Quidditch

By Matt Pike

            Although it is one of the shorter aphorisms, number 193 in Beyond Good and Evil is one of the most comprehensive illustrations of Nietzsche's philosophy presented in his various writings. It is typical of Nietzsche in that it presents many different levels of interpretation. Like his overall writing style, it is closer to poetry than to actual literature, and thus requires a great deal of examination, and "unpacking". It is possible to read through it on a surface level and to discard it as not saying much about anything, but upon sufficient examination actually contains an incorporation of many of his recurring themes and ideas.

            The aphorism begins in standard Nietzschean style by taking a (assumingly) famous saying, translated by Kaufman to be "What occurs in the light, goes on in the dark", and turning it upside down. Nietzsche proclaims the reverse to be equally true, and thus immediately questions the traditional distinction between light and dark. This ties in to the title of the book, suggesting a theme of "Beyond Light and Darkness" for the aphorism. Immediately, one finds oneself questioning whether anything is actually meant when a line is drawn between the two states. Obviously, there is a difference between the states of light and dark, but if everything occurs equally and similarly in both, then it becomes apparent that all the associated connotations stem from the imposition of long standing societal tradition, or what Nietzsche calls "the herd" mentality.

            The dark is then explained to be a reference to the act of dreaming, which Nietzsche asserts has equal relevance to the "economy of the soul" as anything that one experiences within "actual" reality. He is again attacking a commonly held "herd" belief, namely that dreams are separate and distinct from reality and thus are "worse" because they have no meaning or value. He points out, however, that following a dream, one has gained additional experiences such as sensations, thoughts, sense data, and perception, and these then affect the overall conscious being of the individual in the same way as any real experience from the waking world. "We are richer or poorer on account of it, have one need more or less" as a result of having experienced the dream. He then continues to blur and remove the distinction by investigating the experiences influence on our "wide-awake spirit."

Nietzsche proposes a hypothetical dream where one experiences the act of flight. "Suppose someone has flown often in his dreams and finally&he is conscious of his power". The first thing to notice in this passage is the "often/finally" quantifier. This implies that the conscious realization of this "power" is the result of a process, an end to an ongoing striving, and not an intrinsic part of the action itself. This is parallel to Nietzsche's overall philosophy in his repeated theme that some people can get more out of life than others. He advocates that someone with a "stronger" view who does not avoid pain is also capable of experiencing greater joy than someone who restricts themselves to comfort and the avoidance of pain. He also comments in many places on the differences that occur between those who stay locked in the herd mentality and those that break free. He is thus identifying the dreamer of this passage as one who has gone through the necessary process to free her mind sufficiently to consciously see and appreciate the power and the act itself.

For further support of this, and also to illustrate two more of Nietzsche's recurring concepts, consider the rest of the above passage, "Finally&he is conscious of his power and art of flight." His use of the word "power" is consistent with his notion of "will to power". Most simply, this can be seen by the fact the dreamer desires to fly, and by this guiding the dream, free from external restraints, she does so. This important concept will be returned to later in the aphorism.

Another of Nietzsche's favorite concepts is contained in the previous passage with the dream-act being labeled as the "art of flying". Nietzsche repeatedly advocates an aesthetic outlook on life, claiming that every occurrence, indeed every moment in time and every accompanying experience, should be viewed as a work of art. This view results in a greater appreciation for the experience of life than would otherwise be justifiable, given that there is no "higher purpose" or "goal" that life, or for that matter the universe, strives towards, (and thus no ultimate good to compare things to). He proposes in The Birth of Tragedy that life must be viewed as a "tragic comedy of existence", and that when one can look at life and appreciate the irony, the cruelty, and the tragic misfortune as one would appreciate the expression of these elements in a work of visual, sonic, or theatrical art, then one has reached the appropriate outlook on the universe. It is interesting to note that most people do not have a problem doing this with their dreams. Upon waking and reflecting on a dream, people most often find themselves laughing at the thought of a tuxedo-clad walrus devouring their best friend. Seldom, however, are people able to achieve this view in regards to "reality". This would again appear to result from a traditional brainwashing that dreams are to be laughed at, enjoyed, and taken at face value, while the real world is too important and matters too much.

Once the dreamer has adopted this aesthetic view, "he believes himself capable of realizing every kind of arc and angle simply with the lightest impulse". First of all, it is interesting to note the use of the word "impulse" similar to desiring, or willing something to happen and it following easily. Once the dreamer realizes her power, an exertion of her will manifests changes in the "universe" in a similar manner that people are capable of interacting with and effecting changes in reality. At least at some level, this is common knowledge, through the same subconscious use of inductive logic that allows someone to believe that lifting a coffee cup and putting it down somewhere else is a physical possibility.

A second interesting point of analysis is to note the description of the action in mathematical terms. It seems that this could be a reference to the rationalist tradition in philosophy, and western culture in general, that seeks a formula for everything that is. (Even something as abstract and indefinable as dreaming, if one considers modern attempts in psychology.) Nietzsche might be making a subtle attack on this way of thinking by explaining that the dreamer can "realize every kind of arc and angle" easily. The utilization of the phrase "lightest impulse" begs the natural questioning of what then could be accomplished with the full application of that impulse, which then implies that an irrational perspective is capable of everything and more than rationalism can accomplish.

The rational tradition and resulting mindset repeatedly imposes limitations on ones actions and impulses, and Nietzsche points this out constantly in his attacks on Christianity and Platonism. He describes the dreamer free of this rationality as knowing "an upward without tension and constraint". Indeed, in his example, the dreamer is "without gravity", which of course is one of the most fundamental constraints in the physical world, and is one of the four fundamental forces modern science has identified. This analogy of the dreamer defying and freeing herself from one of the fundamental rules in order to reach new heights (excuse the pun) implies that new levels of joy and happiness could be reached in life if one were to free oneself from the constraints imposed by the censuring and restraints of traditional morality.

The consequences of this view are then brought back to reality when Nietzsche says, "How could a human being who had had such dream experiences and dream habits fail to find that the word happiness had a different color and definition in his waking life, too?" This returns back to his earlier theory that experiences in dreams have an equal effect on one's conscious as real experiences do. Once ones potential has been "actualized", and new heights experienced, it is insane to return to being externally constrained, and yet humans do it all the time. This obviously stems from our conditioned connotations associated with reality, from our perpetuating an imposition of an ordered distinction on the states of existing in the "light and dark" where there isn't one.

 This aphorism contains references to and incorporation of many of Nietzsche's themes and ideas that are prevalent throughout his work. This is true also on a different level of examination, as there is one more theme exemplified by the selection. As was stated earlier, the aphorism can be read in a shallow, superficial, and lighthearted way, where it becomes amusing to note how absurd and childlike it is to devote time to the concept of a "flying person". Yet an eternally childish outlook is exactly what Nietzsche is advocating! I think Nietzsche could be accurately labeled as a depraved and masochistic version of Peter Pan, who may have grown up some on the outside, but remains eternally a child on the inside.