philosophy in the Tragic Age of the Greeks analyzes Greek philosophy's origins.
It explores how philosophy emerged in a society that valued art and poetry over abstract thought.
insights INSIGHT
Pre-Platonic vs. Pre-Socratic
Nietzsche prefers "pre-Platonic" to "pre-Socratic" because Socrates shared more with earlier figures than Plato.
Socrates, like other pre-Platonics, was single-minded, while Plato's thought was a hybrid.
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In this work, Nietzsche discusses the history of the tragic form and introduces the intellectual dichotomy between the Dionysian and the Apollonian. He argues that Greek tragedy arose from the fusion of these elements, with the Apollonian representing measure, restraint, and harmony, and the Dionysian representing unbridled passion. Nietzsche also critiques Socratic rationalism and its impact on Greek tragedy and modern culture, advocating for a rebirth of tragedy inspired by Richard Wagner’s music[1][4][5].
The world as will and representation
Arthur Schopenhauer
The book is divided into four parts. The first part addresses the world as representation, the second details the world as will, the third discusses art and beauty as the only way to transcend the painful human condition, and the fourth discusses ethics and the ascetic ideal. Schopenhauer argues that the will is the underlying reality of the world, beyond mere appearances, and that it is characterized by ceaseless striving and suffering.
Philosophy in the Tragic Age of the Greeks is one of the more obscure texts in Friedrich Nietzsche’s corpus. There are many good reasons for this: it is unfinished, and ends abruptly; it was never published; and it concerns subject matter that is not as immediately accessible as Nietzsche’s more popular writings. You will not find his major concepts in this work – such as the will to power, or the critique of metaphysics - except insofar as those
ideas appear in the background, inchoate, unnamed… not yet fully formed. In Nietzsche’s interpretation of the Pre-Platonic philosophers of Ancient Greece, we find the starting place for his later philosophical career. The inspiration for many of those great ideas, can arguably be found in his exegesis of these extraordinary figures from the Hellenic world, from the 6th to the 4th century BC.
In today's episode, I'll introduce the text, then we'll cover the first three figures who I've classed as "the first cosmologists": Thales, Anaximander, and Heraclitus. While I'm mostly sticking to the text of the essay, I fill in some details using Nietzsche's lectures on the Pre-Platonics, on which this essay was based.
Episode art: photo of the Temple of Poseidon
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