Ah, the will to power as art.
What, today, is worth imprinting upon the world, if not one’s art? Humanity needs a moulder, a sculptor – in a word, an artist – and I do place great faith in your declaration that the time is coming. While Plato has certainly been one of the most influential thinkers of history, it is indeed necessary to question his influence – and one need not delve deeply to uncover just how regrettable it was. And I do mean was, for we need to rid ourselves of our Christian roots; we need to destroy, after all, before we can create anew. I, too, find myself wrestling with this monumental issue – one must have such ambition for influence, of course, but for what kind of influence, that is certainly the question that keeps me up more nights than most. Currently, I intend to pursue my thought academically, as you know, to see how far I can get within that specific realm – always, however, with the intention to transcend it. Such a transcendence must, for we philosophers of tomorrow (and I do hope to be able to count myself among such a type; if not now, soon), remain open-ended, ceaseless, anti-teleological.
But Septimus, can’t you see that the kind of influence one has is precisely the issue at stake! This is the reason for philosophy, after all – is it not? This is the reason for FC’s clenched teeth, for my sleepless nights. Without an ethic, one need only to wake up tomorrow and start to impose his will on anything he can, without thought, without consideration, with intention only to dominate. But that is not the way of the artist, for how could it be? The barbarian, perhaps. It is true that the philosopher must too be a warrior, but a spiritual one.
FC: I hope that you will keep me/us posted on the panning out of your ambition. As an aside, I’m surprised this thread hasn’t been met with more ridicule – interesting…