HCJ3: Nietzsche

Nietzsche has been described as the philosopher of music, although it is quite bold to call someone that, it stems from Kantian theories of never knowing the noumenal significance of music. Kant explained that we find a certain piece of music good or bad, but we can never know the perfect piece of music or the perfect note. This links to Plato's theories on the forms and the cave.

Nietzche said that music is unknowable and music is unquantifiable as there is no scientific method, chemical reactions or neurology to explain the link between 'proper' music and the reactions that humans have towards certain music. For example I would consider bands such as The Who, Beatles and Oasis as 'proper' music, because that is the sort of music I've been brought up on, there is no scientific way to show why I like those bands or certain types of music - I just do.

The 1800s saw Napoleon expand into India and Egypt, the modern world and modern thinking then looks into Hindusim and Buddhism. Schopenhauer also looked at the 2 religions as well as Kant's idea of 'The Will', his 'World as Will and Representation' looks at the processes behind Hinduism and Buddhism and brings about the Kantian influenced idea of 'The Will'. This is the idea that the universe itself is one noumena. It is thought that everything links to Brahma (creator of the universe) and that everything in the world is connected.

Using Buddhist teachings, Schopenhauer explained that by overcoming desire, we can cure our apparently painful existence . You can imitate being happy by buying luxury itemsbut this is not achieving a state of happiness, only emulating one. Schopenhauer teaches that to overcome desire we must intoxicate ourselves in our addiction.

He believed a better avenue to take would be towards the arts, poems and paintings open up the mind a lot more than any intoxicant. Schopenhauer believed the best way to overcome desire is to drive oneself into a trance using music.

Nietzsche was against Schopenhauer's links to Buddhism and Hinduism. He believed that desire is what is the best thing about life because if we achieve our desires, we will be happy. Desire doesn't have to be the desire for alcohol, drugs or sex, but can be the desire to do something or to achieve something. You should never ignore a desire, but you must overcome it.

Nietzsche also believed that due to all empirical evidence of 'God' being a bit of a joke, there simply can't be a God. This is where Nietzsche is quite contradictory, he refutes the idea of there being a God, but uses Apollo and Dionysis as examples in his work 'The Birth of Tragedy'. Nietzsche says that without a God or religion, there are two moral grounds to take. These are Apollo and Dionysis, the 2 sons of the Greek God Zeus. An Apollonian is an individual who is 'in control' all the time, they don't do anything silly or 'out there' and prepare for all occasions and possibilities. A Dionysian is a free spirit, lets things 'take their course' and ignores the goings on in the world.