[Sri Aurobindo saw both Friedrich Nietzsche and William Blake as prophets who received powerful "suprarational" spiritual intuitions. However, in his comparison of the two, Aurobindo differentiated their capacity to receive and accurately interpret these higher truths. For Aurobindo, while Blake successfully channeled this truth, Nietzsche's flawed mental and vital nature distorted his profound revelations.
Nietzsche: The Prophet of the Titan
Aurobindo viewed Nietzsche as a genuine seer whose insights were corrupted by his lower, "unpurified" mental and vital being. He called Nietzsche an "apostle who never entirely understood his own message" and a "mystic of Will-worship".
Corrupted prophecy: Like the Delphic Oracle, Nietzsche "spoke constantly the word of the truth, but turned it into untruth in the mind of the hearer". He received genuine suprarational knowledge but, due to his ego and personal temperament, mixed it with distorted mental and vital ideas.
The flawed superman: While Nietzsche's idea of the Übermensch (superman) contained a vital truth—the next step in human evolution—his interpretation was dangerously flawed. He confused the "divine and harmonious absolute" of the true spiritual superman with the "stern convulsed visage of the Titan".
The Titan's will to power: Nietzsche's "Will to Power" was driven by a vitalistic ego that craved "tangible mastery and a sensational domination". This titanic impulse seeks to coerce and exploit others, rather than elevating humanity through a spiritual transformation.
Vitalistic rebellion: His rejection of Christianity was driven by a violent, half-understood vital impulse rather than a clear spiritual insight.
Blake: The mystic of spiritual harmony
In contrast, Sri Aurobindo regarded William Blake as a more successful mystic and a truer prophet. While both received genuine spiritual truth, Blake's nature allowed him to process and express it with greater clarity and harmony.
Clear spiritual vision: Blake's spiritual intention was to "discover the infinite in all things," and he had a clear perception of an "absolute truth". His mysticism led him toward a complete harmony with a transcendental order.
Apprehension of unity: According to Aurobindo, Blake's mystic philosophy was characterized by its "subtlety of apprehension" and its "recognition of unity in all things". This stood in opposition to the divisive, ego-driven nature of Nietzsche's philosophy.
Transcendental harmony: Unlike Nietzsche's distorted vitalism, Blake's mystical vision was not mixed with the personal ego and the cravings of the lower mind. He was able to express the spiritual truth he perceived in a harmonious and less corrupted form.
Core comparison: Vision vs. distortion
In essence, Sri Aurobindo's comparison hinges on the difference between a divinely harmonized vision (Blake) and a powerful, but distorted and vitalistic, one (Nietzsche).] - GoogleAI
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