I'm a french educated, cosmopolitan student, currently finishing up a degree at McGill. I intend to move unto a masters in Heideggerian phenomenology next year.
Contemporary ideology critique seems to rest on the assumption that there are no forms of discour... more Contemporary ideology critique seems to rest on the assumption that there are no forms of discourse which aren’t, in some sense, politically interested. It is a clearing (to borrow a Heideggerian terms) within which speech is construed as a game of symbolic jousting, where each participant, either implicitly or explicitly serves a cause — or put differently, is advocating for some sort of political order. Ideology critique as such serves as a means to appraise the master that one is serving when one makes a claim (any claim it seems) — it aims to make explicit the constellation of views which, because of their interrelations, and because of the way in which they are deployed ‘in the real world’, must be decontextualized from the space wherein they are construed as politically neutral. Everything is politically significant — and the desire, or tendency to interpret things as neutral is the most surreptitious (therefore ideological) form of political participation. It will be my contention throughout this paper that this way of thinking however leads to a neurotic consciousness, a perpetually antagonistic and accusatory way of existing in the world which does violence to something like “the fresh spontaneity of a lifeworld made possible by the tacit recognition of goodwill”. Put differently, I will try to argue that it sacrifices something more valuable than it gains.
Kierkegaard is widely regarded as the quintessential proto-existentialist. This paper's aim shall... more Kierkegaard is widely regarded as the quintessential proto-existentialist. This paper's aim shall thus be twofold : (1) to examine his treatment of the myth of Abraham in Fear and Trembling, and (2) to attempt to ascertain the ways in which his revolutionary conception of faith came to alter the subsequent philosophical landscape of the late 19th and early 20th century.
The idea of the Bodhisattva serves both as a doctrinal foundation of Mahayana buddhism and as a m... more The idea of the Bodhisattva serves both as a doctrinal foundation of Mahayana buddhism and as a means to identify a point of departure from earlier strands of Buddhism. The intent of this presentation shall thus be twofold : (1) to elucidate the central concepts which make up the canon of pre-Mahayana Buddhism, and (2) to describe the manner in which the introduction of the idea of the Bodhisattva alters the Buddhist discourse and its commitments about enlightenment.
In this paper, I shall seek to give a detailed account of the intermediary stages which occur bet... more In this paper, I shall seek to give a detailed account of the intermediary stages which occur between the moment of death and that of rebirth into a new life in samsaric existence. The description of these stages shall follow the account given of them in the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Thus, to that end, I shall first give a brief account of the basic tenets of tantric Buddhism so that I might, in a second part, be able to account for the manner which it envisages the manipulation of said stages towards the attainment of liberation from cyclical existence.
The Kalacakra tantra is referred to as ‘the clear tantra’ — as opposed to the other anuttarayoga ... more The Kalacakra tantra is referred to as ‘the clear tantra’ — as opposed to the other anuttarayoga systems which are classified as ‘obscure’. This is so because in this system, the unity of the Buddha-mind and of the Buddha-nature are explained not by analogy, but explicitly. The system deals predominantly with cosmology and strives to establish strong structural parallels between the physical processes which happen at the micro and macroscopic levels of the universe. This, in turn, is supposed to empower the practitioner to conceive of herself as an embodiment of these. The goal of this practice is transcendence, the unmediated enjoyment of gnostic bliss for the benefit of all sentient beings. This paper shall thus first examine the notion of the body as text and proceed to describe the manner in which the gnostic realization of non-duality is supposed to be effected though meditative practice.
In his essay Rethinking Transcendence, Dale S. Wright offers us an unusual account of the manner ... more In his essay Rethinking Transcendence, Dale S. Wright offers us an unusual account of the manner in which language operates in Zen Buddhism. His aim is to distance himself from a certain Western conception of Zen experience, that it is something ‘pure’ — in the sense of being extra-linguistic or the result of a direct relationship to ontology, to the ‘way things are’ beyond the shaping power of language. The point of this is to argue that Zen experience is indissociable from certain linguistically and socially articulated practises — that it is always found in a certain social/linguistic context [RT113]. In this essay I shall first pay close attention to the author’s claims, and then I will attempt to assess their merits and flaws.
Being-in-the world was preliminarily defined as a ‘unitary phenomenon with a threefold structure,... more Being-in-the world was preliminarily defined as a ‘unitary phenomenon with a threefold structure, made up of three constitutive items’. In the course of the study of all three items, a different aspect of this single phenomenon was made explicit to the reader — and ultimately, an understanding of each of the three was to bring about the fuller understanding of the phenomenon as a whole. This elusive and mystifying phenomenon is characterized first by a who (or that entity which indeed is in the world), there is a world (within which the ‘who’ dwells), and there is a quality of being-in (which clarifies the manner in which we can say that ‘the who’ is indeed ‘in’ such a ‘world’). The aim of this paper shall thus be quite straightforward ; I shall in the first place, go through Heidegger’s whole demonstration, and paraphrase everything from section 42 — all up to section 87 (a task which shall occupy the bulk of this paper, but which I nonetheless found necessary to do), second, I shall give a brief account of the Cartesian refutation which follows, and in the third instance, I shall attempt a brief and humble critique of Heidegger, and endeavor to offer a few pertinent considerations of my own.
In his book “Man of light in Iranian Sufism”, Henry Corbin describes the spiritual journey of the... more In his book “Man of light in Iranian Sufism”, Henry Corbin describes the spiritual journey of the pilgrim as he ascends into the divine (or what he calls the pole of the Cosmic North). His analysis however, is not a mere paraphrase of Sufi mystical writings, its ambition is also to offer a theophanic phenomenology — a thesis on the spiritual significance of the psycho-spiritual experience of colors in moments of deep meditation. These colors are witnessed by the mystic on his quest to find purer and purer unions with God — a quest moreover which is aided by a spiritual guide of pure light, one whose transcendent pull brings us closer into the bosom of the divine. This paper shall thus explore Corbin’s exegesis of Sufi writings in order to elucidate his account of the ethereal guide in the first place, his phenomenology of the supersensible realm in the second — all of this leading to an account of the physiognomy of the subtle body, its parts, and their correlating realities. I shall then attempt to assess the persuasive force of his argumentation.
Competing accounts of the epistemic significance of sight La Nature est un temple où de vivants p... more Competing accounts of the epistemic significance of sight La Nature est un temple où de vivants piliers Laissent parfois sortir de confuses paroles ; L'homme y passe à travers des forêts de symboles Qui l'observent avec des regards familiers. Comme de longs échos qui de loin se confondent Dans une ténébreuse et profonde unité, Vaste comme la nuit et comme la clarté, Les parfums, les couleurs et les sons se répondent.
The Phaedo first and foremost is a fictionalized account of events which supposedly took place in... more The Phaedo first and foremost is a fictionalized account of events which supposedly took place in Athens mere moments before Socrates was made to drink the fatal hemlock cup. While the Apology can be seen as Plato’s defense of his teacher and of the undertaking of philosophy as a whole, this dialogue is more aptly described as a farewell to a great man and a panegyric to a life well lived. In it, Socrates argues his last point ; that the soul is immortal and that these last moments he is living on earth do not mark the end of his spiritual existence. Thus, this paper’s aim shall be twofold - to give an account of his main arguments in defense of the soul’s immortality, and second, to attempt to humbly offer a commentary of my own.
There are six different characterizations of Love in the Symposium. Although every single one of ... more There are six different characterizations of Love in the Symposium. Although every single one of them is interesting for its own particular reasons, I shall be comparing only two of them in depth ; those of Agathon and Socrates. I have chosen these two because I have deemed them to be the most antipodal to each other, both in content and in form — and I believe a thorough comparison of their differences reveal essential truths about Socrate’s epistemic commitments. The aim of this paper shall thus be threefold ; in the first instance, I shall do my best to recreate with enough precision what those two have said on the matter, second, I shall attempt to understand what we might take away from the significance of their divergences, and third, I shall write a conclusion.
Kierkegaard saw in the figure of Don Juan something supremely musical. This is so because for him... more Kierkegaard saw in the figure of Don Juan something supremely musical. This is so because for him, Don Juan as an idea, as an archetype, represents sensuous genius, or more precisely “the expression for the daemonic determined as the sensuous”(Kierkegaard 89) — which is something that he considers may only be expressed musically, for it is so abstract that music is the only medium in which it can be represented adequately. But what may we understand, through Kierkegaard’s description of Don Juan, about human existence ? What does his characterization amount to ? This paper shall first give an account of Kierkegaard’s portrayal of the musical Don Giovanni, and second, attempt to ascertain what significance it holds in a larger sense, for us, existing beings.
In his book Creative Imagination in the Sufism of Ibn Arabi, Corbin gives a detailed account of b... more In his book Creative Imagination in the Sufism of Ibn Arabi, Corbin gives a detailed account of both the function and the ontological significance of the faculty of Imagination vis à vis theophanic revelation. The Imagination is here conceived as an organ which is essential for mystical knowledge, and Ibn Arabi even goes so far as to regard it as the very matter of Divine epiphany. This paper’s aim shall thus be twofold ; the first shall be to give a detailed account of Ibn Arabi’s treatment of the concept of Creation — and in a second movement, I shall try to ascertain the manner in which Creation correlates with Imagination in his theosophy.
Hegel’s epic odyssey of the soul paints the picture of an absolute spirit (God) which is attempti... more Hegel’s epic odyssey of the soul paints the picture of an absolute spirit (God) which is attempting to disclose its own essence to itself through individual spirits. As such, it must proceed in stages — and at every stage of this cosmic self- disclosure, the Absolute must manifest itself to itself in what I like to call higher and higher “degrees of presence”. At the last and highest stage, spirit makes itself manifest to spirit as spirit and in spirit, i.e. by those means afforded to the philosopher. Hegel’s conception of the ultimate moment of spiritual apotheosis as being achievable through thinking has very real implications for his account of art and aesthetics — which are relegated, perhaps, to a subordinate position in his own time. Wether this is a self-serving exaggeration of the philosopher’s importance is in some sense outside of the scope of our present investigation — for out of it flows an astonishingly lucid and consistent account of both the power of art, and its potential to disclose truths of ultimate interest to human beings. Because Hegel’s aesthetics are grounded in, and are congruent with such a robust metaphysics, they are endowed with the means to appraise both the value of individual artworks and the spiritual potential of particular art forms. Hegel is, for better or worse, in the business of making hierarchical distinctions in the realm of art (perhaps one of the greatest taboos in the modern intellectual landscape). What exactly does his hierarchical appraisal of symbolic, classical and romantic art say about both art itself and our modern condition? Do we dwell today in a field of perdition, a vapid and Geist-less zeitgeist? Does the ‘end of art’ herald the impoverishment of spirit? These difficult and tantalizing questions I shall attempt to elucidate in the forthcoming paper.
One of those stories of the Bronte childhood that have proved irresistible to biographers is that... more One of those stories of the Bronte childhood that have proved irresistible to biographers is that of the ‘mask’ incident, disclosed by the Reverend Patrick in a letter to Mrs Gaskell dated 30 July 1855.1 Suspecting, he said, that his children knew more than he had yet discovered, he decided to test them in a way that would encourage complete freedom of expression: ‘happening/ he said, ‘to have a mask in the house, I told them all to stand and speak boldly from under the cover of the mask.’ In the event, the questions were banal, but the ploy was prophetic in a way and to an extent which the Reverend Patrick could hardly have foreseen. He could not have guessed that in the years ahead three of those children would adopt a series of metaphorical ‘masks’ and speak with a freedom of expression that would shock many of their contemporaries and ensure the three a major place in English literature into the incalculable future.
Contemporary ideology critique seems to rest on the assumption that there are no forms of discour... more Contemporary ideology critique seems to rest on the assumption that there are no forms of discourse which aren’t, in some sense, politically interested. It is a clearing (to borrow a Heideggerian terms) within which speech is construed as a game of symbolic jousting, where each participant, either implicitly or explicitly serves a cause — or put differently, is advocating for some sort of political order. Ideology critique as such serves as a means to appraise the master that one is serving when one makes a claim (any claim it seems) — it aims to make explicit the constellation of views which, because of their interrelations, and because of the way in which they are deployed ‘in the real world’, must be decontextualized from the space wherein they are construed as politically neutral. Everything is politically significant — and the desire, or tendency to interpret things as neutral is the most surreptitious (therefore ideological) form of political participation. It will be my contention throughout this paper that this way of thinking however leads to a neurotic consciousness, a perpetually antagonistic and accusatory way of existing in the world which does violence to something like “the fresh spontaneity of a lifeworld made possible by the tacit recognition of goodwill”. Put differently, I will try to argue that it sacrifices something more valuable than it gains.
Kierkegaard is widely regarded as the quintessential proto-existentialist. This paper's aim shall... more Kierkegaard is widely regarded as the quintessential proto-existentialist. This paper's aim shall thus be twofold : (1) to examine his treatment of the myth of Abraham in Fear and Trembling, and (2) to attempt to ascertain the ways in which his revolutionary conception of faith came to alter the subsequent philosophical landscape of the late 19th and early 20th century.
The idea of the Bodhisattva serves both as a doctrinal foundation of Mahayana buddhism and as a m... more The idea of the Bodhisattva serves both as a doctrinal foundation of Mahayana buddhism and as a means to identify a point of departure from earlier strands of Buddhism. The intent of this presentation shall thus be twofold : (1) to elucidate the central concepts which make up the canon of pre-Mahayana Buddhism, and (2) to describe the manner in which the introduction of the idea of the Bodhisattva alters the Buddhist discourse and its commitments about enlightenment.
In this paper, I shall seek to give a detailed account of the intermediary stages which occur bet... more In this paper, I shall seek to give a detailed account of the intermediary stages which occur between the moment of death and that of rebirth into a new life in samsaric existence. The description of these stages shall follow the account given of them in the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Thus, to that end, I shall first give a brief account of the basic tenets of tantric Buddhism so that I might, in a second part, be able to account for the manner which it envisages the manipulation of said stages towards the attainment of liberation from cyclical existence.
The Kalacakra tantra is referred to as ‘the clear tantra’ — as opposed to the other anuttarayoga ... more The Kalacakra tantra is referred to as ‘the clear tantra’ — as opposed to the other anuttarayoga systems which are classified as ‘obscure’. This is so because in this system, the unity of the Buddha-mind and of the Buddha-nature are explained not by analogy, but explicitly. The system deals predominantly with cosmology and strives to establish strong structural parallels between the physical processes which happen at the micro and macroscopic levels of the universe. This, in turn, is supposed to empower the practitioner to conceive of herself as an embodiment of these. The goal of this practice is transcendence, the unmediated enjoyment of gnostic bliss for the benefit of all sentient beings. This paper shall thus first examine the notion of the body as text and proceed to describe the manner in which the gnostic realization of non-duality is supposed to be effected though meditative practice.
In his essay Rethinking Transcendence, Dale S. Wright offers us an unusual account of the manner ... more In his essay Rethinking Transcendence, Dale S. Wright offers us an unusual account of the manner in which language operates in Zen Buddhism. His aim is to distance himself from a certain Western conception of Zen experience, that it is something ‘pure’ — in the sense of being extra-linguistic or the result of a direct relationship to ontology, to the ‘way things are’ beyond the shaping power of language. The point of this is to argue that Zen experience is indissociable from certain linguistically and socially articulated practises — that it is always found in a certain social/linguistic context [RT113]. In this essay I shall first pay close attention to the author’s claims, and then I will attempt to assess their merits and flaws.
Being-in-the world was preliminarily defined as a ‘unitary phenomenon with a threefold structure,... more Being-in-the world was preliminarily defined as a ‘unitary phenomenon with a threefold structure, made up of three constitutive items’. In the course of the study of all three items, a different aspect of this single phenomenon was made explicit to the reader — and ultimately, an understanding of each of the three was to bring about the fuller understanding of the phenomenon as a whole. This elusive and mystifying phenomenon is characterized first by a who (or that entity which indeed is in the world), there is a world (within which the ‘who’ dwells), and there is a quality of being-in (which clarifies the manner in which we can say that ‘the who’ is indeed ‘in’ such a ‘world’). The aim of this paper shall thus be quite straightforward ; I shall in the first place, go through Heidegger’s whole demonstration, and paraphrase everything from section 42 — all up to section 87 (a task which shall occupy the bulk of this paper, but which I nonetheless found necessary to do), second, I shall give a brief account of the Cartesian refutation which follows, and in the third instance, I shall attempt a brief and humble critique of Heidegger, and endeavor to offer a few pertinent considerations of my own.
In his book “Man of light in Iranian Sufism”, Henry Corbin describes the spiritual journey of the... more In his book “Man of light in Iranian Sufism”, Henry Corbin describes the spiritual journey of the pilgrim as he ascends into the divine (or what he calls the pole of the Cosmic North). His analysis however, is not a mere paraphrase of Sufi mystical writings, its ambition is also to offer a theophanic phenomenology — a thesis on the spiritual significance of the psycho-spiritual experience of colors in moments of deep meditation. These colors are witnessed by the mystic on his quest to find purer and purer unions with God — a quest moreover which is aided by a spiritual guide of pure light, one whose transcendent pull brings us closer into the bosom of the divine. This paper shall thus explore Corbin’s exegesis of Sufi writings in order to elucidate his account of the ethereal guide in the first place, his phenomenology of the supersensible realm in the second — all of this leading to an account of the physiognomy of the subtle body, its parts, and their correlating realities. I shall then attempt to assess the persuasive force of his argumentation.
Competing accounts of the epistemic significance of sight La Nature est un temple où de vivants p... more Competing accounts of the epistemic significance of sight La Nature est un temple où de vivants piliers Laissent parfois sortir de confuses paroles ; L'homme y passe à travers des forêts de symboles Qui l'observent avec des regards familiers. Comme de longs échos qui de loin se confondent Dans une ténébreuse et profonde unité, Vaste comme la nuit et comme la clarté, Les parfums, les couleurs et les sons se répondent.
The Phaedo first and foremost is a fictionalized account of events which supposedly took place in... more The Phaedo first and foremost is a fictionalized account of events which supposedly took place in Athens mere moments before Socrates was made to drink the fatal hemlock cup. While the Apology can be seen as Plato’s defense of his teacher and of the undertaking of philosophy as a whole, this dialogue is more aptly described as a farewell to a great man and a panegyric to a life well lived. In it, Socrates argues his last point ; that the soul is immortal and that these last moments he is living on earth do not mark the end of his spiritual existence. Thus, this paper’s aim shall be twofold - to give an account of his main arguments in defense of the soul’s immortality, and second, to attempt to humbly offer a commentary of my own.
There are six different characterizations of Love in the Symposium. Although every single one of ... more There are six different characterizations of Love in the Symposium. Although every single one of them is interesting for its own particular reasons, I shall be comparing only two of them in depth ; those of Agathon and Socrates. I have chosen these two because I have deemed them to be the most antipodal to each other, both in content and in form — and I believe a thorough comparison of their differences reveal essential truths about Socrate’s epistemic commitments. The aim of this paper shall thus be threefold ; in the first instance, I shall do my best to recreate with enough precision what those two have said on the matter, second, I shall attempt to understand what we might take away from the significance of their divergences, and third, I shall write a conclusion.
Kierkegaard saw in the figure of Don Juan something supremely musical. This is so because for him... more Kierkegaard saw in the figure of Don Juan something supremely musical. This is so because for him, Don Juan as an idea, as an archetype, represents sensuous genius, or more precisely “the expression for the daemonic determined as the sensuous”(Kierkegaard 89) — which is something that he considers may only be expressed musically, for it is so abstract that music is the only medium in which it can be represented adequately. But what may we understand, through Kierkegaard’s description of Don Juan, about human existence ? What does his characterization amount to ? This paper shall first give an account of Kierkegaard’s portrayal of the musical Don Giovanni, and second, attempt to ascertain what significance it holds in a larger sense, for us, existing beings.
In his book Creative Imagination in the Sufism of Ibn Arabi, Corbin gives a detailed account of b... more In his book Creative Imagination in the Sufism of Ibn Arabi, Corbin gives a detailed account of both the function and the ontological significance of the faculty of Imagination vis à vis theophanic revelation. The Imagination is here conceived as an organ which is essential for mystical knowledge, and Ibn Arabi even goes so far as to regard it as the very matter of Divine epiphany. This paper’s aim shall thus be twofold ; the first shall be to give a detailed account of Ibn Arabi’s treatment of the concept of Creation — and in a second movement, I shall try to ascertain the manner in which Creation correlates with Imagination in his theosophy.
Hegel’s epic odyssey of the soul paints the picture of an absolute spirit (God) which is attempti... more Hegel’s epic odyssey of the soul paints the picture of an absolute spirit (God) which is attempting to disclose its own essence to itself through individual spirits. As such, it must proceed in stages — and at every stage of this cosmic self- disclosure, the Absolute must manifest itself to itself in what I like to call higher and higher “degrees of presence”. At the last and highest stage, spirit makes itself manifest to spirit as spirit and in spirit, i.e. by those means afforded to the philosopher. Hegel’s conception of the ultimate moment of spiritual apotheosis as being achievable through thinking has very real implications for his account of art and aesthetics — which are relegated, perhaps, to a subordinate position in his own time. Wether this is a self-serving exaggeration of the philosopher’s importance is in some sense outside of the scope of our present investigation — for out of it flows an astonishingly lucid and consistent account of both the power of art, and its potential to disclose truths of ultimate interest to human beings. Because Hegel’s aesthetics are grounded in, and are congruent with such a robust metaphysics, they are endowed with the means to appraise both the value of individual artworks and the spiritual potential of particular art forms. Hegel is, for better or worse, in the business of making hierarchical distinctions in the realm of art (perhaps one of the greatest taboos in the modern intellectual landscape). What exactly does his hierarchical appraisal of symbolic, classical and romantic art say about both art itself and our modern condition? Do we dwell today in a field of perdition, a vapid and Geist-less zeitgeist? Does the ‘end of art’ herald the impoverishment of spirit? These difficult and tantalizing questions I shall attempt to elucidate in the forthcoming paper.
One of those stories of the Bronte childhood that have proved irresistible to biographers is that... more One of those stories of the Bronte childhood that have proved irresistible to biographers is that of the ‘mask’ incident, disclosed by the Reverend Patrick in a letter to Mrs Gaskell dated 30 July 1855.1 Suspecting, he said, that his children knew more than he had yet discovered, he decided to test them in a way that would encourage complete freedom of expression: ‘happening/ he said, ‘to have a mask in the house, I told them all to stand and speak boldly from under the cover of the mask.’ In the event, the questions were banal, but the ploy was prophetic in a way and to an extent which the Reverend Patrick could hardly have foreseen. He could not have guessed that in the years ahead three of those children would adopt a series of metaphorical ‘masks’ and speak with a freedom of expression that would shock many of their contemporaries and ensure the three a major place in English literature into the incalculable future.
Nietzsche has been seen by many as the prophet of our age. In the The Gay Science a madman announ... more Nietzsche has been seen by many as the prophet of our age. In the The Gay Science a madman announces to a bewildered crowd that ‘God is dead’ and that ‘We have killed him’. Although he did not think that all of us had realized this, that this had been made explicit to us, he never-the-less thought that this would be a monumental event whose consequences and reverberations would define Mankind for the next two hundred years. This Death of God, this lack of anchoring in the universe for our moral values, our feelings of security and purpose had the potential to plunge us into a whirlwind of despair, to make us despondent and Nihilistic, base and vulgar. A new kind of human being was required to emerge in order to survive this with nobility of spirit and, dare I say, with gusto! Nietzsche did not think that we could do away with God and have everything else, remain the same ; our morals, our values, our politics, our senses of Art and aesthetics. Along with God, the world that he had once surveyed had to die, and we had to “change with the times”. He envisages a bold Spirit in response to this, one who rather than lamenting the death of the old, pushes forth with enthusiasm and childlike wonder into this new historical horizon ; a revaluation of values had to occur, new art forms had to emerge — and instead of crying under the heavens, Mankind had to learn to dance upon the earth. It is my project for this thesis to read through his oeuvre in order ascertain whether Amor Fati and the ideal of the Übermensch are appropriate responses to the Nihilism of our age. Were Nietzsche’s prescriptions a recipe for madness, or a cure for it?
Merleau-Ponty’s account of perception is meant as a response to the traditional conceptions we fi... more Merleau-Ponty’s account of perception is meant as a response to the traditional conceptions we find of it in both empiricism and idealism. These philosophies construe the event of perception as but a confused, naïve stage which lies at the genesis of a process which ultimately yields meaning through thought. MP’s stance on perception can be elucidated through the lens of his discussion of ‘gestalt’ and ‘style’ and his essay on Cézanne can be understood as a means to substantiate his views on the matter. This paper shall thus explore MP’s account of the manner in which the world presents itself to perception by examining the peculiarities of Cézanne’s artistic project in the first place — and attempt to ascertain its significance vis à vis existential thought in the second.
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Nietzsche did not think that we could do away with God and have everything else, remain the same ; our morals, our values, our politics, our senses of Art and aesthetics. Along with God, the world that he had once surveyed had to die, and we had to “change with the times”. He envisages a bold Spirit in response to this, one who rather than lamenting the death of the old, pushes forth with enthusiasm and childlike wonder into this new historical horizon ; a revaluation of values had to occur, new art forms had to emerge — and instead of crying under the heavens, Mankind had to learn to dance upon the earth. It is my project for this thesis to read through his oeuvre in order ascertain whether Amor Fati and the ideal of the Übermensch are appropriate responses to the Nihilism of our age. Were Nietzsche’s prescriptions a recipe for madness, or a cure for it?