Thank you, Daniel G. Shayne, for such a relevant and introspective question.
Human decadence is one the greatest threats to the health of our environment, those we share it with, and ourselves. This being the case, it is of utmost importance that, if there is a defense against it, we identify and employ it – quickly. A task like this is very reflective, and I think our best guide for the type of hard-nosed self-examination required here is none other than our dark hero himself, Friedrich Nietzsche.
The philosopher George de Huszar thought that Nietzsche’s theory of decadence was based on power: Nietzsche viewed decadence as a result of weakness. We are decadent because we wish to avoid the tragedies and hardships of life. The neo-hedonist approach of pleasure for the sake of pleasure is really just a complex attempt at quelling the passions. Participation in artistic expression as a method of egolessness is undesirable because it avoids the true arousals of life. Nietzsche criticized the idea that life is a process, and that the end point of this process is where happiness lies; he saw the concept of Heaven as Christianity’s version of this theory. It is in looking towards the future or towards Heaven that we refuse to accept the world as it is; and so we end up leading decadent lives that are void of real happiness and destructive to everything around us.
The solution, according to Nietzsche, is to approach decadence not as an error of thought, but as a disease capable of being cured. Luckily for us, it is a sickness that can initiate our movement towards health: as de Huszar put it, “Decadence is not a permanent condition, but a prerequisite to superior health.” What is the cure for this disease? It is the transvaluation of values.
The strong person accepts the world of becoming and enjoys the process of change in place of a theory of progress. Rather than attempting fulfillment by acting on impulse, we should find fulfillment in the struggle of life: the monotony of the work week, riding a bike to work instead of driving, actively working towards social change instead of attacking each other on social media. If we learn to take pleasure in things that are uncomfortable, and life is undeniably uncomfortable at times, then we will rid ourselves of the need for all those extra comforts that are so harmful.
We mentioned earlier that decadent lifestyles are often an attempt to quell the passions; the reason for this is that pleasure and pain are deeply connected. A Saturday off is truly enjoyable only if you’ve been working all week; exercising is nowhere near as fun as drinking beer with your friends, but tomorrow you will feel even weaker. If we move the value from the goal to the process, which requires thinking for the future, then we can defend against a damaging, short-lived, and decadent lifestyle.
I’ll leave you with a quote from Nietzsche in The Antichrist: “What is happiness? The feeling that power increases – that resistance is being overcome.”
What do you think? Do you try to defend yourself against decadence? If so, how? Let us know in the comments.
And, as always, if you have a question for the Armchair Philosophers, don’t hesitate to get in touch. You could send us a message or fill in this form.
Be sure to check out our podcast!
If you like what we do, you can support us by buying us a coffee!
Image: The Temptation of Saint Anthony, by Joos van Craesbeeck (1650)
I received a BA in philosophy from the University of Texas at El Paso in 2008. After that, I spent roughly a decade traveling Europe and North America as a touring musician. Now I am working on a master’s in philosophy and philology at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden with the goal of teaching at the university level. Some specific areas of interest include medieval grammar and free will. Michel Foucault’s approach to the history of philosophy has been a huge influence on me, and his work on notions of the self and power structures bring history to the present.