Culture: Philosophy

Nietzsche

Friedrich Nietzsche 1844-1900

"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster.
And if you gaze too long into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."
- Nietzsche

From Wikipedia

Quote:

Nietzsche and Nihilism - For Nietzsche, nihilism is the outcome of repeated frustrations in the search for meaning.

Nietzsche: "secondly, when one has posited a totality, a systemization, indeed any organization in all events, and underneath all events, and a soul that longs to admire and revere has wallowed in the idea of some supreme form of domination and administration ... [M]an has lost the faith in his own value when no infinitely valuable whole works through him; i.e., he conceived such a whole in order to be able to believe in his own value. "
Nietzsche and Eternal Recurrence - Eternal recurrence means that time runs its course and then repeats exactly and infinitely. Thus, the absurdities and pains of life must be endured not only once, but repeatedly and forever. Nietzsche imagines that the nihilist would find this thought torturous, but for one who has learned to be a 'Yes-sayer', it should be bliss.

Nietzsche: "The question in each and every thing, 'Do you desire this once more and innumerable times more?' would lie upon your actions as the greatest weight. Or how well disposed would you have to become to yourself and to life to crave nothing more fervently than this ultimate eternal confirmation and seal?"
Nietzsche and The Overman - Nietzsche's concept of the overman represented an ideal of an individual that could overcome the forces working against him . . .He believed [the] herd instinct to be an inevitable consequence of mass society, and considered it extremely difficult from which to break free. The overman is the person who can create his or her own values, uninfluenced by societal norms, and who can successfully live according to these self-created values. This is in contrast to the Christian notion that humans are created beings whose purpose is to obey the dictates of their Creator.

Nietzsche: (with no creator's values to live for, one must now live through others - those of society, or those of one's own) ". . . The overman, then, is not defined with respect to how much power one wields over others (although the overman, having overcome himself, will consequently dominate those who have not), but rather to the extent to which one is, in Nietzsche's words, "judge and avenger and victim of one's own law" . . . "

Relevance to LOST

On LOST, Boone comments to Locke "I don't get you, man. One minute you're quoting Nietzsche, now all of a sudden you're an engineer." While it's unclear just what part of Nietzsche Locke quoted, the philopher's ideas are alive and well on the island.

Nihilism, the idea that the world has no meaning, is almost the antithesis of what Locke believes in - destiny. Locke desperately needs to believe that he is a part of something greater than himself, that he, and the other castaways, have a purpose for being on the island. Jack, on the other hand, could be described as a "nihilist" in his response to Locke's belief that everything that's happened to them happened for a reason - "I don't believe in destiny."

Nietzsche's idea of "Eternal Recurrence" states that what occurs is already set, and will repeat, and has been repeating infinitely. On LOST, when Jack questions Locke's take on destiny in regards to Boone, Locke replies: "What happened to him at that plane was a part of a chain of events that led us here - that led us down a path, that led you and me to this day, to right now." While Locke tends to favor the view that there is a greater purpose in their adventure, one could argue that this "chain of events" was nothing more than part of a repeated cycle in the "Eternal Recurrence".

Of Eternal Recurrence Nietzsche said, "The question in each and every thing, 'Do you desire this once more and innumerable times more?' would lie upon your actions as the greatest weight." He appears to be suggesting our actions might change if we thought we had to replay the same events over and over again, which relates to another idea on LOST, that of being able to start anew - to do things differently, now that they have a second chance at life. But, is it even possible to change things under the idea of Eternal Recurrence, or are things set in stone?

On LOST, there are several of Nietzsche's "overmen" - individuals who live against the "herd mentality" of society. Locke, Kate, Sawyer, and one of the newest castaways, Eko, all appear to follow the beat of their own drum, creating their own values, apart from "societal norms".

Locke values his in place in the society as provider and wiseman, yet doesn't exactly "fit in" - he is often found off by himself, hunting or building things, or imparting the occasional word of wisdom.

Kate, already living against societal norms as a criminal on the run, also has her own distinct values - as her father put it when she asked why he didn't kill Wayne (her real father) himself, he replied, "because I don't have murder in my heart." Kate's reason for dispatching Wayne also falls short of a being a social norm - she states she did it because: "I hated that you were a part of me -- that I would never be good. That I would never have anything good."

Sawyer too lives on the fringes of society, valuing a good con over the societal norms of honoring marriage vows and respecting individuals' rights to their property (ie. MONEY). While Locke, Kate, and Eko may consider what's good for the "herd", Sawyer generally looks out for himself, and isn't afraid to assert his claims in that regard.

Eko, one of the newest castaways, also follows his own value system, though it is clearly based in the values of the Christian religion. When Ana Lucia asks him if he was willing to risk all of their lives to save Sawyer, Eko replies: "It is the only way I know."

One of Nietszche's most famous quotes may also have some relevance to LOST:

Quote:

"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze too long into the abyss,
the abyss gazes also into you."

In the episode White Rabbit, Locke tells Jack: " I've looked into the eye of this island. And what I saw was beautiful." Some have speculated that Locke looks to much to the "eye of the island", and in so doing the island has also seen into him, which may have a detrimental impact on his future.

Whether or not some of our castaways, in 'fighting the monsters' on the island themselves become monsters, has yet to be seen. And which "monsters" will drive them to that point - actual or psychological - is also unknown.

TRoss