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gabudell's review against another edition
3.0
“Viewed through the optics of life, what is the meaning of morality?”
I enjoyed Nietzsche’s ‘an attempt at self-criticism’, that preceded the main body of the book, more so that the essay which the book gains it’s title from. I enjoyed Nietzsche’s belief that one must “view science through the optics of the artist, and art moreover through the optics of life”.
The main arguments of the book derived around the argument that there are two artistic forces within humanity; the Apollonian and the Dionysian. Although I enjoyed Nietzsche’s definitions of both artistic forces, I cannot believe that they are the sole two influences that compel someone create art.
I enjoyed Nietzsche’s ‘an attempt at self-criticism’, that preceded the main body of the book, more so that the essay which the book gains it’s title from. I enjoyed Nietzsche’s belief that one must “view science through the optics of the artist, and art moreover through the optics of life”.
The main arguments of the book derived around the argument that there are two artistic forces within humanity; the Apollonian and the Dionysian. Although I enjoyed Nietzsche’s definitions of both artistic forces, I cannot believe that they are the sole two influences that compel someone create art.
tyndareos's review against another edition
4.0
In Die Geburt der Tragödie aus dem Geiste der Musik entfaltet Nietzsche seine faszinierende Philosophie der griechischen Götterwelt und deren Einfluss auf den Menschen, die Gesellschaft und das Denken. In einer dreigeteilten Abhandlung, durchzogen von persönlicher Reflexion, beleuchtet er die Dualität des Apollinischen und Dionysischen, zweier Prinzipien, die das menschliche Dasein prägen.
Nietzsche stellt die beiden griechischen Götter Apollo und Dionysos in den Vordergrund, deren gegensätzliche Naturen den Lauf der Welt und die menschliche Erfahrung bestimmen.
Das Apollinische, verkörpert durch Maß, Harmonie und Form und steht im Kontrast zum dionysischen Rausch der Ekstase, das Auflösung der Grenzen kennzeichnet.
Lange Zeit wurden diese beiden Prinzipien als reines Gegenüber betrachtet, wobei Nietzsche oft als ausschließlicher Verfechter des Dionysischen gesehen wurde. Doch in diesem Werk offenbart sich die wahre Tiefe von Nietzsches Denken. Er erkennt, dass die Grenzen des Dionysischen im Apollinischen liegen, ja dass das Apollinische die Voraussetzung für das Dionysische überhaupt ist.
Es erfordert ein perspektivisches Sehen, um sowohl die Wissenschaft als auch die Nicht-Wissenschaft, sowohl das Denken als auch das Fühlen, zu erfassen.
Der Rausch und der Traum ermöglichen es, die Grenzen des Ich zu sprengen, doch ohne das Apollinische Gesetz von Maß, Grenze und Schönheit würde dies in Chaos und Zerstörung münden.
Aus diesem Zusammenspiel von Apollinischem und Dionysischem entsteht, laut Nietzsche, die griechische Tragödie. Sie verkörpert die Ambivalenz des Lebens, den ewigen Kampf zwischen Ordnung und Chaos, Licht und Dunkelheit. Der tragische Held steht zwischen diesen beiden Welten, dem Apollinischen Streben nach Maß und dem Dionysischen Verlangen nach Auflösung.
Doch mit dem Aufkommen des Sokratismus, der reinen Vernunft, gerät die Tragödie in Bedrängnis. Sokrates, so Nietzsche, verdrängt die Ambivalenz und den Machtkampf der beiden Prinzipien. Die Tragödie stirbt und mit ihr das volle Leben.
Im dritten Teil seiner Abhandlung wendet sich Nietzsche der Musik zu. Er sieht in ihr die Möglichkeit, die Tragödie im Geiste der griechischen Tradition wiederherzustellen. Richard Wagner, sein Zeitgenosse und Freund, verkörpert für Nietzsche diese Hoffnung. Wagners Musik, so Nietzsche, vereint Apollinische und Dionysische Elemente und schafft so den Raum für eine neue Tragödie.
Die Geburt der Tragödie aus dem Geiste der Musik ist ein Werk voller Leidenschaft und Tiefe. Nietzsche bejaht den Lauf der Welt, auch wenn er ihn zu erdrücken droht. Er findet Glück in der Hoffnungslosigkeit und zeigt uns, wie wir unser Leben selbstbewusst gestalten und gestalten können, selbst angesichts von Leid und Schmerz.
Nietzsche stellt die beiden griechischen Götter Apollo und Dionysos in den Vordergrund, deren gegensätzliche Naturen den Lauf der Welt und die menschliche Erfahrung bestimmen.
Das Apollinische, verkörpert durch Maß, Harmonie und Form und steht im Kontrast zum dionysischen Rausch der Ekstase, das Auflösung der Grenzen kennzeichnet.
Lange Zeit wurden diese beiden Prinzipien als reines Gegenüber betrachtet, wobei Nietzsche oft als ausschließlicher Verfechter des Dionysischen gesehen wurde. Doch in diesem Werk offenbart sich die wahre Tiefe von Nietzsches Denken. Er erkennt, dass die Grenzen des Dionysischen im Apollinischen liegen, ja dass das Apollinische die Voraussetzung für das Dionysische überhaupt ist.
Es erfordert ein perspektivisches Sehen, um sowohl die Wissenschaft als auch die Nicht-Wissenschaft, sowohl das Denken als auch das Fühlen, zu erfassen.
Der Rausch und der Traum ermöglichen es, die Grenzen des Ich zu sprengen, doch ohne das Apollinische Gesetz von Maß, Grenze und Schönheit würde dies in Chaos und Zerstörung münden.
Aus diesem Zusammenspiel von Apollinischem und Dionysischem entsteht, laut Nietzsche, die griechische Tragödie. Sie verkörpert die Ambivalenz des Lebens, den ewigen Kampf zwischen Ordnung und Chaos, Licht und Dunkelheit. Der tragische Held steht zwischen diesen beiden Welten, dem Apollinischen Streben nach Maß und dem Dionysischen Verlangen nach Auflösung.
Doch mit dem Aufkommen des Sokratismus, der reinen Vernunft, gerät die Tragödie in Bedrängnis. Sokrates, so Nietzsche, verdrängt die Ambivalenz und den Machtkampf der beiden Prinzipien. Die Tragödie stirbt und mit ihr das volle Leben.
Im dritten Teil seiner Abhandlung wendet sich Nietzsche der Musik zu. Er sieht in ihr die Möglichkeit, die Tragödie im Geiste der griechischen Tradition wiederherzustellen. Richard Wagner, sein Zeitgenosse und Freund, verkörpert für Nietzsche diese Hoffnung. Wagners Musik, so Nietzsche, vereint Apollinische und Dionysische Elemente und schafft so den Raum für eine neue Tragödie.
Die Geburt der Tragödie aus dem Geiste der Musik ist ein Werk voller Leidenschaft und Tiefe. Nietzsche bejaht den Lauf der Welt, auch wenn er ihn zu erdrücken droht. Er findet Glück in der Hoffnungslosigkeit und zeigt uns, wie wir unser Leben selbstbewusst gestalten und gestalten können, selbst angesichts von Leid und Schmerz.
athousandgreatbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Having understood only about half of what was being said, I can safely say that my powers of comprehension lie annihilated by Nietzsche's first philosophical work.
In any case, whatever I did manage to 'get', there's not a single line here (one's I understood) that I have any qualms with (in fact, reading Nietzsche, my calcified structures of thought are once again in tatters, and if I were to really get around the Greek myth references, I would not, if I may say so, be able to look at art - and indeed, life - in the same manner as I have thus far).
The Birth of Tragedy is a complex (often complicated) treatise on the interaction of impersonal Greek dieties of Apollo and Dioysus (read Order and Chaos) that are at the foundation of Hellenism, life, and good art. For Nietzsche, the Greek tragedies were the highest form of art, which went into terminal decline (the death of tragedy) starting with the death of Euripides (a Greek playwright) and the increasing fame of Socrates who probed reality with reason and classical intellectualism alone, rather than balanced with a good dose of mythical and instinctual inner exploration. But, as Nietzsche also concurs, it is through the marriage of these two worlds that great art ensues. His own philosophy of art is an extremism (can't expect anything less from Nietzsche) where the artist and the art are one, not separate entities. The overponderance of a scientific and critical way of life that we see in the modern world has its roots in the Socratic way of life, and is, by necessity, only half complete.
The Dionysian mode of life has long been forgotten, though it finds its release ever so often in song and dance, wine and barbarism, which, on its own, can wreak havoc to civilized world, but which also forms the kernel of all great passions and art, like music.
As said before, reading The Birth of Tragedy only once has left a shattering effect, and my knowledge and understanding of the Greek myths and tragedies has left me unable to truly grasp Nietzsche's philosophy. For anyone reading this, I would advise checking out other reviews, and books on Greek myths before giving this a go. As for myself, I'll have to return to this sometime later in life when I can follow along the numerous little allusions to the same.
In any case, whatever I did manage to 'get', there's not a single line here (one's I understood) that I have any qualms with (in fact, reading Nietzsche, my calcified structures of thought are once again in tatters, and if I were to really get around the Greek myth references, I would not, if I may say so, be able to look at art - and indeed, life - in the same manner as I have thus far).
The Birth of Tragedy is a complex (often complicated) treatise on the interaction of impersonal Greek dieties of Apollo and Dioysus (read Order and Chaos) that are at the foundation of Hellenism, life, and good art. For Nietzsche, the Greek tragedies were the highest form of art, which went into terminal decline (the death of tragedy) starting with the death of Euripides (a Greek playwright) and the increasing fame of Socrates who probed reality with reason and classical intellectualism alone, rather than balanced with a good dose of mythical and instinctual inner exploration. But, as Nietzsche also concurs, it is through the marriage of these two worlds that great art ensues. His own philosophy of art is an extremism (can't expect anything less from Nietzsche) where the artist and the art are one, not separate entities. The overponderance of a scientific and critical way of life that we see in the modern world has its roots in the Socratic way of life, and is, by necessity, only half complete.
The Dionysian mode of life has long been forgotten, though it finds its release ever so often in song and dance, wine and barbarism, which, on its own, can wreak havoc to civilized world, but which also forms the kernel of all great passions and art, like music.
As said before, reading The Birth of Tragedy only once has left a shattering effect, and my knowledge and understanding of the Greek myths and tragedies has left me unable to truly grasp Nietzsche's philosophy. For anyone reading this, I would advise checking out other reviews, and books on Greek myths before giving this a go. As for myself, I'll have to return to this sometime later in life when I can follow along the numerous little allusions to the same.
grindmonkey82's review against another edition
4.0
not too shabby of a book, Nietzsche explains why nature and art are quite important, dividing the lines between the Dionysian (nature) and the Appolonian (art, the highest attainment for man) and why each one compliments each other. other than that it dragged on for quite some time and was confusive at other times but otherwise a nice compliment to "Twilight Of The Idols"
bulotaknows's review against another edition
3.0
I used Nietzsche’s concepts to analyze the The Secret History. You can read it here: https://medium.com/@phoebebltno/the-secret-history-dissected-8bd4dae1c262
casparb's review against another edition
4.0
3.5
Still thinking this one over but an exciting investigation into antiquity - Nietzsche's perennial obsession. It's his first book, and he's rather apologetic in the preface - written 16 years after the fact, wherein he criticises himself for being overly optimistic about the rebirth of Dionysian art in Germany (a perfectly valid criticism, though perhaps that's too easy to say given 150 years of hindsight).
Translation is translation but even at this early stage, he's such a delight to read.
'Dionysian art thus wishes to convince us of the eternal delight in existence: only we are to seek this
delight, not in appearances, but behind them; we are to recognize how everything which comes into
being must be ready for painful destruction; we are forced to gaze directly into the terror of individual
existence — and nonetheless are not to become paralyzed: a metaphysical consolation tears us
momentarily out of the hustle and bustle of changing forms. For a short time we really are the
primordial essence itself and feel its unbridled lust for and joy in existence; the struggle, the torment,
the destruction of appearances now seem to us necessary'
So it's at times difficult squaring it with later Nietzsche, working out what ought to stay, what would be rejected. I keep thinking about what could have been had he read Kierkegaard.
Still thinking this one over but an exciting investigation into antiquity - Nietzsche's perennial obsession. It's his first book, and he's rather apologetic in the preface - written 16 years after the fact, wherein he criticises himself for being overly optimistic about the rebirth of Dionysian art in Germany (a perfectly valid criticism, though perhaps that's too easy to say given 150 years of hindsight).
Translation is translation but even at this early stage, he's such a delight to read.
'Dionysian art thus wishes to convince us of the eternal delight in existence: only we are to seek this
delight, not in appearances, but behind them; we are to recognize how everything which comes into
being must be ready for painful destruction; we are forced to gaze directly into the terror of individual
existence — and nonetheless are not to become paralyzed: a metaphysical consolation tears us
momentarily out of the hustle and bustle of changing forms. For a short time we really are the
primordial essence itself and feel its unbridled lust for and joy in existence; the struggle, the torment,
the destruction of appearances now seem to us necessary'
So it's at times difficult squaring it with later Nietzsche, working out what ought to stay, what would be rejected. I keep thinking about what could have been had he read Kierkegaard.