NIETZSCHE'S ETHICAL THEORY Mind, Self and Responsibility Craig M. Dove
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NIETZSCHE'S ETHICAL THEORY Mind, Self and Responsibility Craig M. Dove
continuum
Continuum The Tower Building 11 York Road London SE1 7NX
80 Maiden Lane, Suite 704 New York NY 10038
www.continuumbooks.com © Craig M. Dove 2008 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN-10: HB: 0-8264-9874-4 ISBN-13: HB: 978-0-8264-9874-8 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Dove, Craig M. Nietzsche's ethical theory: mind, self, and responsiblity / Craig M. Dove. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN-13: 978-0-8264-98743 (HB) ISBN-10: 0-8264-9874-4 (HB) 1. Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm, 1844-1900. 2. Ethics. 3. Philosophy of mind. I. Title. B3318.E9D68 2008 170.92-dc22 2007043272 Typeset by YHT Ltd, London Printed and bound in Great Britain by Biddies Ltd, King's Lynn, Norfolk
To my Parents, for their support throughout
Acknowledgements
This book would not have been possible without the help of many people. They include Michael E. Zimmerman, John Glenn, Jr and Bruce Brower, who helped to shape the early version of this book, Michael McCully and especially Julie Rudd, for reading the final draft.
Contents
Acknowledgements Abbreviations
vii xi
1 2 3 4
1 11 29
Nietzsche, Ethics, Theory Eternal Return: Determinism and/or Affirmation Amorfati: Self as Narrative Conferring Meaning on the Whole: Nietzsche, Churchland and Holism 5 Connectionism, Ethics and Narrative: Body and Mind 6 Freedom and Responsibility
87 105
Notes Bibliography
129 151
Index
157
57
Abbreviations
In-text citations of Nietzsche's writings will use the following abbreviations and section number (Arabic numerals), along with essay number (Roman numerals) or essay title where appropriate. Footnotes provide reference to the page number for the translation listed. A
AOM
BGE
D EH GM
GS
HATH
The Antichrist, in The Portable Nietzsche, ed. and trans. Walter Kaufmann (New York: Penguin Books, 1982) Assorted Opinions and Maxims, vol. 2 part 1, Human, All Too Human, trans. RJ. Hollingdale (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1986) Beyond Good and Evil, ed. Rolf-Peter Horstmann and Judith Norman, trans. Judith Norman (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002) Daybreak, trans. RJ. Hollingdale (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1982) Ecce Homo, trans. RJ. Hollingdale (New York: Penguin Books, 1979) On the Genealogy of Morality, ed. Keith AnsellPearson, trans. Carol Diethe (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994) The Gay Science, ed. Bernard Williams, trans. Josefine Nauckhoff and Adrian Del Caro (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001) Human, All too Human, vol. 1, trans. RJ. Hollingdale (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1986)
xii
NcW
TI WP
WS
Z
Abbreviations
Nietzsche contra Wagner, in The Portable Nietzsche, ed. and trans. Walter Kaufmann (New York: Penguin Books, 1982) Twilight of the Idols, trans. Richard Polt (Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, 1997) The Will to Power, trans. Walter Kaufmann and RJ. HoUingdale (New York: Random House/Vintage, 1967) The Wanderer and His Shadow, vol. 2 part 2, Human All Too Human, trans. RJ. HoUingdale (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1986) Thus Spoke Zarathustra, ed. Adrian Del Caro and Robert Pippin, trans. Adrian Del Caro (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006)
Chapter 1
Nietzsche, Ethics, Theory
The understanding of Nietzsche has undergone a sea change in the past thirty years, yet some misconceptions about his thought and writings remain. One of these is the notion that Nietzsche is primarily critical in his treatment of morality, and that his positive suggestions are untenable, repugnant or crazy. This is not so much due to a wilful misreading as to a superficial reading, against which Nietzsche warns while simultaneously inviting. On the one hand, his hyperbolic statements on war, warriors and blood help to perpetuate the popular image of the Superman as a broad-axe-wielding barbarian; on the other, he recommends 'rumination' and careful reading, and the images such as philosophizing with a hammer - turn out to be something more subtle than they first appear. The careful reading places the comments on war and blood in a different light, but the images remain obstacles. One of the main difficulties in understanding Nietzsche's ethical position is his complex views on self-consciousness. Becoming self-aware has led humanity to question the meaning of our existence; this is a theme throughout his writings, but is most fully explored in On the Genealogy of Morality. There, he produces a counter-myth to the social contract, in which the warlike 'masters' come to dominate the more sedentary people Nietzsche typically describes as herd animals. For the first time, the instincts of the members of the herd have no natural outlet as these new masters instil a few rudimentary 'thou-shalt-nots' to produce social order; the members of the herd thus gain awareness of
2
Nietzsche's Ethical Theory
their stifled instincts. Nietzsche describes this as the conceptual separation of doer and deed; that is, one's abilities are taken to be distinct from one's actions in a new way. He does not advocate a return to the 'blond beasts', because without this development of self-consciousness 'the history of mankind would be far too stupid a thing'. 1 Nietzsche describes the 'masters' as blond beasts precisely because they act like the large predatory animals, possessing a sufficient amount of consciousness to fulfil their requirements - hunting, mating - but acting on instinct without asking the paralyzing question, 'why?'. This question stands at the beginning of what Nietzsche sees as the problem of consciousness. A constellation of concepts emerge from this question, including the idea of a unitary and enduring 'soul', 'freedom of will' and, with those, the notions of responsibility, guilt and punishment - the hallmarks of morality. Bernard Williams notes that 'the Latin term from which "moral" comes emphasizes . . . the sense of social expectation'. 2 Nietzsche questions morality in this sense by calling attention to the contingency through which our current valuations arose out of the slave's reaction. Without the selfconsciousness, the 'slave morality' which Nietzsche attacks would not have been possible; at the same time, the individuation that self-consciousness allows has brought about the potential for the 'deepening' of humanity. This potential has been stunted by the only two responses that have been given to this question of meaning, what Nietzsche calls the ascetic ideal, and nihilism. The unhappy ones seek justification for their existence, but since they find this life unsatisfactory they seek justification 'somewhere else', either in Plato's Forms or in 'Platonism for the "people"', Christianity.3 Those who come to doubt the transcendent Good lapse into nihilism, the notion that there is no meaning, and thus that our actions have no moral significance. Nihilists thus reject the conclusions of
Nietzsche, Ethics, Theory
3
religion but continue to share religion's presuppositions, including the idea of a single Truth. Nietzsche sees both of these responses as contrary to life. An analogy can be made to illustrate the situation as Nietzsche sees it: life is like a piano. The 'masters' of old simply pound on it, the sides and top as well as the keys. They do not make music of any sort, but Nietzsche appreciates their joyful exuberance in making noise. Selfconsciousness brings about an awareness of the individual notes, and eventually scales and simple harmonies. Just as the beginner is halting and awkward, so our selfconsciousness has become an impediment to the initial joy of living. Nietzsche recognizes this as a necessaiy stage, but traditional morality has become a roadblock to further development; the awkward scales and exercises are taken to be the end in themselves, rather than a means to a further goal. Even more, Nietzsche sees religion and traditional morality as preventing people from moving beyond these exercises to more challenging pieces and eventually to the unselfconscious proficiency required for improvisation. Nihilism, on the other hand, is the domain of people who simply give up; the scales and exercises are clearly not ends in themselves, but they see no alternative and simply plunk at the keys. In both cases, self-consciousness has become the problem: their self-awareness has become selfdefeating. Nietzsche thus attacks both the ascetic idea and the nihilistic abandonment of meaning, but does so in a way that views further development of self