Nietzsche Veils Of Illusion

Nobody ever said life would be easy. There are so many aspects of our lives that are difficult to deal with, many of which stem from a lack of knowing. Over time, the difficulty of human survival has been eased thanks to improvements of tools and technology, etc. Nietzsche thinks that regardless of these improvements, life is still too challenging and complex for any one individual to bear without the “veils of illusion”. These illusions allow people cope. My initial thought would be that the veils of illusion would be primarily to cope with the unknown, which is partially true. Nietzsche says that it is to cope with the fact that reflection and knowledge lead to a nihilistic excess of possibilities, and prevent people from taking action.

In a sense, they are very similar, in that they are founded out of the same thing and accomplish similar goals. They provide some meaning to those who may lack it otherwise. They are mediums in which we can build each other up. In religion, the notion of a higher power, an afterlife, and a spirit larger than life itself provides the illusion that pain and suffering are part of some larger plan and that continuing to live is the only way to uncover the truths of this plan. Additionally, it glorifies a moral compass that helps to hold societies to higher ethical standard. Nietzsche recognizes the benefits of this, but warns us not to lose sight of what it truly is, an illusion. Despite the positives, neglect of this has stunted the development of many minds and suppressed others from being their best, or true, selves. Art’s illusion is profound in a different manner. At the core, each of us is a creator. Creating takes emotion and reason together and blends into a physical manifestation of the creator’s internal state. This is an example of will to power and can provide joy, relief, meaning, and other benefits. When an artist creates a piece of art, they justify something that does not exist in reality, but holds value in people’s perception; effectively, an illusion. Both religion and art create notions of individuals and societies that are divinely

What exactly is “true” or “real” and how can we be certain? Perspective is reality and that is the only reality that you can experience. Since we typically think of reality as the foundation for defining objective truth, reality is yet another illusion. Ultimately, this means that the truth doesn’t exist, it is merely a concept that exists only in our own worlds. Humans are perspectival beings, so at best, we can think something to be true, cemented by perceived evidence, but we can never be absolutely certain. It is slightly confusing and overwhelming to think that core ideas like reality and truth are all just an illusion. If I drop a rock, it falls to the ground. How can anyone say that there is no reality or truth? One could say that science aims to discover objective or real truths. Nietzsche, as someone with high academic rank, shocked everyone when he cracked at the integrity of science. He explains that while science can uncover cause and effect relationships in the world arounds us, it is limited to just that. Anything beyond that is fallible and uncertain. For example, for the longest time, science told us that the earth was flat. By and large, science is an empirically based attempt to understand, a best guess, of sorts. It has been helpful in our advancement, however, it does not yield absolute