An Existential Greek? Nietzsche and Anaximander

"Where the source of things is, to that place they must also pass away, according to necessity, for they must pay penance and be judged for their injustices, in accordance with the ordinance of time." --Anaximander

Nietzsche, in his engaging and dramatic way, interprets this quote of Anaximander's as an expression of existentialism. While today the existentialist movement is considered a small part of the history of philosophy (and also manages to make its way into quite a few comic strips), Nietzsche describes it as the second great step of the Greeks toward a philosophical tradition. Beginning with Thales, who asserted that everything was water and, in effect, that all is one, Anaximander took the next big step by putting Thales philosophy in a human context. Sure, all is one; but if, as Anaximander asserts, the "one" is not water but an indefinite and infinite substance, then the question of how human beings can be becomes a truly perplexing one. After all, "that which truly is...cannot possess definite characteristics, or it would come-to-be and pass away..." (Nietzsche 47). As such, human beings cannot be part of the indefinite, infinite substance, because they have definitive qualities that make them susceptible to passing away, something that sets them apart from the fundamental principle.

I haven't yet decided whether or not I agree with Nietzche. It is certainly possible for people to have had an existential crisis before the emergence of the philosophical movement known as existentialism. However, Nietzsche posits that Anaximander's philosophy itself was existential, a different claim altogether. The claim that human beings continue to linger in existence is because of their guilt for treading on the ground of the fundamental principle is certainly an existential position, but it's unknown whether Anaximander himself would agree with this interpretation. I'll have to think on the position more before I make any decisions. Hmm.....

Fun question for readers.....based on the reading, do you think that Anaximander has been presented as a step toward the Overman? I have my own opinion on this, but I'm interested to know what you all think.

A Brief Reflection: Solon on Sappho

It is said that, upon hearing one of Sappho's works over wine, that Solon asked to be taught the poem, claiming, "I want to learn it, and then die." Part of me imagines that this is where the modern phrase, "I can die happy" originates from, based on the context of Solon's philosophy. Solon famously claimed that one could not count a man's life happy until he died. Considering that he was so deeply enthralled with one of Sappho's poems that he wanted to "die" (literally? I don't know, though taking it literally certainly makes for a stronger claim on Solon's part) after learning it, this gives the reader a unique insight into the depth and quality of feeling evoked by Sappho's work (in this case, a feeling of deep happiness).

If Solon is to be considered a contemporary of Sappho, then we as readers can reasonably trust that he understood and appreciated her work, and that he received it in the way it was intended to be received (a luxury we cannot so readily afford to ourselves). As such, his reaction reflects how other Greeks of her time would have reacted to her work; if they all felt so strongly as Solon, perhaps the strong emotional reaction her work received from audiences shows why she was one of the few renowned female poets of her time. Having read only one of her poems, I could feel the yearning evident within the language of the piece, the emotional intensity of Sappho's desire for her prayer to be answered and for the love she has for another person to be reciprocated.

Disney and the Ancient Greeks

 I think it wise to preface the following commentary with a little background information. I've taken two classes in my college career that have required me to read the Odyssey and the Iliad (in that order), and I'm vaguely familiar with Hesiod already as a result of my mythology class last semester. As such, I'm familiar with invocations of the Muses, and admittedly I have a habit of skipping that part of Greek works, both because it rarely has anything to do with the rest of the story and because it always reminds me of Hercules (yes, the Disney film). For the sake of demonstrating how very distracting that image is, I posted a short video featuring the Disney Muses above. In order to debunk this distracting image, here's a short comparison of the Disney Muses vs. the Hesiod/Homer Muses.

Let's begin with the obvious differences. Disney only portrays 5 Muses; as Hesiod so adeptly points out, there are actually nine, one for every day that Zeus spent with Memory in her bed chamber. In addition, the Disney Muses do not look even remotely Greek, though I rather enjoy Disney's soulful rendition of the Muses and their musical numbers. However, there are some subtleties in the comparison worth noting, as well. In Disney's Hercules, the Muses haven't inspired any of the characters or been invoked for the sake of giving man the capability to write, story-tell, sing or otherwise artistically relate any story to the Greek populous; rather, the Disney Muses are the story tellers. In both Hesiod and Homer, though, the Muses are simply called upon and given credit for the writer's ability to recount, in Hesiod's case, the theogony of the gods and, in Homer's case, the epic account of the Trojan War and of Odysseus's journey home. Another subtlety worth mentioning are the similarity between the stories told by the Disney Muses and Hesiod's and Homer's stories, inspired by the Muses. Both stories revolve around the glory of the gods, such as the Disney Muses recounting Zeus's overpowering of the Titans and "ruling the world while still in his youth," and the actions of great heroes, like Disney's Hercules (or the actual Greek Heracles) and Homer's Odysseus and Achilles. In addition, just like in Homer's epics and in Hesiod's Theogony, the Hercules film opens with the Muses and closes with the Muses. If nothing else, perhaps this comparison serves to show how ancient Greek works are understood, appreciated and interpreted in the context of our modern culture.

And now, here's "Zero to Hero," for your viewing pleasure.