Man can barely behold Great beauty or Great tragedy, unless he explains them as works of Intention. That is how superstition is born. That is how conspiracy is born.
It is easier (on the heart) to explain a dysfunctional world as a result of evil than as a result of dysfunction.
For dysfunction posits the existence of Unknowns. That is horrifying to a species that is still mostly an animal, and only partly Man.
“Whatever moves us and affects us, must be the work of someone.”
~Thus speaketh fear.
But this is also how Agency is born (as a concept).
“Whatever moves us and affects us, must be the work of someone. I, too, am someone. And hence I too must be capable of causing movement and effect.”
~Thus speaketh Man.
Regardless...
The thoughts above came to me as I was reading Twilight of the Idols, where Nietzsche says:
“Whoever does not know how to lay his will into things, at least lays some meaning into them: that means, he has the faith that they already obey a will.”
I’d like to see this translated into more prosaic English because I’m not exactly sure what it’s arguing. Also I’m on guard against statements like “humans seek” or “man cannot behold” as I always suspect they are typical-mind fallacies leaking unless supported by specific arguments.
Humans seek Design. Or at least a sign of design.
Man can barely behold Great beauty or Great tragedy, unless he explains them as works of Intention. That is how superstition is born. That is how conspiracy is born.
It is easier (on the heart) to explain a dysfunctional world as a result of evil than as a result of dysfunction.
For dysfunction posits the existence of Unknowns. That is horrifying to a species that is still mostly an animal, and only partly Man.
“Whatever moves us and affects us, must be the work of someone.”
~Thus speaketh fear.
But this is also how Agency is born (as a concept).
“Whatever moves us and affects us, must be the work of someone. I, too, am someone. And hence I too must be capable of causing movement and effect.”
~Thus speaketh Man.
Regardless...
The thoughts above came to me as I was reading Twilight of the Idols, where Nietzsche says:
I’d like to see this translated into more prosaic English because I’m not exactly sure what it’s arguing. Also I’m on guard against statements like “humans seek” or “man cannot behold” as I always suspect they are typical-mind fallacies leaking unless supported by specific arguments.