Nietzsche's Zarathustra and Platonic philosophy

Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra

The Importance of Truth and the Education of Ignorance

Both Nietzsche and Socrates believed that a person has a responsibility to reveal a discovered truth to others. This claim is most clear upon a reading of Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra, and Plato's "Allegory of the Cave," in his Republic. The question of whether one is obliged to share a truth with others is a categorically moral question, one that assumes a varying degree of significance depending on the context of the discovered truth. Clearly, in the works of both Nietzsche and Plato, the truth that is discovered has widespread implications for humanity, thereby necessitating that the truth be shared with others. This understanding, that truth should be shared, is not only one of the central hallmarks of academia, but also should be an important lesson in the context of everyday life.

Nietzsche's moral philosophy is premised on the injunction that "God is dead," (Nietzsche 12), which implies that the concept of God was created by humans, and survived in the collective consciousness of western society and culture: "All beings so far have created something beyond themselves..." (Nietzsche 12). This claim, obviously, has serious consequences, not only for metaphysics, but also morality, since moral claims are often understood within the context of metaphysical assumptions concerning the existence of God. Without God, morality based on religious doctrine is impossible, and this threatens to collapse the framework of morality, resulting in nihilism. In order to salvage meaning, mankind needs to create new values. A truth of this magnitude cannot be concealed or discarded, as it entails that all of society harbors false beliefs about the nature of their values, which simply means that the life they lead is a lie. Therefore, Zarathustra has a moral responsibility to reorient mankind and allow them to recognize their situation, so that they may create value for themselves.

It is obvious that much of the symbolism in Thus Spoke Zarathustra comes from Plato's allegory of the cave - once the freed prisoner views the light of day, and realizes that his previous world was merely an illusion, he can no longer descend into darkness and be content with his ignorance. Similarly, Zarathustra's time in the mountains offered him wisdom, knowledge that he needed to share with others; thus he resolved to "go under" (Nietzsche 10), and share the truth with the unenlightened 'herd.' Much of society is founded on this central tenet of education being a central good, and indeed everyday interaction seems to be predicated on the assumption that ignorance is potentially harmful. For example, many alcoholics are ignorant of their condition, and this ignorance causes physical and emotional harm. It would seem as though friends who know someone with alcoholism (and who, furthermore, know some truth that the alcoholic does not, namely, that alcoholism is harmful) have a moral obligation to try and educate that person in an effort to curb his or her drinking. To not do so would be to betray one's social role as a friend, and ignore one's moral responsibility implied by that role.