Arthur Schopenhauer's influence on Nietzsche's philosophy of art

The original final draft can be found here 👉Philosophy 3A : Nietzsche & Schopenhauer

Frederick Nietzsche, as a modern-day philosopher, has a large literary collection that spans a variety of fields and has fed into modern philosophy a great deal of new conversations and ideologies. Analysis of many of these works can show that Nietzsche, as a young philosopher and a mature literary scholar, was greatly influenced by the metaphysical doctrines introduced to society by Schopenhauer. The focus of this essay is to establish the manner and scope of Schopenhauer's influence on Nietzsche's philosophy of art, by providing evidence from a number of Nietzsche’s main bodies of work that exhibit, not only an influence, but a fundamental reliance on Schopenhauer's metaphysical distinctions of art and music in the beginning, as well as an antecedent inspiration for his conceptions of aesthetics in his later works. The essay will follow a structure that has been partially determined by the periods of Nietzsche’s writings that were presented by Julian Young. Firstly, it will examine Nietzsche’s aesthetic solutions, his conception of a Primal Unity, and his thoughts on Wagner’s music as solutions to Schopenhauerian denial of existence for elements of Schopenhauer’s metaphysics. Secondly, the works where Nietzsche specifically opposes Schopenhauer’s metaphysics and his doctrines will be analyzed for Schopenhauerian dependence or influence. Lastly, Nietzsche’s final works will also be extrapolated to find out whether Nietzsche’s final conclusions and conceptions of aesthetics were still relatable or compatible with Schopenhauer’s.

In "The Birth of Tragedy," Nietzsche's first book, he presents Schopenhauer's argument based on the moral implications of the creator of this reality where pain and absurdity exist. According to Schopenhauer, life itself must be worthless, and it follows from this premise that Schopenhauer concludes that a denial of existence is the final answer to metaphysical aspirations. In "The Birth of Tragedy," Nietzsche presents Schopenhauer's pessimistic view of existence as the problem statement of modern society. Nietzsche believes that the solutions to this problem statement present themselves as the aesthetic strategies that are apparent in the Greek tragedies, namely Apollonian and Dionysian consciousness. These strategies can be clearly based in Schopenhauer's metaphysics in a number of foundational ways. Firstly, Nietzsche uses forms of Schopenhauer's metaphysics like the principle of individuation to describe, in his sense, the Apollonian as referring to individual mundane consciousness that is created by the limiting of the human rational mind that divides reality up into separate individuals' regions of space. The use of this form of the metaphysical Apollonian perceived as beautiful to base his aesthetic solution of creating a beautiful illusion to seduce humans into imparting value upon this existence by raising reality to a glorified state. (Young, J., 1994:27-33) The tendency of Nietzsche to base his aesthetic solutions in Schopenhauerian forms is further evident in his use of Schopenhauer's conceptions of the platonic ideas as a base concept for his Apollonian solution, by prescribing to Schopenhauer's conception that the degree to which an object expresses a significant form or idea determines the beauty of the object. (Young, J., 1994:31-43) From this, Nietzsche implies that to enjoy an object's beauty, is to delight in its form not its content, this inference about the delinking of beauty and physical content allows for Nietzsche to explain and understand that pain and suffering may be considered beautiful as well, due to the manner in which the forms they express are relevant. (Young, J., 1994:31-43) It can be seen that Nietzsche applies Schopenhauer's understanding of platonic forms to his aesthetic theory and solutions by explaining that beauty is linked to tragedy by the transfiguration of the most terrible things into parts of the glorious illusion of human existence. Therefore, it can be concluded that Nietzsche's perception of art, in the sense of Apollonian art, and following on, that his outlook on the glorious illusion of human existence as superficial are fundamentally connected to Schopenhauer.

The influence of Schopenhauer can be seen in Nietzsche's original Dionysian aesthetic sentiments. Julian Young claims that this influence is based on Schopenhauer's account of the tragic effect associated with the Greek tragedies. Young states that the destruction of the hero creates a momentary escape to a higher human reality that assists in reminding the audience that there is a higher pleasure that the hero is striving for, not through worldly achievements, but through his own destruction. The tragic joy that pervades through the audience is their momentary realization that they identify with the hero's imminent destruction. (Young, J., 1994:29-33) Nietzsche draws on these ideas to illustrate his Dionysian strategy by inferring that there exists another real reality behind the illusion created by the phenomenal reality at work. Nietzsche explains that Schopenhauer's conception of the tragic effect explains why the audience derives pleasure from willingly confronting elements of an ultimate knowledge of the impermanence of their existence through the destruction of the tragic hero. (Young, J., 1994:29-33) Nietzsche believed that Dionysian art, with the help of this tragic effect, provides the audience with the metaphysical comfort of a glimpse of the beautiful acceptance needed to be come in touch with the primal unity. (Young, J., 1994:29-35) This idea of a primal unity that is not of this reality, and the Apollonian and Dionysian aesthetic strategies first offered in "The Birth of Tragedy," seem to be drawn from Schopenhauer's conceptions of the universal will and the idea of the world as will. (Dolson,.1901;244) This notion of the Will seems to have been imported permanently on Nietzsche by Schopenhauer, as it can be seen even in Nietzsche's later writings. At one stage, he attempts to explain reality by stating that the world is present in everything and is the link between humans' will and the environment. Nietzsche goes on to claim that the Wolf or power is always apparent in mankind and that all human states of consciousness belong to and are measured by the degree to which they express the will. Nietzsche's dedication to the concept of the will may stand as a testament to Schopenhauer's influence overall on his philosophy, not only on his aesthetic assumptions near the beginning of his philosophical escapades. (Dolson,.1901;244)

Additionally, Schopenhauer's distinction between the static arts, as merely representations of the phenomenal existence, and music, as a communicator of the Dionysian consciousness by being a direct embodiment to the world itself, has a strong influence on Nietzsche in "The Birth of Tragedy." Nietzsche assumes that Wagner's music was the key to reinstituting the Dionysian spirit into modern culture, by joining it with the Apollonian phenomenal representations that exist to form great art that is more than a beautiful illusion. Nietzsche builds on these concepts of music presented, he states that music compliments all phenomenal representations by representing a direct link to the metaphysical aesthetic realm behind the phenomena, thereby imbuing these phenomena with a Dionysian spirit. (Young, J., 1994:26-35) It may be seen from this distinction of great art, that Nietzsche's perception of art and the artist, as a genius who is able to bring metaphysical manifestations from the primal unity to the phenomenal world, is in line with Schopenhauer's ideas of an artist as a Prophet that in turn views art as having divine attachment to the perceptions of divinity or God. (Young, J., 1994:37-38) Later, Nietzsche will bring himself to ridicule this idea of the deification of art.

The next period of Nietzsche's writings is characterized by his major turnaround from his tragic optimistic stage. In "Human, All Too Human," Nietzsche himself asserts that this period of his writing is a period of his freedom while recovering from the previous period of romanticism. Nietzsche identifies this period of romanticism as a life-denying stage that is drawn from Schopenhauer's pessimistic metaphysics. Young refers to this stage as the positivistic stage of Nietzsche's writings as he looks to provide more optimistic solutions that present a flight from the denial of human existence. In doing this, Nietzsche finds himself firmly gripped by the ideals of scientific optimism. In accordance with the Socratic views, Nietzsche calls for the creation of a conception that is free of myths. Therefore, based on these thoughts, it can be said that his perception of art negates any metaphysical connotations, but rather views art as a human aesthetic activity that is a part of religious undertakings without needing to be actively defined as such. In the next book of this period, "Assorted Opinions and Maxims," Nietzsche's view of art changes once again, he infers that art should be tasked as a creator or supporter of higher values in human culture for the future. A part of this reasoning can be seen in his assumption that science lacks the power to create these mentioned values. (Young, J., 1994:31-43) Nietzsche also displays opposition to Schopenhauer's metaphysics by declaring Wagner and other artists of the time to be merely chasing the low tastes of purely Apollonian modern people who truly lack access to the Dionysian spirit. Although this period can be seen as Nietzsche's stage of opposition to Schopenhauer, it may be said that the distinctions of the Apollonian as the glory fires of the phenomenon and the Dionysian as the romantic pessimist who sees art as a way to go above and away from his nature, exhibits a type of Schopenhauerian denial of human existence by the need of the romantic pessimist to go above and away from his nature. (Young, J., 1994:28-35)

Additionally, Schopenhauer's distinction between the static arts, as merely representations of the phenomenal existence, and music, as a communicator of the Dionysian consciousness by being a direct embodiment of the world itself, has a strong influence on Nietzsche in "The Birth of Tragedy." This distinction is strongly evident in Nietzsche's assumption that Wagner's music was the key to reinstituting the Dionysian spirit into modern culture, by joining it with the Apollonian phenomenal representations that exist to form great art that is more than a beautiful illusion. As Nietzsche builds on these concepts of music presented, he states that music compliments all phenomenal representations by representing a direct link to the metaphysical aesthetic realm behind the phenomena, thereby imbuing these phenomena with a Dionysian spirit. (Young, J., 1994:26-35) It may be seen from this distinction of great art, that Nietzsche's perception of art and the artist, as a genius who is able to bring metaphysical manifestations from the primal unity to the phenomenal world, is in line with Schopenhauer's ideas of an artist as a Prophet that in turn views art as having a divine attachment to the perceptions of divinity or God. (Young, J., 1994:37-38) Later, Nietzsche will bring himself to ridicule this idea of the deification of art.

The next period of Nietzsche's writings is characterized by his major turnaround from his tragic optimistic stage. In "Human, All Too Human," Nietzsche himself asserts that this period of his writing is a period of his freedom while recovering from the previous period of romanticism. Nietzsche identifies this period of romanticism as a life-denying stage that is drawn from Schopenhauer's pessimistic metaphysics. Young refers to this stage as the positivistic stage of Nietzsche's writings as he looks to provide more optimistic solutions that present a flight from the denial of human existence. In doing this, Nietzsche finds himself firmly gripped by the ideals of scientific optimism. It is here that Nietzsche succumbs to this Socratic reasoning that he previously defamed. In accordance with the Socratic views, Nietzsche calls for the creation of a conception that is free of myths. Therefore, based on these thoughts, it can be said that his perception of art negates any metaphysical connotations, but rather views art as a human aesthetic activity that is a part of religious undertakings without having to be actively defined as such. In the next book of this period, "Assorted Opinions and Maxims," Nietzsche's view of art changes once again. He infers that art should be tasked as a creator or supporter of higher values in human culture for the future. A part of this reasoning can be seen in his assumption that science lacks the power to create these mentioned values. (Young, J., 1994:31-43) Nietzsche also displays opposition to Schopenhauer's metaphysics by declaring Wagner and other artists of the time to be merely chasing the low tastes of purely Apollonian modern people who truly lack access to the Dionysian spirit. Although this period can be seen as Nietzsche's stage of opposition to Schopenhauer, it may be said that the distinctions of the Apollonian as the glory fires of the phenomenon and the Dionysian as the romantic pessimist who sees art as a way to go above and away from his nature, exhibits a type of Schopenhauerian denial of human existence by the need of the romantic pessimist to go above and away from his nature. (Young, J., 1994:28-35)

In the works of "The Gay Science" and "Thus Spoke Zarathustra," in "The Gay Science," we see evidence of Schopenhauerian pessimism in the need for a science centered around the affirmation of life, a superficial aesthetic illusion that Nietzsche provides as his Apollonian solution. The Dionysian solution transforms into the eternal reoccurrence that is meant to be the ultimate version of life-affirmation even while contemplating the ultimate tragic knowledge of absurdity. (Kaufmann.,1974) In "Thus Spoke Zarathustra," Nietzsche's style of writing can be seen as a remnant of Schopenhauer's style of the poet-philosopher, as he writes about the life story of a Prophet while pinning philosophical assertions and statements to the story. Nietzsche also introduces the idea of the Ubermensch as the highest type of being that can assist humanity to transcend the human condition, as an answer to the denial of the value of life and the ridicule of human existence by Christianity and Schopenhauer. The Ubermensch as a solution refers to the last man who is only worried about safety and comfort and does not strive for excellence in this reality. This idea also replaces the need for the deification of art as it represents an object of aspiration for the last man, instead of striving for otherworldly metaphysical affirmation. (Nietzsche., 2008) This represents a complete opposite to Schopenhauerian pessimism.

Finally, in his last period of writing, Nietzsche refers to human nature as a beast that must be tamed. He mentions an ascetic ideal that accounts for humans' base drives and mentions the need to resist these impulses. This type of asceticism is described as an end to which humans should strive for. It has elements of Schopenhauer's ideas of the evils attributed to human existence, and therefore, the human condition something to be restrained. This sentiment presents or alludes to aspects of self-denial and, hence, denial of human existence, which may represent a return to the escapist solutions offered in "The Birth of Tragedy," which can be defined as Schopenhauerian.

In conclusion, the influence of Schopenhauer on Nietzsche's philosophy of art is evident throughout his literary works. The ideas presented in "The Birth of Tragedy" of aesthetic strategies and the Primal Unity, as solutions to Schopenhauerian denial of existence, can be traced back to Schopenhauer's metaphysics of art and music. As Nietzsche's ideas and writing style evolve, he begins to oppose Schopenhauer's metaphysics and presents new, more optimistic solutions. However, even in his final works, elements of Schopenhauer's denial of human existence and ascetic ideals can be seen. Overall, it can be seen that Schopenhauer's ideas and concepts played a significant role in shaping Nietzsche's philosophy of art and his understanding of the human condition