Nietzsche's Metaphysical View on War
- Nietzsche's view on war goes beyond geopolitical realism.
- He sees war as a metaphysical necessity, influenced by Heraclitus.
Heraclitus's Influence
- Heraclitus viewed war as a creative force, the father and king of all.
- Nietzsche interprets this as war being fundamental to existence.
War as Foundation of Life
- Nietzsche defines nature as a constant war of all against all.
- This makes war the foundation of all life, contrasting with Rousseau's view of nature.
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Introduction
00:00 • 3min
The Overton Window: A Voice From the Past
02:54 • 3min
The Romantic Reaction to the Enlightenment
05:32 • 3min
The Romantic Militarists' Views on War
08:02 • 3min
The Essence of Phenomenon
11:08 • 3min
The State of Nature for Nietzsche
13:51 • 2min
The Implications of Nietzsche's Political Thoughts on Nature
15:47 • 3min
The Importance of Consistency
19:02 • 3min
The Congenital Defect of All Philosophers
22:02 • 3min
Nietzsche's Views on War
24:57 • 3min
Nietzsche's View of War
27:32 • 3min
The Violent Impulse of Nietzsche
31:02 • 3min
The Nietzschean View of War
33:48 • 4min
The Paralysis of Nietzsche's View of the World
37:58 • 3min
Zarathustra: A Moral Prejudice
41:15 • 2min
The Good Cause That Hollows Even War
42:56 • 3min
The Importance of Metaphor in Nietzsche's Daybreak
46:12 • 2min
Nietzsche's War on Morality
48:02 • 3min
The Importance of Finding an Enemy
50:39 • 3min
The Importance of Honesty and Sincerity in Overcoming Envy
53:25 • 2min
Evolution: A Might Makes Right Process
55:51 • 3min
Nietzsche's on the Voluntary Death
58:30 • 3min
The Importance of Death
01:01:17 • 3min
Nietzsche's Opposition to Christianity
01:03:54 • 3min
The Antichrist of Nietzsche's the Legend of Jesus
01:06:59 • 2min
The Meaning of Courage
01:09:19 • 2min
The Importance of Accepting Death
01:11:37 • 2min
The War of Ideas
01:14:06 • 3min
The Importance of War
01:17:28 • 2min
The Importance of Perpetual Peace
01:19:35 • 2min
The Uncomfortable Truth About War
01:22:00 • 2min
Nietzsche's Views on War
01:24:26 • 3min
We all know that Nietzsche said, "What does not kill me makes me stronger", but it is less often remembered that he began that aphorism with the caveat, "From the military school of life". We find, in fact, that many of Nietzsche's powerful insights on self-knowledge, self-control, and the search for truth come from this same military school of life. Nietzsche celebrates war and warriors throughout his work, most notably in passages of book one of Thus Spoke Zarathustra which often beguile first time readers coming at Nietzsche's work from a humanist or existentialist bent. How could a philosopher of intellectual freedom and independence tell his audience to "die in battle and squander a great soul"? How could he say that a war is not made just by the cause, but the cause made just by the war? Could Nietzsche actually have been pro-war? As a matter of fact, views on war that were on the whole positive were not uncommon in the 19th century, and Nietzsche is no exception to this. Of course, with Nietzsche, it goes deeper, insofar as the influence of Heraclitus and his conception of strife as a creative force inspired Nietzsche. In his view, all the world is war, and every aspect of existence is a manifestation of this unceasing conflict. This war exists on the physical level, on the social level, within our ideas, and within ourselves. Life itself is a bella omnium contra omnes, the war of all against all. With this war as the revealed character of the phenomenal world, Nietzsche argues for accepting war as a fact of life: even as its fundamental character.
Episode art: Nietzsche in his military uniform, circa 1864