Argentina Through Nietzschean Eyes
For many of us, the end of college is the end of continuous, daily intellectual stimulation. We graduate, join the workforce, grow accustomed to our jobs, get married, have kids, or not, and settle into a quotidian routine that no longer challenges us to think in ways that build new neural pathways. In some ways, our creative capacity, and the related ability to think critically, atrophy amid the lack of constant, vigorous stimulation.
Without fresh cerebral challenges that force us to question our assumptions, we settle into a groove that, while not inherently bad, is somewhat anemic. Too much of this leads to boredom, and there is even some research indicating that intellectual stagnation can lead to depression and reduced life expectancy.
All of which would seem entirely irrelevant to us here were it not for an interesting Argentine antidote to the problem: Alejandro Rozitchner. A friend of this blog, indeed in some ways its partial progenitor, Alejandro is a unique Argentine intellect. He is controversial, pugnacious, razor sharp, creative and funny. He is also a teacher, but not the kind you typically find in an academic environment.
One of his favorite subjects is the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900). Alejandro is offering a four-session class on Nietzsche beginning next week in Palermo. If the class is anything like one I took a while back, it will provide insight not only into Nietzsche and his thinking, but also into Argentina. As such, it should also be a perfect way to challenge your assumptions about the world in general and about Argentina in particular.
Prerequisite: Fluency in Spanish
Place: Teatrito del Bar El Taller, Plaza Serrano
Days: October 23th, 30th, November 6 & 13th
Time: de 8-9:45pm
Cost: 250 Pesos
Info: Ask for Shona at 4831-1588 or write to: cursos@bienvenidosami.com.ar
Link: Nietzsche Course
Popularity: 1% [?]
I look forward to a future post describing what Nietzsche has to do with Argentina! Myself, I’ve never really understood the interest in Nietzsche, philosophically. He offers an interesting critique of morality, but not one that’s widely accepted today.
Chris!
You rock, my friend. Nietzsche doesn’t really have anything to do with Argentina, per se. And as much as I like Nietzsche’s writing and his cool aphorisms, I think much of his moral philosophy mired in the tar of bad logic. He’s full of contradictions and silly ideas, and I don’t find him of any help at all in trying to ground my own intuitions about objective moral values. I also think that my buddy Alejandro, who loves Nietzsche, is misguided when it comes to the foundations of his moral own philosophy (even as I find him to a deeply moral person). All that said, Alejandro’s classes on Nietzsche offer students a chance to look at Argentina and the world through a different set of glasses. They are also just plain fun, and are good at helping us shake those mental cobwebs free. So that’s partly why I recommend them.
BTW, on an unrelated not, I found this Nietzsche iPhone App on Brian Leiter’s blog:
http://9bitlabs.com/iNietzsche/
Take care, brother,
Taos
What Nietzche has to do with Argentine.
Just one sentence that He wrote.
HAY SERES QUE SON MAESTROS EN EL ARTE DE HERVIR FANGO.
He said in paper once.
That applies perfectly well with our current warm days….
It is also true thta He knew a lot about human nature
anonimous
Hey Anonymous,
What a great quote!
Thanks for sharing it.
I’d have to add that all of Ale’s classes are excellent, even the ones that have nothing to do with Nietzsche.
Take care,
Taos
I am Argentinian, so write in Castilian. I recommend translate into google
Preguntar acerca de la relación que tiene Nietzsche con Argentina es tan estúpido como preguntar si la crisis de EEUU afectará al resto del mundo.
No vale la pena detenerse en cuestiones estrictamente filosóficas, digamos simplemente que el pensamiento de Nietzsche era absolutamente cosmopolita, es importante derrumbar esa vieja idea de la tradición germana para re-pensar la importancia que tuvo el espíritu latino en la producción de Nietzche desde Humano demasiado humano. Creo que lo que los hace estúpido a los anglosajones es el inglés, el idioma, igual les mando saludos
Victor.
Nietsche habla de moral. Cosa que no todos tenemos muy en claro hoy dia para que sirve. O con que se come. Y si va con fritas
No importa de donde era dicho filosofo.
Suficiente con saber que era de este mundo. Era un pensador.
Y hoy cualquier pensador, cualquier intelectual, nos hace falta.
Si no te gusta Niettzche, que tal Jose Ingenieros?
Argentino el mozo, y de buena cepa.
Hablando en español, y sin ser insultado por naides por el echo de escribir y hablar el hermoso idioma español.
Si todos bajaramos un poco nuestros estados de estress y de odiosidad andariamos mejor, viviendo con un ph en nuestras tripas mucho mas alkalino….
y si, la crisis de USA afectara al resto del mundo.
En esa te apuntaste un poroto
anonymous
Hi Victor,
Is this a joke? If English really makes people stupid, what are you doing reading The Argentine Post? Do you think Shakespeare, Newton, Edison, The Beatles, Bill Gates and the inventors of Google were all stupid?
Take care,
Taos
Taos
Tienes razón. Pido disculpas si te ofendí. No fue mi idea decir que los pensadores de habla inglesa fuera estúpidos. En realidad fue una respuesta a una opinión más arriba, un sarcasmo poco feliz.
Lo que intentaba decir, en realidad, es que el pensamiento de Nietzche es cosmopolita, que luego se hayan hecho usos deliberados es otra cuestión, aunque quizás lo mío también es de uso deliberado.
En última instancia, la estupidez es un síntoma humano, no sólo de los anglosajones. Creer que es posible reconciliarse en un saber es quedar como jesus preguntando: Eloi, Eloi, lema sabactani. Señor, Señor, por qué me has abandonado