Tuesday, November 13, 2007
The Death of God?
Okay, stop. I know you've read the title and from what I've posted before you're expecting something outlandish. However, there is a passage that is oft quoted and seldom read. It's by Friedrich Nietzsche. It is where, supposedly, he announces the death of God. I'm going to paste the passage from the Gay Science in here. I'd like you to read it, and tell me what he's trying to say.
Alot of people ask me what a philosophy student does. Here it is. Here's what I do. Let's do some philosophy together. Can you find a non-atheistic reading of the following passage?
THE MADMAN AND THE DEATH OF GOD (The Gay Science Section 125)
Have you not heard of that madman who lit a lantern in the bright morning hours, ran to the market-place, and cried incessantly: "I am looking for God! I am looking for God!" As many of those who did not believe in God were standing together there, he excited considerable laughter. Have you lost him, then? said one. Did he lose his way like a child? said another. Or is he hiding? Is he afraid of us? Has he gone on a voyage? or emigrated? Thus they shouted and laughed. The madman sprang into their midst and pierced them with his glances. "Where has God gone?" he cried. "I shall tell you. We have killed him - you and I. We are his murderers. But how have we done this? How were we able to drink up the sea? Who gave us the sponge to wipe away the entire horizon? What did we do when we unchained the earth from its sun? Whither is it moving now? Whither are we moving now? Away from all suns? Are we not perpetually falling? Backward, sideward, forward, in all directions? Is there any up or down left? Are we not straying as through an infinite nothing? Do we not feel the breath of empty space? Has it not become colder? Is it not more and more night coming on all the time? Must not lanterns be lit in the morning? Do we not hear anything yet of the noise of the gravediggers who are burying God? Do we not smell anything yet of God's decomposition? Gods too decompose. God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we, murderers of all murderers, console ourselves? That which was the holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet possessed has bled to death under our knives. Who will wipe this blood off us? With what water could we purify ourselves? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we need to invent? Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us? Must we not ourselves become gods simply to be worthy of it? There has never been a greater deed; and whosoever shall be born after us - for the sake of this deed he shall be part of a higher history than all history hitherto." Here the madman fell silent and again regarded his listeners; and they too were silent and stared at him in astonishment. At last he threw his lantern to the ground, and it broke and went out. "I have come too early," he said then; "my time has not come yet. The tremendous event is still on its way, still travelling - it has not yet reached the ears of men. Lightning and thunder require time, the light of the stars requires time, deeds require time even after they are done, before they can be seen and heard. This deed is still more distant from them than the distant stars - and yet they have done it themselves." It has been further related that on that same day the madman entered divers churches and there sang a requiem. Led out and quietened, he is said to have retorted each time: "what are these churches now if they are not the tombs and sepulchres of God?"
Alot of people ask me what a philosophy student does. Here it is. Here's what I do. Let's do some philosophy together. Can you find a non-atheistic reading of the following passage?
THE MADMAN AND THE DEATH OF GOD (The Gay Science Section 125)
Have you not heard of that madman who lit a lantern in the bright morning hours, ran to the market-place, and cried incessantly: "I am looking for God! I am looking for God!" As many of those who did not believe in God were standing together there, he excited considerable laughter. Have you lost him, then? said one. Did he lose his way like a child? said another. Or is he hiding? Is he afraid of us? Has he gone on a voyage? or emigrated? Thus they shouted and laughed. The madman sprang into their midst and pierced them with his glances. "Where has God gone?" he cried. "I shall tell you. We have killed him - you and I. We are his murderers. But how have we done this? How were we able to drink up the sea? Who gave us the sponge to wipe away the entire horizon? What did we do when we unchained the earth from its sun? Whither is it moving now? Whither are we moving now? Away from all suns? Are we not perpetually falling? Backward, sideward, forward, in all directions? Is there any up or down left? Are we not straying as through an infinite nothing? Do we not feel the breath of empty space? Has it not become colder? Is it not more and more night coming on all the time? Must not lanterns be lit in the morning? Do we not hear anything yet of the noise of the gravediggers who are burying God? Do we not smell anything yet of God's decomposition? Gods too decompose. God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we, murderers of all murderers, console ourselves? That which was the holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet possessed has bled to death under our knives. Who will wipe this blood off us? With what water could we purify ourselves? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we need to invent? Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us? Must we not ourselves become gods simply to be worthy of it? There has never been a greater deed; and whosoever shall be born after us - for the sake of this deed he shall be part of a higher history than all history hitherto." Here the madman fell silent and again regarded his listeners; and they too were silent and stared at him in astonishment. At last he threw his lantern to the ground, and it broke and went out. "I have come too early," he said then; "my time has not come yet. The tremendous event is still on its way, still travelling - it has not yet reached the ears of men. Lightning and thunder require time, the light of the stars requires time, deeds require time even after they are done, before they can be seen and heard. This deed is still more distant from them than the distant stars - and yet they have done it themselves." It has been further related that on that same day the madman entered divers churches and there sang a requiem. Led out and quietened, he is said to have retorted each time: "what are these churches now if they are not the tombs and sepulchres of God?"
# posted by 99 Blogger @ 11:11 PM 
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Well, believe me, I'm the farthest thing from a philosopher you'll ever meet. We know God is not "dead," but does this mean that by pushing God out, or ignoring Him, that all that God is our could be to us is "dead?" Just a shot in the dark, but I couldn't resist.
The "madman" is perhaps some vague whisper of John the Baptist, only instead of being the harbinger of God's Spirit, now begins to prophecy on the hearts and minds of they who only seem to be able to make liturgical advances towards God. If He only exists in ritual and dogma, then He exists not at all, despite the evidence of His presence in the world that must be continually ignored to maintain purely pedagogic, one—sided smoke-signals to a God that desires more.
The madman dares to use the "foolishness of preaching" to attempt to convey it. He is the evangelist—albeit a highly pessimistic one.
The only caveat I have here is that the non-atheistic voice is conferred upon the madman. Nietzsche manages to relieve himself of the burden directly. Maybe it’s with a “one foot in the church” voice that Nietzsche finds comfortable, I don’t know.
One quote attributed to Nietzsche, however, does give one interesting pause about his views.
And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.
-R
The madman dares to use the "foolishness of preaching" to attempt to convey it. He is the evangelist—albeit a highly pessimistic one.
The only caveat I have here is that the non-atheistic voice is conferred upon the madman. Nietzsche manages to relieve himself of the burden directly. Maybe it’s with a “one foot in the church” voice that Nietzsche finds comfortable, I don’t know.
One quote attributed to Nietzsche, however, does give one interesting pause about his views.
And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.
-R
At what point does tradition completely replace God? When we have decided that, then we will know God's time of death. When the church, society, humanity relies on the orderly and formulates a checklist for spirituality--that is when we no longer need Him. We have burned the bridge that once crossed the divide between us and God and we have replaced it with a sign reading, "Jump as far as you can and hope for the best."
Hey I'm headed to the "left" coast today for a quick trip. I'll be hanging out in LA til Wednesday. Hopefully no freak snow storm will stop me from getting back to good ole Mississippi for Thanksgiving! :)
Hmmm many provocative comments on good old Nietzsche. I think he would agree with at least one thing, "If He only exists in ritual and dogma, then He exists not at all."
This was written at the height of the scientific revolution. Nietzsche was lamenting the death of the belief in God in favor of science. We've unchained the earth from its sun. We've removed the basis for morality from the world. For Nietzsche there was no "evidence of His presence in the world that must be continually ignored." Science had done away with all of that.
It's interesting that the believers and the athiests alike mock the mad-man. The mad-man is the only one who has noticed that God is dead.
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This was written at the height of the scientific revolution. Nietzsche was lamenting the death of the belief in God in favor of science. We've unchained the earth from its sun. We've removed the basis for morality from the world. For Nietzsche there was no "evidence of His presence in the world that must be continually ignored." Science had done away with all of that.
It's interesting that the believers and the athiests alike mock the mad-man. The mad-man is the only one who has noticed that God is dead.
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