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Nietzsche’s Early Views on the Relation between Language and Philosophy

Year 2024, Issue: 21, 100 - 108, 03.06.2024
https://doi.org/10.55256/temasa.1416019

Abstract

This paper closely reads Nietzsche's early views on language and its relation with philosophy. The analysis is structured into several key themes. Firstly, regarding the musical and the metaphoric elements of language, Nietzsche suggests that language consists of two main elements: the “tonal subsoil” and “gesture symbolism.” Secondly, he asserts the primacy of the musical element. Thirdly, Nietzsche associates the musical element with the Dionysian and the metaphorical element with the Apollonian. On this basis, this paper explores the complex relation between language, philosophy, and “truth.” It delves into the metaphorical character of knowledge and its inherent inability to express anything in-itself due to its necessary connection with arbitrary gesture symbolism. Furthermore, regarding the genesis of language, Nietzsche's perspective on the telos of language, and claim of the illogical operation in the formation of concepts, characterized by the equalization of unequal things are discussed. Lastly, this paper scrutinizes the world that language gives us through concepts, highlighting its inherent powerlessness when compared with the world of appearances. Through these discussions, this paper aims to shed light on Nietzsche's profound insights into the complex nature of language–philosophy relation, some important early ones of which are widely neglected.

References

  • Berry, Jessica N. “Skepticism in Nietzsche’s Earliest Work: Another Look at Nietzsche's ‘On Truth and Lies in an Extra-Moral Sense’,” International Studies in Philosophy 38, no. 3 (2006): 33-48.
  • Breazeale, Daniel. “Introduction” in Philosophy and Truth: Selections from Nietzsche's Notebooks of the Early 1870's. Edited by Daniel Breazeale, xiii-l. Amherst, N.Y.: Humanity Books, 1999.
  • Haar, Michel. Nietzsche and Metaphysics. Trans.: Michael Gendre, Albany, New York: State University of New York Press, 1996.
  • Hazelton, Roger. “Nietzsche’s Contribution to the Theory of Language,” The Philosophical Review 52, no. 1 (January 1943): 47-60.
  • Kaufmann, Walter Arnold. Nietzsche: Philosopher, Psychologist, Antichrist. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1974.
  • Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm. “On Music and Words” in Complete Works of Friedrich Nietzsche, Edited by Oscar Levy, 27-48. London: The Macmillan Company, 1911.
  • Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm. “On Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral Sense” in Philosophy and Truth: Selections from Nietzsche's Notebooks of the Early 1870's, Edited by Daniel Breazeale. Amherst, 79-100. N.Y.: Humanity Books, 1999.
  • Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm. Beyond Good and Evil: Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future. Trans.: Judith Norman, New York: Cambridge University Press, 2002.
  • Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm. On the Genealogy of Morals and Ecce Homo. Trans.: Walter Arnold Kaufmann, New York: Vintage Books, 1989.
  • Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm. The Anti-Christ, Ecce Homo, Twilight of the Idols and Other Writings. Trans.: J. Norman, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007.
  • Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm. The Birth of Tragedy and Other Writings. Trans.: Ronald Speirs, New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007.
  • Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm. The Will to Power, with Facsimiles of the Original Manuscript. Trans.: Walter Kaufmann and R. J. Hollingdale, New York: Random House, 1968.
  • Rehberg, Andrea. “Nietzsche’s Transvaluation of Causality” in Nietzsche, Epistemology, and Philosophy of Science, Edited by Babette E. Babich, 279-286. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1999.
  • Schopenhauer, Arthur. The World as Will and Representation. Trans.: Judith Norman, Alistair Welchman and Christopher Janaway, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010.
  • Schrift, Alan D. “Language, Metaphor, Rhetoric: Nietzsche’s Deconstruction of Epistemology,” Journal of the History of Philosophy 23, no. 3 (July 1985): 371-395.
  • Strong, Tracy B. “Language and Nihilism: Nietzsche’s Critique of Epistemology,” Theory and Society 3, no. 2 (1976): 239-263.
  • Wicks, Robert. “Friedrich Nietzsche,” The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2013 Edition), Ed. Edward N. Zalta. http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2013/entries/nietzsche/

Nietzsche’nin Dil-Felsefe İlişkisine Dair Erken Dönem Görüşleri

Year 2024, Issue: 21, 100 - 108, 03.06.2024
https://doi.org/10.55256/temasa.1416019

Abstract

Bu makale Nietzsche’nin dil-felsefe ilişkisine dair erken dönem görüşlerinin yakın bir okumasını sunmaktadır. Bu analiz birkaç ana tema etrafında yapılandırılmıştır. Birincisi, dilin müzikal ve metaforik unsurlarıyla ilgili olarak Nietzsche, dilin iki ana öğeden oluştuğunu öne sürmektedir: “tonal taban” ve “jest sembolizmi.” İkinci olarak, Nietzsche, müzikal olan öğenin diğerine olan önceliğini vurgular. Dahası, Nietzsche müzikal öğeyi Diyonizyak olanla, metaforik öğeyi ise Apollonikle ilişkilendirir. Bunların ışığında bu makale, Nietzsche düşüncesinde dil, felsefe ve “hakikat” arasındaki karmaşık ilişkinin izini sürer. Bilginin metaforik karakterine ve kendinde-şeyleri ifade etme konusundaki içsel yetersizliğine vurgu yapar. Çünkü bilgi, zorunlu olarak keyfi bir karakter taşımakta olan jest sembolizmiyle bağlantılıdır. Bunun yanı sıra, Nietzsche’nin dilin kökeni ve teleolojisi üzerine bakış açısı ve kavramların oluşumundaki “eşitsiz şeylerin eşitlemesiyle” karakterize edilen mantıksız işleyişe dair iddiası gibi konuları ele alır. Son olarak, dilin bize kavramlar aracılığıyla sunduğu dünyayı inceleyerek, bu dünyanın görüngüler dünyasıyla karşılaştırıldığında içsel bir güçsüzlükten muzdarip olduğunu vurgular. Bu tartışmalar aracılığıyla, bu makale, Nietzsche’nin erken döneminde rastladığımız ve özellikle bir bölümü literatürde sıklıkla ihmal edilmekte olan bu önemli düşüncelerine ışık tutmayı amaçlar.

References

  • Berry, Jessica N. “Skepticism in Nietzsche’s Earliest Work: Another Look at Nietzsche's ‘On Truth and Lies in an Extra-Moral Sense’,” International Studies in Philosophy 38, no. 3 (2006): 33-48.
  • Breazeale, Daniel. “Introduction” in Philosophy and Truth: Selections from Nietzsche's Notebooks of the Early 1870's. Edited by Daniel Breazeale, xiii-l. Amherst, N.Y.: Humanity Books, 1999.
  • Haar, Michel. Nietzsche and Metaphysics. Trans.: Michael Gendre, Albany, New York: State University of New York Press, 1996.
  • Hazelton, Roger. “Nietzsche’s Contribution to the Theory of Language,” The Philosophical Review 52, no. 1 (January 1943): 47-60.
  • Kaufmann, Walter Arnold. Nietzsche: Philosopher, Psychologist, Antichrist. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1974.
  • Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm. “On Music and Words” in Complete Works of Friedrich Nietzsche, Edited by Oscar Levy, 27-48. London: The Macmillan Company, 1911.
  • Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm. “On Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral Sense” in Philosophy and Truth: Selections from Nietzsche's Notebooks of the Early 1870's, Edited by Daniel Breazeale. Amherst, 79-100. N.Y.: Humanity Books, 1999.
  • Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm. Beyond Good and Evil: Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future. Trans.: Judith Norman, New York: Cambridge University Press, 2002.
  • Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm. On the Genealogy of Morals and Ecce Homo. Trans.: Walter Arnold Kaufmann, New York: Vintage Books, 1989.
  • Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm. The Anti-Christ, Ecce Homo, Twilight of the Idols and Other Writings. Trans.: J. Norman, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007.
  • Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm. The Birth of Tragedy and Other Writings. Trans.: Ronald Speirs, New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007.
  • Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm. The Will to Power, with Facsimiles of the Original Manuscript. Trans.: Walter Kaufmann and R. J. Hollingdale, New York: Random House, 1968.
  • Rehberg, Andrea. “Nietzsche’s Transvaluation of Causality” in Nietzsche, Epistemology, and Philosophy of Science, Edited by Babette E. Babich, 279-286. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1999.
  • Schopenhauer, Arthur. The World as Will and Representation. Trans.: Judith Norman, Alistair Welchman and Christopher Janaway, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010.
  • Schrift, Alan D. “Language, Metaphor, Rhetoric: Nietzsche’s Deconstruction of Epistemology,” Journal of the History of Philosophy 23, no. 3 (July 1985): 371-395.
  • Strong, Tracy B. “Language and Nihilism: Nietzsche’s Critique of Epistemology,” Theory and Society 3, no. 2 (1976): 239-263.
  • Wicks, Robert. “Friedrich Nietzsche,” The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2013 Edition), Ed. Edward N. Zalta. http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2013/entries/nietzsche/
There are 17 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Epistemology, Philosophy of Language, 19th Century Philosophy
Journal Section Articles
Authors

Necdet Yıldız 0000-0003-4205-1124

Publication Date June 3, 2024
Submission Date January 7, 2024
Acceptance Date February 6, 2024
Published in Issue Year 2024 Issue: 21

Cite

Chicago Yıldız, Necdet. “Nietzsche’s Early Views on the Relation Between Language and Philosophy”. Temaşa Erciyes Üniversitesi Felsefe Bölümü Dergisi, no. 21 (June 2024): 100-108. https://doi.org/10.55256/temasa.1416019.