Chapter 9. Nietzsche’s Religion of a Brave New Future

Dennis Vanden Auweele

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Chapter 9. Nietzsche’s Religion of a Brave New Future

Dennis Vanden Auweele
Dennis Vanden Auweele

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This chapter is in the book Exceeding Reason

Chapter 9Nietzsche’s Religion of a Brave New FutureThe endpoint of Schelling’s philosophy is a philosophical religion that mergesreligion with philosophical thought, a position not entirely unbiased towardsChristianity. To Schelling, a philosophical religion is the highpoint of the ex-pression of freedom wherein the agent freely submits himself to what is in ex-cess of reason: being, history and Christian revelation. In this final chapter, wedetail how Nietzsche sought to accomplish something similar in his dealingswith religion broadly-construed. Nietzsche recognizes the pedagogical potentialof religion to inspire a more life-affirmative composure by inculcating bravery,and by providing the festivals that provide comic release where and when brav-ery is not an option. For Nietzsche, religion guides the downward movement ofhumanity which, in turn, dialectically strengthens its general upwards trajec-tory: the athlete braces himself for the race to come. As with Schelling,Nietzsche’s positive usage of religion involves providing a locale for philosophi-cal and creative aspiration to find rest and self-release. But unlike Schelling,Nietzsche does not allow Christianity an overriding privilege in accommodatingsuch a release of self.A New Religion–A New Hope?In the winter of 1880–1881, Nietzsche penned a cluster of fragments in whichone recurring trait is the exploration of the pedagogical potential of religion.This set of fragments opens with a provocative declaration:Religion of Bravery:1. The passion of honesty [Redlichkeit]2. The biggest question3. Bravery and nothing else (NL 9 1880 8[1]).In the fragments that follow, Nietzsche experiments with a non-traditional view ofthe purpose of religion. For Nietzsche, much of religion–thinking particularly ofChristianity, Buddhism and Hinduism–has been geared towards promoting lifedenial, egalitarianism and compassion as virtuesin themselves.Nietzsche’s religionof bravery, however, aims for enlisting such ascetic drives within a more openlylife-affirmative project. When speaking about Greek mythology inThe Birth ofTragedy, Nietzsche acknowledges that religion can indeed serve a purpose differ-ent than the one it has generally served:“Nothing [in Greek religion] reminds us ofhttps://doi.org/10.1515/9783110618112-010

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Chapter 9Nietzsche’s Religion of a Brave New FutureThe endpoint of Schelling’s philosophy is a philosophical religion that mergesreligion with philosophical thought, a position not entirely unbiased towardsChristianity. To Schelling, a philosophical religion is the highpoint of the ex-pression of freedom wherein the agent freely submits himself to what is in ex-cess of reason: being, history and Christian revelation. In this final chapter, wedetail how Nietzsche sought to accomplish something similar in his dealingswith religion broadly-construed. Nietzsche recognizes the pedagogical potentialof religion to inspire a more life-affirmative composure by inculcating bravery,and by providing the festivals that provide comic release where and when brav-ery is not an option. For Nietzsche, religion guides the downward movement ofhumanity which, in turn, dialectically strengthens its general upwards trajec-tory: the athlete braces himself for the race to come. As with Schelling,Nietzsche’s positive usage of religion involves providing a locale for philosophi-cal and creative aspiration to find rest and self-release. But unlike Schelling,Nietzsche does not allow Christianity an overriding privilege in accommodatingsuch a release of self.A New Religion–A New Hope?In the winter of 1880–1881, Nietzsche penned a cluster of fragments in whichone recurring trait is the exploration of the pedagogical potential of religion.This set of fragments opens with a provocative declaration:Religion of Bravery:1. The passion of honesty [Redlichkeit]2. The biggest question3. Bravery and nothing else (NL 9 1880 8[1]).In the fragments that follow, Nietzsche experiments with a non-traditional view ofthe purpose of religion. For Nietzsche, much of religion–thinking particularly ofChristianity, Buddhism and Hinduism–has been geared towards promoting lifedenial, egalitarianism and compassion as virtuesin themselves.Nietzsche’s religionof bravery, however, aims for enlisting such ascetic drives within a more openlylife-affirmative project. When speaking about Greek mythology inThe Birth ofTragedy, Nietzsche acknowledges that religion can indeed serve a purpose differ-ent than the one it has generally served:“Nothing [in Greek religion] reminds us ofhttps://doi.org/10.1515/9783110618112-010

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