NIETZSCHE’S INDIA AS A PHILOSOPHICAL AND NONACADEMIC VERSION OF ORIENTALISM

##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.main##

##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.sidebar##

  Yu. Zavhorodnii

Abstract

This article can be joined to the existing explorations of Friedrich Nietzsche’s interest in the religious and philosophical thought of India as a philosophical and nonacademic version of Orientalism. The peculiarity of the article is the analysis of Nietzsche’s indological vocabulary. Five of his works are taken into account. These are the following works: “Beyond Good and Evil: Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future”, “On the Genealogy of Morality: A Polemic”, “Twilight of the Idols, or How to Philosophize with a Hammer”, “The Antichrist” and “Ecce Homo: How One Becomes What One Is”. We found thirty words including proper names that are used 120 times. The most frequent among them are the following: caṇḍāla – used 24 times, Buddhism – used 16 times, Mānava-dharma-śāstra (“The Laws of Manu”) – used 11 times, and Buddha – used 10 times.
The main part of the article consists of Nietzsche’s indological vocabulary (as a separate table) and three other sections. The first deals with Nietzsche’s understanding of India, Indian and Indians. Such Vedic and Hindu concepts as ārya, Veda, Mānava-dharma-śāstra, caṇḍāla, śūdra, Brahman, manas, prāṇa, Sāṃkhya, Śaṅkara, Vedānta, Viśvamitra and others are analyzed in the second section. And finally, Buddha, Buddhism, Buddhist, nirvāṇa, Rāhula are discussed in the third section.
The analysis of Nietzsche’s indological vocabulary showed that the way the German philosopher referred to Indian religious and philosophical thought is characterized by heterogeneity, ranging from typical, limited and erroneous knowledge (e.g. his India was exceptionally ancient, Advaita-Vedānta dominated among the other Vedānta sub-schools) to an innovative one (e.g. his prediction of European Buddhism, bold language experiments with Sanskrit). In that case Nietzsche’s understanding of Indian religious and philosophical thought outstripped his time, expanding beyond the existing intellectual horizons and attracting the next generations with its mysterious magnetism.

How to Cite

Zavhorodnii, Y. (2020). NIETZSCHE’S INDIA AS A PHILOSOPHICAL AND NONACADEMIC VERSION OF ORIENTALISM. The World of the Orient, (1 (106), 77-96. https://doi.org/10.15407/orientw2020.01.077
Article views: 63 | PDF Downloads: 50

##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.details##

Keywords

Brahman, Buddhism, caṇḍāla, Deussen, India, Indian Philosophy (thought, insight, Jacolliot, Mānava-dharma-śāstra, Nietzsche, nothingness, Orientalism, prāṇa, Sāṃ-khya, Schopenhauer, Vedānta, visionary, vocabulary)

References

Гегель Г. В. Ф. Сочинения. Т. IX. Книга первая. Москва – Ленинград, 1932.

Гегель Г. В. Ф. Сочинения. Т. VIII. Москва – Ленинград, 1935.

Лютий Т. Ніцше. Самоперевершення. Київ, 2016.

Соловьев В. С. Буддийское настроение в поэзии // Соловьев В. С. Литературная критика. Москва, 1990.

Хайдеггер М. Ницше. Т. 1. Санкт-Петербург, 2006.

Bhattacharyya N. N. Indian Religion Historiography. New Delhi, 1996.

Brobjer Th. H. Nietzsche’s Reading About Eastern Philosophy // Journal of Nietzsche Studies, 2004, No. 28. https://doi.org/10.1353/nie.2004.0009

Deussen P. Das System des Vedānta. Nach den Brahma-Sūtras des Bādārayaṇa und dem Commentare des Śaṅkara über Dieselben als ein Kompendium der Dogmatik des Brahma-nismus vom Standpunkte des Śṅakara aus Dargestellt. Zweite Auflage. Leipzig, 1906.

Grimes J. A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy: Sanskrit terms defined in English. Albany, 1996.

Halbfass V. India and Europe. An Essay in Philosophical Understanding. Delhi, 1990.

Hulin M. Nietzsche and the Suffering of the Indian Ascetic // Nietzsche and Asian Thought / Ed. by G. Parkes. Chicago and London, 1991.

Jacolliot L. Les Législateurs religieux: Manou, Moïse, Mahomet. Paris, 1876.

Larson G. J. The History and Literature of Sāṃkhya. Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophies / Ed. by G. J. Larson and R. Sh. Bhattacharya. General ed. by K. Potter. Vol. IV. Sāṃkhya. A Dua-list Tradition in Indian Philosophy. Delhi, 1987. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400853533.3

Monier-Williams M. A Dictionary English and Sanskrit. Delhi, 1992.

Nietzche F. Jenseits von Gut und Böse. Vorspiel einer Philosophie der Zukunf. Leipzig, 1886. URL: http://www.nietzschesource.org/#eKGWB/JGB (дата звернення: 28.11.2019).

Nietzche F. Zur Genealogie der Moral. Eine Stretschrift. Leipzig, 1887. URL: http://www.nietzschesource.org/#eKGWB/GM (дата звернення: 28.11.2019).

Nietzche F. Götzen-Dämmerung oder Wie man mit dem Hammer philosophirt. Leipzig, 1889. URL: Отримано з: http://www.nietzschesource.org/#eKGWB/GD (дата звернення: 28.11.2019).

Nietzche F. Der Antichrist. Fluch auf das Christenthum. URL: http://www.nietzschesource.org/#eKGWB/AC (дата звернення: 28.11.2019).

Nietzche F. Ecce homo. Wie man wird, was man ist. URL: http://www.nietzschesource.org/#eKGWB/EH (дата звернення: 28.11.2019).

Oldenberg H. Buddha. Sein Leben, Seine Lehre, Seine Gemeinde. Berlin, 1881.

Radhakrishnan S. The Dhammapada. With Introductory Essays, Pāli Text, English Translation and Notes. London, New York, Toronto, 1950.

Radhakrishnan S. The Principal Upaniṣads. Ed. with Introduction, Text and Translation and Notes. London, 1953.

Rig Veda. A Metrically Restored Text with an Introduction and Notes / Ed. by Ba-rend A. Van Nooten and Gary B. Holland. Vol. 50. Harvard, 1994.

Rollmann H. Deussen, Nietzche, and Vedanta // Journal of the History of Ideas. Vol. 39, No. 1. 1978. https://doi.org/10.2307/2709076

Schopenhauer A. The World as Will and Idea. Vol. One. London, 1909.

Smith D. Nietzche’s Hinduism, Nietzche’s India: Another Look // Journal of Nietzche Studies, 2004, No. 28. https://doi.org/10.1353/nie.2004.0015

Sprung M. Nietzsche’s Trans-European Eye // Nietzsche and Asian Thought / Ed. by G. Parkes. Chicago and London, 1991.

REFERENCES

Gegel’ G. V. F. (1932), Sochineniya, Vol. IX, Book One, Partiynoye izdatel’stvo, Moscow and Leningrad. (In Russian).

Gegel’ G. V. F. (1935), Sochineniya, Vol. VIII, Partiynoye izdatel’stvo, Moscow and Leningrad. (In Russian).

Lyutyy Т. (2016). Nitsshe. Samoperevershennya, Tempora, Кyiv. (In Ukrainian).

Solov’yev V. S. (1990), “Buddiyskoye nastroyeniye v poezii”, in Solov’yev V. S., Literary Criticism, Sovremennik, Moscow, pp. 67–104. (In Russian).

Khaydegger M. (2006), Nitsshe, Vol. 1, Vladimir Dahl, Saint Petersburg. (In Russian).

Bhattacharyya N. N. (1996), Indian Religion Historiography, Munshiram Manoharlal, New Delhi.

Brobjer Th. H. (2004), “Nietzsche’s Reading About Eastern Philosophy”, Journal of Nietzsche Studies, Issue 28, pp. 3–35. https://doi.org/10.1353/nie.2004.0009

Deussen P. (1906), Das System des Vedānta. Nach den Brahma-Sūtras des Bādārayaṇa und dem Commentare des Śaṅkara über Dieselben als ein Kompendium der Dogmatik des Brahma-nismus vom Standpunkte des Śṅakara aus Dargestellt, Zweite Auflage, F. A. Brockhaus, Leipzig.

Grimes J. (1996), A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy: Sanskrit terms defined in English, State University of New York Press, Albany.

Halbfass V. (1990), India and Europe. An Essay in Philosophical Understanding, Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, Delhi.

Hulin M. (1991), “Nietzsche and the Suffering of the Indian Ascetic”, in Nietzsche and Asian Thought, G. Parkes (Ed.), The University of Chicago Press, Chicago and London, pp. 64–74.

Jacolliot L. (1876), Les Législateurs religieux: Manou, Moïse, Mahomet, A. Lacroix, Paris.

Larson G. J. (1987), “The History and Literature of Sāṃkhya”, in Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophies, Vol. IV: Sāṃkhya. A Dualist Tradition in Indian Philosophy, G. J. Larson and R. Sh. Bhattacharya (Eds.), General ed. by K. Potter, Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, Delhi, pp. 3–103. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400853533.3

Monier-Williams M. (1992), A Dictionary English and Sanskrit, Motilal Banarsidass Publi-shers, Delhi.

Nietzche F. (1886), Jenseits von Gut und Böse. Vorspiel einer Philosophie der Zukunf, Leipzig, available at: www.nietzschesource.org/#eKGWB/JGB (accessed November 28, 2019).

Nietzche F. (1887), Zur Genealogie der Moral. Eine Stretschrift, Leipzig, available at: www.nietzschesource.org/#eKGWB/GM (accessed November 28, 2019).

Nietzche F. (1889), Götzen-Dämmerung oder Wie man mit dem Hammer philosophirt, Leipzig, available at: www.nietzschesource.org/#eKGWB/GD (accessed November 28, 2019).

Nietzche F., Der Antichrist. Fluch auf das Christenthum, available at: www.nietzschesource.org/#eKGWB/AC (accessed November 28, 2019).

Nietzche F., Ecce homo. Wie man wird, was man ist, available at: www.nietzschesource.org/#eKGWB/EH (accessed November 28, 2019).

Oldenberg H. (1881), Buddha. Sein Leben, Seine Lehre, Seine Gemeinde, Verlag von Wilhelm Hertz, Berlin.

Radhakrishnan S. (1950), The Dhammapada. With Introductory Essays, Pāli Text, English Translation and Notes, Oxford University Press, London, New York, Toronto.

Radhakrishnan S. (1953), The Principal Upaniṣads. Ed. with Introduction, Text and Translation and Notes, George Allen and Unwin, London.

Rig Veda. A Metrically Restored Text with an Introduction and Notes (1994), Barend A. Van Nooten and Gary B. Holland (Eds.), Vol. 50, Harvard University Press, Harvard.

Rollmann H. (1978), “Deussen, Nietzche, and Vedanta”, Journal of the History of Ideas, Vol. 39, No. 1, pp. 125–132. https://doi.org/10.2307/2709076

Schopenhauer A. (1909), The World as Will and Idea, Vol. One, Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner and CO, London.

Smith D. (2004), “Nietzche’s Hinduism, Nietzche’s India: Another Look”, Journal of Nietzche Studies, Issue 28, pp. 37–56. https://doi.org/10.1353/nie.2004.0015

Sprung M. (1991), “Nietzsche’s Trans-European Eye”, in Nietzsche and Asian Thought, G. Parkes (Ed.), The University of Chicago Press, Chicago and London, pp. 76–90.