Nietzsche`s Dionysian Pessimism
By: DIENSTAG, Josua Foa
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Material type: 
ArticlePublisher: 2002American Political Science Review 95, 4, p. 923-938Abstract: As system of thought, pessimism is often assumed to be too deterministic or self-contraditory to withstand serious scrutiny. I examine Nietzsche`s use of the term "Dionysian pessimism" to describe his own philosophy in order to challenge these presumptions. Nietzsche was quite critical of the pessimistic philosophers popular in his day, but he nonetheless considered his own work to be a kind of pessimis, which he meant not as a psychological characterization but a philosophical one. Nietzsche`s Dionysian pessimism is a perspective on life that can draw sustenance, rather that recoil, from the disordered, disenchanted world left to us after the demise of metaphysics. Whereas Schopenhauer advocated resignation, Nietzsche maintained that a new ground for activity could be found apart from the narratives fo reason and progress. Dionysian pessimism is an answer to those who characterized Nietzsche`s philosophy, and pessimism more generally, as passive or suicidal modes of thought
| Item type | Current location | Collection | Call number | Status | Date due | Barcode |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Periódico | Biblioteca Graciliano Ramos | Periódico | Not for loan |
As system of thought, pessimism is often assumed to be too deterministic or self-contraditory to withstand serious scrutiny. I examine Nietzsche`s use of the term "Dionysian pessimism" to describe his own philosophy in order to challenge these presumptions. Nietzsche was quite critical of the pessimistic philosophers popular in his day, but he nonetheless considered his own work to be a kind of pessimis, which he meant not as a psychological characterization but a philosophical one. Nietzsche`s Dionysian pessimism is a perspective on life that can draw sustenance, rather that recoil, from the disordered, disenchanted world left to us after the demise of metaphysics. Whereas Schopenhauer advocated resignation, Nietzsche maintained that a new ground for activity could be found apart from the narratives fo reason and progress. Dionysian pessimism is an answer to those who characterized Nietzsche`s philosophy, and pessimism more generally, as passive or suicidal modes of thought
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