The Nietzsche Podcast - On the Use and Abuse of History for Life 

In architecture school I had three design professors who were historians. They were without a doubt the very worst design instructors I had during my entire five year undergraduate program. Each was fairly renowned in architectural history circles and each considered himself a critic. Never was history analyzed in a way so as to teach lessons useful for contemporary architectural design issues. Rather history was used as a cudgel to knockdown innovative ideas and creative solutions. Thus was history abused rather than used at my architecture school. Later when I was running my own architecture school at Santa Monica College I insisted that history be integrated with Design as some thing to be understood analytically and conceptually as precedent to build upon rather than as something to copy verbatim or used to limit innovation.

This is actually one of the best episode I've listened to so far, maybe because I had never read this essay of Nietzsche.

Awesome discussion! I like the idea that “Life”judges history. What a great way to start a Sunday morning. And great choice of a painting as well!

Thank you for your work!

💜 the painting you used for the episode pic. Artemisia Gentileschi is one of my favorite artists and she was a fascinating historical figure in general

Thank you so much for these videos. They really help in understanding Nietzsches works

59:45 "Not to say, that I don't enjoy many of the things I just listed or that I'm not a decadent, just like you" 😂😂

This gives me some perspective on a flashback scene in Howard’s End (which is NEVER included in film or TV versions). The father of Margaret and Helen (who is German, another detail often glossed over), says to a nephew who still lives back in Germany, “Your poets too are dying, your philosophers, your musicians, to whom Europe has listened for two hundred years. Gone. Gone with the little courts that nurtured them-gone with Esterhaz and Weimar. What? What’s that? Your Universities? Oh, yes, you have learned men, who collect more facts than do the learned men of England. They collect facts, and facts, and empires of facts. But which of them will rekindle the light within?”

Thanks.

I’m all too often reminded of the difficulties the religious devotees had with Jesus e.g., their complete inability “to be” because of their esteem for their crystallised selective condensed practice of “history” … which was, after all, their own “will to power”. BTW, at this stage I consider Nietzsche’s “will to power” observation as a valid estimation of much that goes on but not as necessary or as “the best way to be” human. I also feel that many bright people (esp. bright Europeans post 16th C) are responding to, and mostly reacting to fundamentally dualistic religious dogma based on erroneous and unnecessary assumptions re continuity between Judaism and Jesus. I think they often actually reflect the spirit of the message of JC in their so-called “heresies” which challenge the raw moral coercive subtleties of “Christianity”.

Just ordered this one in the mail!

00:01 📜 Nietzsche discusses the value of history and knowledge that quickens one's activity, emphasizing the need for history to serve life. 01:20 🧠 Nietzsche's essay "On the Use and Abuse of History for Life" is influenced by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's ideas and focuses on the role of history in enriching human existence. 03:18 📚 Nietzsche uses the term "certain sensio" to emphasize the importance of using history and knowledge to further one's goals and enrich life, echoing Cato's famous declaration. 05:13 📖 The essay "On the Use and Abuse of History for Life" is relatively short, self-contained, and can serve as a good introduction to Nietzsche's ideas, particularly his views on history. 08:08 🕰 Nietzsche argues that human beings' historical awareness, which separates them from animals, is a prerequisite for self-knowledge and understanding of time, including past, present, and future. 10:23 🐾 Nietzsche points out that animals live unhistorically, existing purely in the present, which contrasts with the historical awareness of humans. 13:17 🧠 Nietzsche sees forgetfulness as an active force inherent in life, contrasting with the idea that knowledge is always an active cause of action. 16:11 💭 Nietzsche challenges the notion that action is solely motivated by knowledge, suggesting that drives and impulses play a more significant role. 20:30 🧠 Nietzsche contrasts Faust's pursuit of knowledge with Socrates's love of knowledge, highlighting the limits of a life solely focused on seeking knowledge. He praises the non-theorist, emphasizing the value of productive action over theoretical pursuits. 22:20 📚 Nietzsche discusses different types of men: those who seek knowledge and those who simply act without conscience. 23:46 🤔 Living entirely historically, without forgetting, is impossible; forgetting is essential for life. 25:08 💡 Nietzsche argues that both historical and unhistorical perspectives are necessary for the well-being of individuals, cultures, and societies. 27:04 🚀 History does not inherently motivate action, and living historically is not the natural state of being; it's an invention of mankind. 28:56 🌟 Nietzsche introduces the idea of the "super-historical man" who may be beyond history, contrasting with the historical man who engages with it. 30:52 🔍 Nietzsche presents three ways to use history for life: monumental, antiquarian, and critical, each serving different needs. 36:03 📖 The choice of using history depends on individual or societal needs, and each form of history can be either beneficial or harmful. 43:47 🧠 Nietzsche criticizes the modern obsession with indiscriminate knowledge consumption that lacks a connection to enriching life and driving action. 46:15 📚 Knowledge enriching one's life doesn't have to be strictly practical; it can include things like playing an instrument or studying history within a monumental framework. 47:18 🧠 Knowledge becomes valuable when it is not just acquired but manifests externally, impels action, or enhances one's capabilities. 49:35 📖 Nietzsche contrasts modern education with the ancient Greek concept, emphasizing practical knowledge that transforms one's character over mere historical knowledge. 51:31 🔄 Nietzsche describes decadence as the disconnection between one's internal thoughts and beliefs and their external actions or behavior. 53:49 🙄 The abuse of history leads to an excess of irony, cynicism, and egotism in modern culture, diminishing the vitality of individuals and society. 01:00:34 🌍 Modern life transforms significant historical events into trivial stimulants and diminishes the sense of novelty, leading to tolerance and insignificance. 01:04:38 🧠 Modern education drains subjectivity, making individuals indifferent to historical events and misinterpreting their objectivity as true justice. 01:07:48 📜 Nietzsche emphasizes that interpreting the past requires having higher and greater experiences than others and warns against the belief in unique justness leading to destructive judgment. 01:09:12 🎨 Nietzsche views history as an art, combining practice and aesthetic aspects. 01:09:39 🖼 Art, in its broadest sense, serves the human need for necessary fictions and falsehoods, addressing the emotional and irrational aspects of personality. 01:10:08 🤝 Nietzsche explores the possibility of uniting the historical drive with the artistic drive to create an "art of history." 01:12:39 🔍 Nietzsche criticizes Hegel's idea of the dialectical movement of history, where consciousness continually advances towards greater truths. 01:14:15 💬 Nietzsche contrasts his approach to history with Hegel's, emphasizing how history replaced art and religion as the justification for life. 01:19:06 🔄 Nietzsche suggests the need for an antidote to the historical way of living, advocating for occasional unhistorical or super-historical perspectives. 01:21:35 📚 Nietzsche believes knowledge should be pursued for the sake of life, viewing life as the prerequisite and creator of the possibility of knowledge.

1:06:34 - is there another episode where you covered this topic of the concept of justice and true justice?

History is the passage of human experience. Other things matter in terms of their effect on human experience. Even for animals history is held in neurology and instincts. Human history is the externalisation of this neurological responsiveness.

38:00

I would love to hear your thoughts on Andrew Tate I feel like he is hugely influenced specifically by Nietzsche’s Beyobd good and evil and Twilight of the idols. He is also inspired by his dad who was a genius and a chess master

Bro you hate Andrew Tate or something? He is Zaratustra. What do you think about that