Еве ви го воведот во текстот, за оние кои ги интересира филозофија и метафизика.
To discuss Aristotle and Nietzsche simultaneously is to discuss differences. It is very difficult to find two other important philosophers with so many different opinions, on almost every main topic in philosophy. From metaphysics to logic, from epistemology to aesthetic, there are unsurmountable differences in the views of these two great thinkers. The one similarity that one can find is probably in Nietzsche‘s concept of the overman (ubermensch), where he arguably borrowed from Aristotle’s portrait of the proud man (megalopsychos). The aim of this work, however, is not to discuss these differences, but to present one striking point of intersection in the thought of these philosophers, which I think has been overlooked and neglected, and thus to shed light on the so-called irrationality in the works of Friedrich Nietzsche. This paper attempts two things: First, I want to explore the Aristotelian concept of Nous, which stands at the beginning of his metaphysics, and to determine whether that concept can help us better understand some of Nietzsche’s ideas. Second, I try to present Nietzsche’s critique of logic and metaphysics and to see if it makes more sense in light of Aristotle’s concept of Nous. I believe there are many similarities between Aristotle’s concept of the Nous, and Nietzsche‘s concept of intuitive knowledge as seen from the perspective of the body as a guiding principle (am Leitfaden des Leibes). At one point, their thoughts strangely converge, as they both believe in the existence of a pre-logical, authentic approach to Being. This is not to be understood as suggesting that there are similarities in their views on epistemology or ontology. There are not. They don’t even conceive the same things when they use those words. I only want to show that Aristotle’s attempt to build a foundation for metaphysics can help us better understand Nietzsche’s frontal assault on logic and metaphysics.
Bearing this in mind, we will first turn our attention to one of the most mysterious concepts in Aristotle’s metaphysics, the Nous. Before we proceed, one methodological remark is needed. The word Nous has many translations in English: intellect, intelligence, mind, intuition, understanding being among them. I believe that none of these words grasps the true meaning of Nous as Aristotle sees it. I argue that, if we need to translate it, then ‘mind’ is the best translation, but as we will see later in this work, Nous is a very different mind than what we commonly understand. However, I think it is better not to translate it, since all of the above-mentioned words already have attached meanings that can hinder us from fully understanding what Aristotle means by Nous. It is a novel concept with its own separate meaning, and no other word except Nous should be associated with that meaning.
