Life is Art

"Our religion, morality, and philosophy are decadence forms of humanity -- the countermovement: art."

-Nietzsche, Will to Power.

In the West, either religion, morality, or philosophy stands widely considered as providing the meaning for things, people, and relationships. Christianity commands that we look on nature as a fundamentally good, albeit corrupted, creation. Morality demands we treat others as we would be treated ourselves. Philosophy (science being one of its derivations) tells of an external, real world. Nietzsche intended to overturn Western modes of thought, and so it comes as no surprise that he wishes to overturn religion, morality, and philosophy.

"The countermovement: art." But why art? Does Nietzsche merely mean to turn from the objective to the subjective? This surely underestimates both the nature of art and the depth of Nietzsche's thought. Nietzsche does not advocate turning away from life and living to a banal relativism. He wishes to end the turn away from life to the otherworldly, whether through religion or metaphysics; more clearly than anything, Nietzsche calls these flights of fancy back to life.

Nietzsche identifies a close relationship between art and life. What is art but bringing forth? Until relatively recently, art encompassed such things as craftsmanship as well as fine art. When one builds a table, he brings forward what was not already there: the craftsmen is a creator. Life also possesses the character of bringing forth--in life man creates himself. Throughout the whole of life, man makes himself who he is. Does he create himself as religions says? As philosophy would demand? Nietzsche argues these stifle man's creativity, it obstructs his role as creator, and consequently religion and philosophy deny life as creative self-becoming.

"Art as the single superior counter-force against all will to negation of life, art as the anti-Christian, anti-Buddhist, anti-nihilist par exellence."