Nietzsche, wounded healer and philosopher: The Nietzschean triad as a catalyst for creative self-transformation
Abstract
Throughout history, philosophers and literary scholars alike have ventured to explore the notions of temporality and mortality—while some have treated these topics lightly and managed only to scratch the surface, others have succeeded in the penetration thereof, reaching the heart of an abyss that is to some wildly frightening, and to others, profoundly liberating. Friedrich Nietzsche, in his unorthodox and unbridled rhetorical style, has taught the most astute and perceptive of his readers a little about the true meaning of creation, destruction, and the individual's immortal legacy. This paper will be anchored upon the assertion that Nietzsche's philosophy is, in part, a form of self-therapy designed to teach others how to overcome the fear of transience, and that it is therefore saturated in catalysts of a metaphorical nature. These catalysts are to be found in section 341 of The Gay Science in Nietzsche's initial formulation of the eternal recurrence of the same, and are further expounded upon in Thus Spoke Zarathustra. This is particularly evident in the form of Zarathustra's role as a wounded-healer philosopher, which may, arguably, reflect upon the state of Nietzsche's own psyche.
Degree
M.A.
Advisors
Caro, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Germanic literature|Philosophy|Psychology
Off-Campus Purdue Users:
To access this dissertation, please log in to our
proxy server.