Relation of History and Life - Essay Example

Task: Question Relation of History and Life Friedrich Nietzsche, a German logician s that the personal concerns of human beings should be reflected by philosophy. Nietzsche criticized the Western philosophers because they contributed to the degeneration of humanity strength. He insists that history is a key requirement for life only when the ensuing processes are conducted with caution. According to Nietzsche, the current education on history teaches the youth many concepts that are un-related to the modern perception of life. He advised the youth to be super historical and unhistorical. Additionally, he emphasized that the condition of being both upper historical and unhistorical usually allows the youth to develop a stable character in terms of religion and art (Nietzsche 60). As the youths avoid basing their lives on the past events, they will overcome a condition referred to as historical malady. This is an important process because it helps youths uphold their culture in the society. Advantages and shortcomings of history to life According to Nietzsche, every person is usually part of the task of existence. It is clear that for existence to occur, human beings need to have knowledge and truth about their past (Nietzsche 1). He still insists that without history, people will lack humanity because narrations constitute the record of self-production. History is important because retaining the culture in a society, as well as, ensuring that young generation acquires useful values such as respect and honest is fundamental. According to Nietzsche, the historical sense stifles or limits the human creativity by ruining the people’s identity and their meaning in the society. During the process of finding truth and knowledge about the past, deadly facts are sometimes gathered. This is likely to ruin the lives of people (Nietzsche 1). As Nietzsche put it, some of the activities involved in the process of gathering knowledge are usually perverted. This is attributable to the supposition that facts obtained are not applicable in any activity that is likely to change the lives of people (Nietzsche 2). Nietzsche criticizes history because it does not promote life, but employs deadly practices. Effects of excess history Excess history refers to a process that allows an individual to gain knowledge about the past without any intention of applying it. The excess history results in a condition called modern pseudo-culture where historical knowledge is not put to any particular use. After weakening personality, this condition usually turns resourceful people into actors in the society. The excess history depletes the instincts of people limiting them from attaining a certain level of growth or maturity. Nietzsche suggests that in order to increase the capacity for growth in future, it is necessary to emphasize on the past, and connection between the present and the past. This move will tend to direct the society on the best use of the history knowledge that serves life. History should be instrumental in the growth of modernity (Nietzsche 12). Question 2 The Response of Modern Philosophy to the Genesis Account of Human life Using the outline of The Book of Genesis, Kant developed speculations about the beginning of the human history. According to Genesis 4:2, man is said to have been feeding on roots before taming animals or engaging in agricultural activities. Kant points out the slow transition of man from being a hunter to taming animals and engaging in agricultural activities. The beginning of the strife separated people according to their different ways of life. Consequently, people moved to different parts of the world. Some people engaged in farming activities that was characterized by the challenges of unpredictable weather conditions; while others still engaged in hunting because of the availability of extensive grazing land. Since the agricultural activities required the farmers to settle in specific locations, they needed to protect their cultivated land and themselves from attacks. This resulted in the development of villages where the farmers helped each other in protecting their territories. Due to the high level of unity, majority of the village members developed social skills such as generosity and honesty. As time progressed, the village members multiplied amongst themselves. This not only led to the expansion of the villages, but also caused a rise in the level of inequality. Since the farmers and city dwellers felt that God favored the nomadic people more, they addressed the government as their human master. The two groups were frequently quarreling over land ownership leading to several wars. This prompted the nomadic people to try to resolve their conflicts by holding talks with the city dwellers. The need to end the disputes was also prompted by the government’s realization that for its nation to be successful, it required the cooperation and support of citizens. The agreement led to the drifting of the human species from the tasks or roles that nature had compelled them to perform such as hunting. This means that human nature has lost its destiny in terms of rules and control over the earth. Essential Teachings found in Genesis God’s power as depicted in Genesis is to create both the living and non-living things. God advocates that there should be no violence among people. According to Kant, there was violence or war between the nomadic people and the city dwellers that is against the teachings found in the Genesis. God emphasizes that hid creations are good and need to be shared among people. However, the farmers were not willing to share the land used for cultivation with the nomadic people. Another teaching we learn from Genesis is that there exist only one true God responsible for controlling all forms of lives on earth. As Kant put it, the city dwellers did not recognize God the way the nomadic people did. It is through the Genesis book of the bible that people realize what God expects of them. It also provides the guidelines that are supposed to lead people in their daily lives. As highlighted by Kant, the conflict between the nomadic people and the farmers resulted in the human species forgetting to uphold important values such as peace. According to modern philosophers, human beings have been termed as conscious creatures as compared to other animals because they can distinguish between different ways of life such as living well or bad. However, an individual’s life is governed by a given set of values that forms a human task. The classification of human existence tasks generated different opinions by the modern authors. Works Cited Nietzsche, Friedrich W. On the Advantage and Disadvantage of History for Life. Indianapolis: Hackett Pub. Co, 1980. Print. Read More