Therefore he gives up by no means the will-to-live, but merely life, since he destroys the individual phenomenon." (Schopenhauer p398).
That is, in Faust's case he is giving up on life because it is unbearable for him, his despair is not universalised. Now we might object that Faust's despair is not about a particular upsetting/suicide inspiring event and thus not the suicidal tendency (e.g. of a bereaved lover) which Schopenhauer could be construed as meaning. However such an objection would not work, as that would be to fail to recognise that both Faust's existential despair and that of a more earthly depression are both manifestations of suffering. To act upon either suicidally would be to fail to see the universality of this suffering, as Young puts it:.
" it leads to the pleasing paradox that pessimism itself is the antidote to suicidal despair. Were the suicide to abandon his facile optimism and recognise that there is nothing isolated or unique about his suffering, it would lose that special quality which urges him to self destruction-(Young p128 1987).
The Easter chorus, which causes Faust to stop his suicide attempt, does nothing to turn Faust against the will. It merely reinvigorates Faust with a sense of rebirth, confirming his return to will affirmation. Thus neither from Faust's approach to suicide nor from his recovery can we detect a Schopenhauerian denial of will. Against this untenable Schopenhauerian interpretation, we will now see if it can be tentatively asserted that this position can be equated with a nihilistic consequence of what Nietzsche refers to as Socratism.
What is meant by Socratism and how is it relevant to our enquiry? A degree of explanation is required here to clarify Nietzsche's use of the term. Socratism is characterised by the belief that what is good is what is intelligible; it represents the emerging and privileging of conscious understanding over the unconscious acting, something clearly present in Faust.
In Goethe's Faust, the lead character is a man named Faust who makes a bet with the Devil, referred to as Mephistopheles. The virtues of Faust are often argued. ... This would seem to represent the loss of control by Faust and the power of Mephisto to bend Faust's will. ... Faust does ultimately return to God. ... In the end, Faust proved to be as virtuous as anyone. ...
The concerto is based off of Goethe's Faust. ... The first movement sets Faust in Hungary in the nature. ... The second movement is where Faust meets Méphistophélès, a Satan figure who lures Faust into sleep where he dreams of Marguerite. ... In the fourth movement, Faust learns that Marguerite is in trouble and begs Mephistopheles for help. ... It shows the different struggles with the characters and how they prevail, or not in Faust's case. ...
In the story of Faust the main character, Faust, is pushed to evil, after a long period of self-torment. ... But that was not enough for Faust; he wanted the knowledge of the gods. ... Faust agreed to this, and at once the devil was Faust's servant doing what Faust wanted. ... Faust saw a girl, a girl he thought that he must have. ... Soon the girl was pregnant with Faust's child, soon after he abandoned her. ...
Nietzsche, however, took the opposite approach to this impossible task. Nietzsche gave no value to anything. ... Nietzsche basically told the whole world to screw off. ... Nietzsche's theory entails that human beings are basically and only egotistical. ... Nietzsche also has interesting ideas on the difference between good and evil. ...
As a philosopher, Nietzsche tried to change to world with his prose by discussing societal values and ascetics. ... Nietzsche's view of art is, at the same time, the most sublime and metaphysical. ... Although Nietzsche was strongly against the Christian moral sentiment and German nationalism, Nietzsche himself is just as guilty for he himself was a master of manipulation with his work Genealogy of Morals. ... Like a true artist, Nietzsche never let morals or some sort of doctrine dictate his art. ... Nietzsche and Bishop's art are highly elaborated and ornamental poetic pieces o...
Nietzsche claims that we live in an historical age that is " beyond good and evil." ... Nietzsche believes that no history can be defined and claims that there is no such thing as something that has no history. Through examining Nietzsche it becomes evident that searching for the definition of species is not only futile but also unnecessary. ... Unlike Hobbes Nietzsche believed that our value systems are culturally determined, they arise not from conventional folk wisdom. ... Humans described by Nietzsche are like human culture and have a history. ...
Assess Nietzsche's View Of Truth In the first section of Beyond Good and Evil (BGE) it is clear that Nietzsche's view on truth is that there is no such thing as "T"ruth. ... This is otherwise known as Nietzsche's Perspectivism. ... Nietzsche also argues that living without falseness is impossible. ... But it also leads to Nietzsche's view of immediate certainties. ... Also Nietzsche's account of truth is too complicated. ...
Goethe's Faust does not contain such a bargain with the Devil. ... The Lord bets Mephistopheles that he won't be able to make Faust deviate from "the appointed course," and Faust bets Mephistopheles that he won't be able to make any moment so pleasurable that Faust will cry out for time to stop. Thus, the bet between Faust and Mephistopheles concerns fulfillment. If Faust is ever tempted to stop reaching for something new, he will forfeit his soul. ... This aspect slightly differs from Goethe's Faust in that Faust is lured and chooses either to go or not go while in Bedazzl...
