ISSN: 2347-7474 International Journal Advances in Social Science and Humanities Available online at: www.ijassh.com

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Nietzsche and Unamuno: Connections and Differences

Maria Rodriguez Garcia

University Pablo Olavide, Seville, Spain.

Abstract

This article tries to show the similarities and differences between the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche and Miguel de Unanmuno. For this we refer mainly to the role of Nietzsche's superman and how it is present in the Spanish thinking of the early twentieth century through the work of Miguel de Unamuno.

Keywords: Philosophy, Friedrich Nietzsche, Miguel de Unamuno, Metaphysic, Literature. Introduction The last puffs of the 19th century were the negative and the contrast with his writings germ of the approach of the work of situate us in a problematic position, as they Nietzsche to our country, which remained are not few the references found by the sad by the traces of the at present known studious of an influence (more or less like Crisis of the 98 [1] like historical event imperfect) of the thought nietzschean in the that would seat the bases of what would be works of the Spanish thinker. Special the imminent 20th century. According to attention deserves in this point Así hablaba Gonzalo Sobejano in his work Nietzsche in Zaratustra, whose exaltation of the Spain [2], the approach of the authors of the superman and of the eternal return was 98 to the work of Nietzsche was mediated by fundamental in the primes of the Spanish Paul Schmitz, writer and Swiss his pianist 20th century and, specifically, in the that came to Spain in 1899 to remedy an writings unamunianos of these years. ailment of breast to the coat of the climate and the Hispanic habits. Fellow of the The present work presents like a proposal of brothers Baroja, Schmitz gave cool air to the study of the influence of the Zaratustra of version that then accompanied the vision of Nietzsche in a fundamental text of Nietzsche. If this was judged by Baroja like Unamuno published in the first polish of the violent and with rancor, now became ironic 20th century: Amor y pedagogía of 1902. and scathing to the pair that sensitive with Said text supposes a tragic exaltation of a his time. new man that, in spite of the destiny of the period, has to face his time like nobleman Schmitz remained three years in our solitary that preaches in the desert. From country, sufficient time to transmit his the study proposed, pretends deepen in the knowledge of the work of Nietzsche as well self-evident influence that Nietzsche exerted as to bequeath the translations of his works in the early work of Unamuno, in spite of the to the atmosphere of literature of the period. refusal of this in this regard. In this way, we will expose one of the main theoretical edges From among the authors of the Generation that endorse the confluence between the of the 98 above-mentioned, the influence of philosophy Spanish and the European to Nietzsche in Miguel of Unamuno was of beginnings of the 20th century and after the special importance, although, and as it failure of the modern reason. collects Sobejano, the Basque thinker Nietzsche, Unamuno and Zaratustra commissioned to deny in more than an occasion that his work was impregnated by The history that on Zaratustra explains us the echoes of the German philosopher. Said Nietzsche, begins with the abandonment of

Maria Rodriguez Garcia |May 2016 | Vol.4 | Issue 05 |53-59 53 Available online at: www.ijassh.com the mountain by part of the prophet, the one The man is a rope tended between the who after ten years of meditation and animal and the superman; a rope tended on solitude considers timely and necessary the abyss. It is dangerous to happen to descend of his cavern and direct to the another side, dangerous remain on the way, village to preach his message. Before his dangerous look to backwards; dangerous game, Zaratustra devotes some words in the stop and dangerous shiver. The greatness of sunlight,that patiently has lit him each the man is in being a bridge and no an end; morning during his retreat: what there is in him worthy to be loved is the being a traffic and a twilight [5]. But low and behold that I have me tired of my knowledge, like the bee that has Zaratustra Does not choose the best of the elaborated excessive honey. Now I need moments for the presentation of the hands that tend me. It wanted to give and superman. Whereas the men of the village distribute until the wise persons between remain in the square expecting see the the men again are with pleasure of his number of a tightrope walker, the prophet madness, and the poor, joyous of his wealth. takes advantage of for publish his good new, Therefore I have to descend to the depths as something that will involve the mockery of you do it you in the afternoon when you sink the there gathered that they only aspire to you behind the seas to carry your light just happen a good while of entertainment. This across the world, oh star brilliant! [3]. fact supposes a big education for Zaratustra, the one who comprises that his message, From the beginning, Nietzsche shows us to avid an introduction metaphysical, has to Zaratustra like the prophet commissioned to look for other mates, friends and disciples heave his voice against the decadence that escape of the charmed crowd. reached by the humanity. The concept of “decadence” is the key in the configuration of In Schopenhauer like educator [6], Nietzsche the European culture of finals of the 19th exposes the will of the superman, which century. After the failure of the modern enciphers in a personal sense like the reason and of the liberal revolutions situate meeting with himself, the own himself same us in front of an ill consciousness that to the have to be faithful and that is above neutralizes the therapeutic effects that, until us. then, had all liberating story [4]. Zaratustra proposes us a man that little has to see with Schopenhauer Like educator gives us initials the model designed by the philosophy of samples of what will be the man for Schopenhauer, another big German thinker Zaratustra, this is, to be to half way between of the drank the intellectuals of the 98 and, the monkey and the superman. This begins therefore, Miguel of Unamuno. The diffusion to present like a species of genius, to be of the ideas of Nietzsche in the old continent upper that little has to see with the “genius” as well as in Spain was not a too complex of Schopenhauer, as it expresses Rüdiger task, as already Schopenhauer had Safranski [7]. The “genius” is related to the commissioned of level the terrain for this. thinker of Danzig “denies the world because it experiences it like a moral scandal and, If Schopenhauer showed us a man ascetic however, is a so powerful nature that and able of bear the suffering and the surpasses it inwardly” [8]. This tedium until the point to cancel his will with consideration that tends to the moral the object to reach the true knowledge of yes, dimensions is refused by Nietzsche by the Nietzsche presents us to Zaratustra, an Christian echoes that contains. evocation of Zoroastro, Persian prophet of Nevertheless, and as precise Safranski, our the 12th century B.C. That plays with the philosopher does not separate of the ideal of meanings and holy identifications between Schopenhauer. He talks about the necessary the good and the bad. Dreamy, sometimes maturity of himself same, awarding him to unsuspecting and other cruel and ironic, the superman the full capacity of action with Zaratustra pretends to give a turn of nut to his own moral laws extraneous to the the modern decadence by means of the tradition judeo-Christian. presentation of the superman.

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The proposal of Nietzsche is collected by the In 1896, when still Nietzsche was not an authors of the generation of the 98, those author that was very present in the Spanish who proposed a renewal of the novel and of ideology, Unamuno publishes an essay on the philosophy of his time further of the the regeneration of the Spanish theatre in realistic mimesis. From among the authors which, according to Sobejano, appoints for of said generation, Miguel of Unamuno was the first time to Nietzsche. The fragment, one of which more leave imbue by the collected in the essay of the Spanish sparkles of the charmed of Zaratustra, in professor, is the following: spite of denying it in no few occasions. When the work in strength of differentiation In constant dialogue with his I more remitted to the field and to the instruments problematic and tragic, the Basque thinker and useful do bearable and more productive, enters us in a problematic spiritual sphere when they work themachines, savings of in which the man shows like a be ill, to horse intelligence, and remain to the man, once between the life and the reason. His illness, fulfilled his work director, strength and time that is not another that the possession of to integrate and live human life, super consciousness, is what carries him to human effort rather, then the art will be conceive the existence. This vital question saint holocaust (…) will be the age of the on- remains at the bottom of the work of man, of the Übermensch , with that between Unamuno, being evident in the texts that so much slag of selfish dreams, dreamed the collect in this work: Amor y pedagogía and poor Nietzsche; the age of the triumph, no of Vida de Don Quijote y Sancho. the grossest neither of the smartest, but of the more men, of which carry in his breast Influences and Contrasts more humanity, more common substance, of In his excellent study on the influence of the best [10]. Nietzsche in Spain [9], Gonzalo Sobejano traces an exhaustive route by the presence of According to Sobejano, the characterization the German thinker in the works of the that carries out Unamuno of Nietzsche like generations of intellectuals, taking like “the poor” does not have a sense of period of studies the years passed between superiority what of commiseration with 1890 and 1936. In the section devoted to regard to his anxiety and torment. In any Miguel of Unamuno, Sobejano collects the case, detect already the presence of the ideal problematic influence that had the German of the superman in Unamuno, a philosopher on our author. Like sample of contemplation that will be evident in the two this, can do allusion to Joaquín Sorel, works of the Basque thinker that take like student of Unamuno in Salamanca that reference in this work. collects the most evident similarities between his mentor and the German To the equal that him happens to thinker. Other intellectuals, as Julio Zaratustra, Unamuno longs for the Cejador, considered to Unamuno a mere overcoming of the tradition and make the imitator of Nietzsche and of Oscar Wilde, effort for finding an ideal to be Spanish that opinion that does not share José M. escape to the destiny problematic of his time. Salaverría, for the one who Unamuno It is the ideal of the noble man, that avenges of Nietzsche attacking his ideas surpasses the limitations of the man of meat when checking that it cannot equalizes to and bone that, to half way between the him. monkey and the superman, aspires to know who is and who wants to be. In spite of these premature criticisms, are not few the theorists of the work of the This heroic wish, complex company that Basque thinker that collect the influence of accompanies to the ideal of man sketched by Nietzsche in his work, parallelisms that Unamuno, is also a constant in Love and Sobejano collects patiently at the end of the pedagogy, acts that in relation to the epigraph devoted to Unamuno, where influence of Nietzsche we study now. compares texts of both authors to leave proof of the similarities regarding the thought, the vocabulary and the intention.

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life. Like this it manifests it Fulgencio Amory Pedagogia or the Future of Entrambosmares, philosopher tutor of the Love future genius, Apolodoro: This is a The emergency of the novels of 1902 tragicomedy, fellow Avito. We represent produces in a moment historical complex. each one our paper; they throw us of the Like consequence of the crisis of the 98, threads when we believe to act, not being Spain goes in a loop of apathy, impotence this act more than an activate; we recite the and unease that was distant a lot of the air paper learnt there, in the dark of the triumphal that predominated during the unconsciousness, in our dark pre-existence War of Cuba. The pretences of the Spanish [11]. village (influenced by the victorious speeches of the press of the period), saw truncated The idea that late background in the words when the reality imposed to the daydream. of Fulgencio is the life like tragedy, an essential question so much in the history of In this problematic frame, to the fact already Avito and Apolodoro as in proclaim them of have referred us previously, arises Amor y Zaratustra. In this point, can allude to Terry pedagogía, of Miguel of Unamuno. To the Eagleton and his Sweet essay violence: the equal that the others three works that idea of the tragic [12], where the author conform the Spanish essential novels speaks us of a novel that characterizes by published in this date, Unamuno carries out the profusion of tragic elements that show a critical exercise that reports the absence of the essence of the man: his internal duality, will and reaction of the men of his period. his problems and be contingent that does him face his vital time like a load that Avito Carrascal, father of Apolodoro, escapes to the control and the definition of pretends to remedy the tragic reality and he the modern times. This tragic essence talks about his effort creator and his will in remains explicitly self-evident in the his son. For this, Avito has a vital plan that characters of Amory pedagogía like will contribute to the education of the paradigms of fight in pro of a stray identity. genius. Only by means of the reason, seems to say us Avito, can put remedy and face up Apolodoro is conscious of the tragedy in what to the problematic reality of our time. It is they go in conflict his wishes with the thus by what, splitting of the logic of the rational interests of his father. The son, far pedagogical science, Avito pretends to build to be a methodical genius, shows a love by all a pedagogical system based in the reason the life until the limit, even, of his own and, therefore, in the command of the death, a passion uncontrollable that instincts. Everything is perfectly structured, remembers to the impetus of Zaratustra and but the life imposes, and the principles to his proclaims of the voluntary death. promulgated by Apolodoro go in constant conflict with the irrational dimension of his They die many too late and some die too son. prompt. “Die to time!” it is a doctrine that still echoes odd in a lot of hearings. Die to The reaction of the father shows centred in time: lo and behold what teach Zaratustra. the will of reason and command of the real, True is that the one who never lived to time something that self-evident, for example, in would not know to die to time. That did not the research of the suitable woman to carry be never!: Lo and behold what I would out a marriage deductivo, as this woman advise to the unnecessary. goes to be the mother of the genius and the plan for this has to be perfectly care and But, until the unnecessary do the important thought from the gestation. This example with his death, and until the most hollow offers us a sample of how Avito is a clear walnut pretend to be cracked. All give representation of the will of science, a will importance to the death. But for them the that moves away of proclaims it vitalist of death is not still a party. The men do not Zaratustra, nearer to the ideology of know at all still of how consecrate the most Apolodoro. These two models of action beautiful parties. I show you the death that involve the apparition of a vital conflict that consecrates the death that is a stinguer and can encipher like a tragic experience of the a promise for the living [13]. Maria Rodriguez Garcia |May 2016 | Vol.4 | Issue 05 |53-59 56 Available online at: www.ijassh.com

Apolodoro shows a similar vital eagerness to publication of the first part of Don Quijote de the exaltation of Zaratustra. Avito has all a la Mancha, the Basque thinker publishes pedagogical system contrived in pro of a Vida de Don Quijote y Sancho, an essay that rational life for his son, splitting of the pretends to rescue the vital experience of the character anti-pedagogical of the love. In noble man like paradigm of vitality creator. front of similar plan, manifested in a life full The Quijote that draws us Unamuno of dogmas and duties, Apolodoro ill of reason presents us like a criticism to the modern and decides commit suicide. The voluntary reason, a Zaratustra that attends to the death imposes like exaltation of the life and feeling like place privileged and for like evident sample of the failure of the exploring. The inclusion of the faithful principles of science of Avito and, squire in the title of his essay is a sample of consistently, of the ideal rationalistic how, Unamuno, looks for to surpass the modern that prevented to be a genius out of solitude of the hero that, in search of his own the absolute reason. truth (to the equal that him happened to Zaratustra) strolls by the solitary places of So much in Zaratustra as in the character of Castilla. Following to Ibsen, Unamuno will Apolodoro contemplate a fervent will of life say that it is crazy the one who is only, in his sense more original: the exaltation of the instincts, of the love and also of the And we have agreed in that a madness any difficulties and the failure situate us in front one leaves to be it in what it does collective, of an autonomous project of life that does not in what it is madness of all a village, of all fear to culminate in the voluntary death like the humankind maybe (…) and you and I maximum expression. agree in that it does lacking to carry to the crowds, carry to the village, carry to our In the epilogue of Love and pedagogy, Spanish village, a madness any one, the Unamuno thinks of the end of his work, that madness of one any one of his members that in addition to the suicide of Apolodoro, was crazy, but crazy for real and not of culminates with the death of Avito in front jokes. Crazy and no silly [15]. of the sadness and the failure that feels by the death of his son. The love has triumphed The Basque thinker shows his insistent on the pedagogy, although the end of the support to the hero that, in spite of what can work does not show the friendliness that, to think, no always is only, as it reiterates in the use, is used to him concede to the field of another moment of the work in question: the feel. Unamuno says in this regard that Set you up, only. All the other solitary will His effective pain, real and painful, goes go to your side, although you do not see setting in ideas, and projects to study the them. Each will believe to go only, but will suicide to the light of the death of the life form holy batallion: the batallion of the saint and the right to the death of the life and the and unfinished crusade (…) Are only, much duty of the death [14]. more only of what appear you, and even so you are not but in way of the absolute, of the The death appears in this history like a complex, of the true solitude. The absolute, commitment in front of the life, that, from the complete, the true solitude consists in the voluntary character of the that spoke us not being neither even achieve same. And Nietzsche, presents like a way to be you will not be of complete edges and followed in which we assume the pain and absolutely only until you do not undress you the failure from the peak vital. of you same, to the edge of the tomb. Saint solitude![16]. The Echoes of Don Quijote Like

Paradigms of Life Zaratustra neither is alone. His quixotic You proclaim them of Zaratustra, moved by madness search be collective, and his speech his free and nonconformist spirit, remit us to looks for the project of which, as he, also the quixotic echoes rescued by Unamuno to long for the arrival of the superman. But beginnings of century. In 1905, and Zaratustra is not comprised by the village, coinciding with the third centenary of the neither has a faithful squire like Quijote

Maria Rodriguez Garcia |May 2016 | Vol.4 | Issue 05 |53-59 57 Available online at: www.ijassh.com that accompany him in his stroll. the authors of the generation of the 98, being Nevertheless, Zaratustra does not find the work of Nietzsche a creative inducement isolated, as his madness is in way to be a that promoted to our authors to develop a collective madness, something necessary no critical work with his time and his already only for the village but, as it affirms circumstances. The case of Unamuno is Unamuno, for all the humankind. special, as we have wanted to show; as it assumes the paper regenerator of the society Avito Carrascal also is convinced of his of his time and proposes us, in Love and truth, and when doubts in his interior, pedagogy, the tirades between the reason taking place moments of intimate and the love in a sense of Nietzsche. The contradiction that affect to the pedagogy triumph of the death is the triumph of the employed for-with his son. Avito is another love, as it ascertains the failure of a reason quixotic archetype that looks for to make his (the modern) that it is overthrown from his own vision of the reality, although this cost own deficiencies. him the own life to his son that, in his eagerness for freeing of the reason, longs for Zaratustra, paradigm of the metamorphosis the death, a voluntary death. of the man, has the same impetus of renovation that the hidalgo that draws us Conclusion Unamuno in Vida de Don Quijote y Sancho, The evocations of Zaratustra are presented work to which have alluded to stand out the by Nietzsche like a rejection of the ways need of a remake of the parameters of thought by the historical tradition- understanding that happens, necessarily, for philosophical western. To the equal that did reconsidering the limits between the reality years later Antonio Machado in Juan of and the fiction as well as by the creation of Mairena, Zaratustra becomes a species of new values that escape of the directions of apocryphal of the German author of the that the modernity. Zaratustra And Apolodoro come up his deeper ideas and rooted. The are two hidalgos that, beside Don Quijote, public of Juan of Mairena, his students- was proclaim the will of power like action and more inclined to listen to the teacher, as creation under a fight fratricide between the each day attended to class to leave imbue by inner world and the external world in which the educations of a professor that, tirelessly, it has to lose the common sense, as it warns longed for the cultural transformation of the the master Fulgencio. Perhaps, in the youngsters. Zaratustra did not have so much overcoming of the abortive common sense, luck, although we can refute this fact of the find one of the necessary keys to resolve the fact that complains the own prophet if we do tirade between “love” and “pedagogy” or, if it ours the words of Unamuno on the solitude prefers, between “reason / wisdom” and “love shared of the that is judged like crazy. And / madness”, as they suggest us Zaratustra perhaps we have to understand it like this. and Apolodoro.

To the light of the exposed is not easy to Wanted to Apolodoro: you come initiated ignore the influence of Nietzsche in already, prepared to the new and big work Unamuno. In spite of that the Spanish that offers you (…) save you of the common author seemed not showing that this sense, save you of him as of the plague. It is circumstance gave, the true is that the the common sense the one who with the echoes of Nietzsche find presents, as we common means to know judge, of such way have wanted to aim, with more concretion, that in earth in that a mortal solo knew the in Love and pedagogy. And it is not microscope and the telescope change the adventured said affirmation. The influence people from the same place by lacking man of the thought of Nietzsche in the generation of common sense when it communicated of the 98 situates to Unamuno in a historical them his observations, judging they too context-cultural wide that does not limit to simple sight, that is the instrument of the the national borders. The crisis of the common sense [17]. European modernity influenced notably in

Maria Rodriguez Garcia |May 2016 | Vol.4 | Issue 05 |53-59 58 Available online at: www.ijassh.com References 1 The known like Crisis of the 98 covers a 6 Schopenhauer como educador, Friedrich complex marked period by the War of Cuba Nietzsche, edition of Jacobo Muñoz. Madrid, and the consistent colonial disaster that did to New Library, 2001. lose to Spain his historical colonies: Cuba, 7 Nietzsche. Biografía de su pensamiento. R. Puerto Rico and Philippines. In addition to the Safranski, trad. Of Raúl Gabás. Barcelona, political shipwreck, economic and social of said Fable Tusquets, 2009. Pág. 284. circumstance, the before alluded conflict had important cultural consequences. In this point 8 Ibidem. stands out the known like Generation of the 98, 9 In the epigraph devoted to Unamuno, Sobejano that agglutinates to writers, poets, essayists exposes with precision and exhaustiveness the and philosophers of the size of Miguel of contrasts that the critics of the work of Unamuno, Pío Baroja, Ramón of the Valley- Unamuno have established with regard to the Inclán, the brothers Antonio and Manuel presence in the same of the philosophy of Machado and José Martínez Ruiz (Azorín), Nietzsche. For a greater knowledge of said among others. Said generation insufla a new influence and the contrasts of the same, sense and direction to the philosophy and the recommends to the reader attend to the text of literature of the period, something that will be Sobejano. crucial for the coming years and for the forming of new theoretical and speculative 10 Ibíd. Pág. 282. The text in question belongs to frames in accordance with derive them La regeneración del teatro español, in Ensayos, Europeans of the period. II, pp. 95-96, Madrid 1916-1918, Publications of the Residence of Students, according to the 2 Nietzsche en España (1890-1970), Gonzalo source worked by Sobejano. Sobejano, Madrid, Gredos, 2004. 11 Amor y pedagogía, Miguel de Unamuno. 3 Así hablaba Zaratustra, Friedrich Nietzsche, Madrid, Alianza, 2008. P. 76. introduction of Dolores Castrillo Mirat. Madrid, Edaf, 1996. P. 37. 12 Dulce violencia: la idea de lo trágico, Terry Eagleton, trad. Of Javier Alcoriza and Antonio 4 For a better knowledge of the cultural Lastra. Madrid, Trotta, 2011. diagnostic of the decadence, recommends the query of Essays of contemporary psychology, of 13 Así hablaba Zaratustra, Friedrich Nietzsche, Paul Bourget and Degeneration, of Max cit. P. 92. Nordau. Both authors show us in his respective 14 Amor y pedagogía, Miguel de Unamuno, cit. P. works deprive them of the dismemberment 173. modern and his effects in the men of the period. For this centre in the study of the mind 15 Vida de Don Quijote y Sancho. Miguel de of characters racked understanding the Unamuno, Madrid, Alianza, 2004. P. 29 character like demonstration of a culture and 16 Ibíd. P. 35-36. problematic history. 17 Amor y pedagogía, Miguel de Unamuno, cit. P. 5 Asi hablaba Zaratustra, Friedrich Nietzsche 107. cit. P. 42.

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