Nietzsche: Bipolar Disorder and Creativity

This essay, the last in a series, focuses on the relationship between Nietzsche's mental illness and his philosophical art. It is predicated upon my original diagnosis of his mental condition as bipolar affective disorder, which began in early adulthood and continued throughout his creative lif...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inIndo-Pacific journal of phenomenology Vol. 19; no. 1; pp. 51 - 63
Main Author Cybulska, Eva M.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Joondalup Routledge 01.08.2019
Phenomenology Research Group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
National Inquiry Services Centre (NISC) (Pty) Ltd
Subjects
Bipolar disorder
Morality
Philosophers
Philosophy
Psychology
United Kingdom > UK
New York
United States > US
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Summary:This essay, the last in a series, focuses on the relationship between Nietzsche's mental illness and his philosophical art. It is predicated upon my original diagnosis of his mental condition as bipolar affective disorder, which began in early adulthood and continued throughout his creative life. The kaleidoscopic mood shifts allowed him to see things from different perspectives and may have imbued his writings with passion rarely encountered in philosophical texts. At times hovering on the verge of psychosis, Nietzsche was able to gain access to unconscious images and the music of language, usually inhibited by the conscious mind. He reached many of his linguistic, psychological and philosophical insights by willing suspension of the rational. None of these, however, could have been communicated had he not tamed the subterranean psychic forces with his impressive discipline and hard work.
ISSN:2079-7222
1445-7377
1445-7377
DOI:10.1080/20797222.2019.1641920