본문 바로가기
  • Home
Basic Search

Beyond the present decadence

  • PHILOSOPHY·THOUGHT·CULTURE
  • 2024, (46), pp.181~207
  • DOI : 10.33639/ptc.2024..46.008
  • Publisher : Research Institute for East-West Thought
  • Research Area : Humanities > Other Humanities
  • Received : November 4, 2024
  • Accepted : November 29, 2024
  • Published : November 30, 2024

Kim Sewook 1

1영남대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

The present is an age of passion. Individuals today do not pursue ontological truth, nor do they live ascetic lives to achieve universal good or realize communal morality. The modern ideals that Nietzsche criticized, namely ascetic ideals, are no longer the goal of this era. The contemporary people live to fulfill their own desires more than anything else. So, has the present gone beyond the decadence that Nietzsche pointed out? In fact, it has not. The present age is still an era of decadence. Why is that? From a Nietzschean perspective, the reason why the present is decadent is because, despite not pursuing asceticism and universal good, they still cannot affirm their own life as such. The materialism and meritocracy that the present people pursue are, in the end, just different in form, they are still negative forms of life, no different from the attitude toward life of modern people who pursue the ascetic ideal of life that Nietzsche criticized.Ultimately, the present people should not live a life where they prove their worth through materialism and meritocracy, but rather become people who can use them instrumentally for their own lives. This is the affirmation of life that can overcome suffering, and it can be said to be a healthy attitude toward life that strives for a better future. Of course, this attitude toward life cannot be achieved through individual effort alone. Rather than trying to protect the values that make us instrumental, our society should have a system that helps each member live a life in which they can affirm their own life and look forward to a better future by making such values a tool for life. At that time, the contemporary people will be able to live as healthy human beings who can truly affirm themselves.

Statistics

  • 59 Viewed
  • 25 Downloaded

Tools

Issue List

Citation status

* References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.

Basic Search Advanced Search