Nietzsche's "The Gay Science"

Paper Summary:

This paper analyzes Nietzsche's work, "The Gay Science." It specifically discusses the various aspects of Nietzsche's claims, within his book, about the error-driven nature of human beings, consciousness and knowledge, as well as the phenomenon of self-deceit. The paper then goes on to analyze the cogency of these claims by Nietzsche.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
"Bad" Consciousness
Knowledge
Self-Deceit
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"First of all, it is clear that Nietzsche holds a more favorable view of the instincts as opposed to consciousness. In passage 11, he says, "Consciousness gives rise to countless mistakes that lead an animal or human being to perish sooner than necessary." He goes on to say, "Without the instincts, humanity would long have ceased to exist." (p. 37) This is because, as Nietzsche says, consciousness is misunderstood by humanity - it sees consciousness as the foundational aspect of the human being - its "essence", if you will. This is a misapprehension because, according to Nietzsche, the instincts are more dominant in the human being."

More papers on Nietzsche's "The Gay Science":

• Book Review # 40817 : "The Gay Science"
• Essay # 89792 : "Nietzsche and Kierkegaard"
• Analytical Essay # 86654 : "Nietzsche and Kierkegaard"

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