Here is the term paper I submitted for a course, titled Philosophy of Life, at IIT Bombay about 2 years back. It gives a synopsis of Friedrich Nietzsche's work, "The Gay Science". ("Gay" standing for happiness here).
Introduction:
The Gay Science has many interesting things to say about moral values, religion, and psychology; it centers on a discussion of epistemology. What Nietzsche wants is a "science" which is free-spirited, joyful, and life-affirming. The title signifies a propensity towards rigorous practice of a poised, controlled, and disciplined quest for knowledge, and is typically translated as "science". The book is usually placed within Nietzsche's middle period, during which his work extolled the merits of science, skepticism and intellectual discipline as routes to mental freedom.
This book is a kind of merry-making after long privation and powerlessness, the rejoicing of strength that is returning, of a reawakened faith in a tomorrow, of a sudden sense and anticipation of a future, of impending adventures. Only great pain is the liberator of the spirit, which compels us to descend into our ultimate depths and to put aside all trust, everything good-natured, everything that would interpose a veil, that is mild – things in which we formerly may have found our humanity. Nietzsche's concept of "science" represents a revolution.
Book 1
In this book, Nietzsche has argued that humans instead of following someone or some principle blindly, need to form their own beliefs about the meaning of life and their existence. Most people lack “intellectual conscience” and believe things without questioning and reasoning. Nietzsche contrasted the noble and common, individual and herd based on this idea. He also challenged the traditional idea of the good and evil. Following of traditional principles without challenging is considered good, whereas what is new and speculative is considered evil. He considers appearance as a dream-state and this notion elevates its status.
The teachers of the purpose of existence
According to Nietzsche, all humans are involved in a single task of doing what is good for the preservation of the human race. This instinct of race preservation is the essence of our species. The herd mentality has given rise to the proposition that “the species is everything, one is always none”. The moralities and religions promote the life of the species by promoting faith in life; that life is worth living. Many teachers of existence come and go (defeated by reason, laughter or nature) who try to instill faith in life and its meaning and make sure that we do not laugh at existence itself. Human nature has been changed by these teachers so such as extent that now there is an additional need for the ever new appearance of such teachers and teachings of a purpose.
What preserves the species
Usually people hold this notion that what is called good preserves the species, while what is called evil harms the species. Nietzsche argues that in reality the strongest and most evil spirits and not the good ones have advanced humanity and relumed the passions that were going to sleep. Order puts society to sleep, which is awakened by contradictions, comparisons and pleasures in what is new, daring and untried. On the contrary, the good men are those who dig old thoughts; what is new is considered evil.
This section highlights Nietzsche’s opposition to the simplistic Utilitarian theory of good and bad.
On the doctrine of the feeling of power
Benefiting and hurting others are just ways of exercising one's power over others.
We show benevolence to those who subdue to our power. We show them that it is advantageous to be under our power and they become willing with their condition and fight again the enemies of our power. Out of these two ways, pain is more efficient means to power than pleasure, since pain always raises the question of its origin while pleasure is inclined to stop with itself without looking back. Even though we may offer sacrifices for benefiting or hurting others; but all these sacrifices do not stand on their own but are backed by the purpose of promoting one's own power.
Pain is a more extreme means for promoting power; only the frustrated, irritable and covetous devotees of the feeling of power use it. For them, the sight of the objects of benevolence is a burden or boredom. Which means to select is a personal choice and depends on one's temperament – whether one prefers the slow or the sudden.
Nietzsche compares the proud natures with those who little pride. An easy prey is contemptible for proud ones. They feel good at sight of unbroken men who might become their enemies and at the sight of all possessions that are hard to come by. On the other hand, pity is found only in those with little pride. An easy prey is enchanting for them.
Evil
Hindrances such as misfortune and external resistance, hatred, jealousy, avarice and violence are considered evil or not belonging to favorable conditions. But without these evils any growth of virtue is scarcely possible. These poisons which destroy the weaker natures actually strengthens the strong and the strong do not even call them poison.
Changed tastes
It is the change in tastes of some influential people rather than opinions that are more powerful. Opinions which rely on proofs, refutations and arguments are merely symptoms of the change in taste. The general taste is changed by some powerful people who shamelessly announce the judgment of their taste and enforce it tyrannically. And the reasons why their individual tastes changed are trivial, such as some oddity in their lifestyle, nutrition, digestion or in their physis. They have courage to side with their instincts to the subtlest nuances, whereas the herd which just follows their taste is contemptible. : Nietzsche criticize the general crowd which succumbs its reasoning and judgment to the subtlest nuances of physis of these powerful people and follows them blindly.
The things people call love
Nietzsche compares the feeling of love with avarice. Both the feelings originate in our desires for possession for new things. We derive pleasure in ourselves by changing something new into ourselves; that is what possession means. Love is nothing but an attempt to take possession of someone else.
Friendship: But there is a higher feeling of continuation of love in the form of friendship. In friendship, there is a possessive craving of two people for each other, which gives way to a shared higher thirst for an ideal above them. This feeling of possession, unlike sexual love, does not exclude the whole world and demand sole authority over the beloved.
Against remorse
Nietzsche contrasts the independent thinker with a follower. A thinker indulges in experiments and questions and these are attempts to find out something. The success and failure that he encounters are his answers after all. Hence, there is no reason for the feeling of remorse on a failure to emerge.
A follower who receives orders, on the other hand, gets annoyed and feels remorse when something goes wrong and has to reckon with a beating when his lordship is not satisfied with the result.
Work and boredom
Nietzsche offers some rare insights into modern industrial society. In knightly society there was value in what men sought to do; in industrial society men do what they do (work) merely to be paid. Value, in effect, has become alienated --- from inner desires and needs to outer currencies. The plight of the modern worker is humiliating.
Today people look for work just for money. Thus, work becomes a means to getting paid rather than an end in itself. These people do not even care much for the choice of their work, if only it pays well. Nietzsche considers these people contemptible. It is better to perish without money than to work without any pleasure. People should be choosy about their work and should not care for rewards because the work itself should be a reward.
There are two kinds of people who do not work unless it gives them pleasure. The first kind is the artists and contemplative men of all kinds and the second kind are the men of leisure. They desire work only if it is associated with pleasure. Otherwise, they choose to remain idle even if it means impoverishment, dishonor and danger to life and limb. They do not fear boredom as much as work without pleasure. Rather, the thinkers consider boredom as something which precedes a happy voyage, which must be borne. Boredom signifies a long and deep calm of the soul which requires patience.
On the suppression of the passions
If one continuously suppresses expression of one’s passion, thinking that it is something to be left to the commoners, the result is the weakening and alteration of the passion. In such cases, passions themselves get replaced by graceful, shallow and playful manners. It gives rise to a fake society where even an insult is accepted and returned with obliging words. Nietzsche sees delight in genuine passions and not fake manners.
The argument of growing solitude
It is surprising that the reproaches of our own conscience are weaker that those by the society. We care more about the morals and norms of society than our own conscience. Even the strongest of people are fearful of a cold look or a sneer on the face of others. The argument that they give for behaving this way is that they are afraid of growing solitude. This is an indication of the herd instinct.
What others know about us
Nietzsche reinforces his point of basic herd instinct in humans by arguing that our happiness is not primarily dependent on what we know about ourselves but rather on what others know about us. It is easier to cope with bad conscience but harder to cope with bad reputation.
CONCLUSION
The following is a central idea in the book 1: Nobility of mind is hard won and rarely celebrated by people at large. "It involves the use of a rare and singular standard and almost a madness: the feeling of heat in things that feel cold to everybody else; the discovery of values for which no scales have been invented yet; offering sacrifices on altars that are dedicated to an unknown god; a courage without any desire for honors; a self-sufficiency that overflows and gives to men and things."
Through the use of various aphorism and dichotomies such as noble and common, good and evil, herd and individual, Nietzsche has successfully and very profoundly conveyed this idea. He has adopted the anthropological point of view. We have to know humans from the very roots, from the most basic herd instincts. He has highlighted how we lie to ourselves and need to know why we exist, leading to formation of many false constructions. Nietzsche demands an intellectual conscience, appreciation and a need for newness and regeneration.
