Date: Sat, 19 Aug 95 0:06 BST
From: WIDDER-AT-VAX.LSE.AC.UK
Subject: Re: eliminating recuperation: ethical stoicism -Reply


OK, Chris, so Nietzsche, in this quote, claims not to remember ever
having to 'try hard' (despite the fact that he got migraine
headaches from reading or writing for more than a half-hour).  What
does this have to do with whether or not wtp is to be understood
'effortlessly' on account of its 'consistency'?  That is, after
all, the reason you mentioned 'effortlessness' in the first place.

Now clearly Nietzsche believes that thinking should be light and
artistic, not heavy, stolid, serious, toilsome.  And you can
certainly dig up a couple of hundred quotes where he says that. 
But that does not mean that thinking is supposed to produce
something unambiguous (it wouldn't be artistic if it did).  And,
indeed, it is the character of 'serious thinking' to produce
simple, consistent schematisms.

The fact that thinking is to be light in no way means its thoughts
are to be consistent, simple, easy to understand and follow, etc. 
You seem to want to claim that while everyone else is hung up on
the complexities of Nietzsche's language they are failing to notice
that things like wtp are 'too consistent' to require laborious
study.  You seem to be confusing the respect for Nietzsche's
ambiguity with laborious thinking, and your response to this is to
press a thinking that is light but that also has no respect for
ambiguity.  You thereby make things far too easy, as though just
because something should be effortless, it should be 'easy' too.

Why does Nietzsche remain ironic and ambiguous?  Because it is the
penchant of 'serious thinking' to try to eliminate every ambiguity,
every problem.  Light thinking is precisely to celebrate
ambiguities, to play with them.  To pretend that life is not full
of ambiguities and paradoxes is either to engage in 'serious
thinking' or simple thoughtlessness.

Nietzsche, I think, relishes ambiguities.  As he says:  "'Is it
true that God is present everywhere?' a little girl asked her
mother; 'I think that's indecent' -- a hint for philosophers!  One
should have more respect for the bashfulness with which nature has
hidden behind riddles and iridescent uncertainties.  Perhaps truth
is a woman who has reasons for not letting us see her reasons? 
Perhaps her name is -- so speak Greek -- Baubo?" (GAY SCIENCE,
Preface to Second Edition, 4).  Also, "Above all, one should not
wish to divest existence of its _rich_ambiguity_:  that is a
dictate of good taste, gentlemen, the taste of reverence for
everything that lies beyond your horizon" (Ibid, 373).  That is why
his light, effortless thinking is nonetheless subtle and complex --
even the parts where he's swinging his hammer pretty hard.

Later,

Nathan


	--- from list nietzsche-AT-jefferson.village.virginia.edu ---

     ------------------