Apollonian and Dionysian Philosophical Concepts

Lectures on Twentieth Century Europe: Nietzsche, Dionysus and Apollo

Nietzsche does not fit any ordinary conception of the philosopher. He is not only remote
from the world of the professorial or donnish philosopher, from tomes and articles, footnotes
and jargon -- in brief, from the more modern image of the philosopher. He is equally far from the
popular notion of the wise man: serene, past passion, temperate, and Apollonian. But this is
clearly -- for those of you willing to explore -- part of Nietzsche's point: that is, to offer a new
image, a philosopher who is not an Alexandrian academician, nor an Apollonian, but Dionysian.
Apollonian and Dionysian are terms used by Nietzsche in The Birth of Tragedy to designate
the two central principles in Greek culture. The Apollonian, which corresponds to
Schopenhauer's principium individuationis ("principle of individuation"), is the basis of all analytic
distinctions. Everything that is part of the unique individuality of man or thing is Apollonian in
character; all types of form or structure are Apollonian, since form serves to define or
individualize that which is formed; thus, sculpture is the most Apollonian of the arts, since it
relies entirely on form for its effect. Rational thought is also Apollonian since it is structured and
makes distinctions.
The Dionysian, which corresponds roughly to Schopenhauer's conception of Will, is
directly opposed to the Apollonian. Drunkenness and madness are Dionysian because they
break down a man's individual character; all forms of enthusiasm and ecstasy are Dionysian, for
in such states man gives up his individuality and submerges himself in a greater whole: music is
the most Dionysian of the arts, since it appeals directly to man's instinctive, chaotic emotions and
not to his formally reasoning mind.
Nietzsche believed that both forces were present in Greek tragedy, and that the true tragedy
could only be produced by the tension between them. He used the names Apollonian and
Dionysian for the two forces because Apollo, as the sun-god, represents light, clarity, and form,
whereas Dionysus, as the wine-god, represents drunkenness and ecstasy.
http://www.historyguide.org/europe/dio_apollo.html copyright © 2000 Steven Kreis

(Chart on the next page)

 Chart of Character Traits

APOLLONIAN DIONYSIAN

thinking feeling
self-controlled passionate
rational, logical irrational, instinctual
ordered chaotic
the dream state state of intoxication
principle of individuation wholeness of existence
value for human order and culture celebration of nature
celebration of appearance/illusion brute realism & absurdity
human being(s) as artists human being(s) as the work and glorification of art

The relationship between the Apollonian and Dionysian juxtapositions is apparent, Nietzsche
claimed in The Birth of Tragedy, in the interplay of Greek Tragedy: the tragic hero of the drama,
the main protagonist, struggles to make order (in the Apollonian sense) of his unjust and chaotic
(Dionysian) Fate, though he dies unfulfilled in the end. For the audience of such a drama,
Nietzsche claimed, this tragedy allows us to sense an underlying essence, what he called the
"Primordial Unity", which revives our Dionysian nature - which is almost indescribably
pleasurable. Though he later dropped this concept saying it was “...burdened with all the errors
of youth” (Attempt at Self Criticism), the overarching theme was a sort of metaphysical solace or
connection to the heart of creation, so to speak.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollonian_and_Dionysian

Individuation: is where the personal (or collective) unconscious is brought to one’s

consciousness via dreams. It is a natural process. Carl Gustav Jung (an analytical psychologist
and contemporary of Freud) believes individuation has a healing effect on an individual, helping
them to mature, be responsible and more ‘harmonious’.