On the usefulness and damage of history for life (in German Unzeitgemässe Betrachtungen. Zweites Stück: Vom Nutzen und Nachtheil der Historie für das Leben also translated as "On the Uses and Disadvantages of History for Life" ) is a writing by the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche published in 1874 .
On the usefulness and damage of history for life is a short treatise in which Nietzsche, distinguishing between monumental history, antiquarian history and critical history, develops his initial anti-historical positions, becoming a staple for anyone who wants to deal with the philosophy of history, even if then, in going through the tortuous meanders of his thought, he will partially abandon these positions, assuming a milder attitude towards the past. The work is paradigmatic of the young Nietzsche, of the theorist of Greek tragedy, of the radical opponent of Socratic optimism and of the opponent of any purely scientific rationality, attributes, all of these, which he will overturn starting from Human, all Too Human, where he himself will become heir to the spirit of the sciences and where he will detach himself definitively from his old masters, Schopenhauer and Wagner .
After an introduction in which Nietzsche gives his personal motivation for writing the script, the first chapter examines the origin of the “history”. The animal lives only in the present - with modest luck - and thus unhistorical. In contrast, humans now have the ability to remember. This enables him to create culture. On the other hand, the individual memories and collective records always represent a burden. If these become too big, then the viability of a person or a people is inhibited. In Nietzsche's eyes, history is therefore both a necessity and a danger.
The second and third chapters of On the Use and Abuse of History for Life deal with three functions that history has. The monumental history drives man to great deeds, the antiquarian one preserves his collective identity, and the critical one removes harmful memories. All three functions could, however, turn into pathological conditions, which is why they would have to be in balance with one another. Nietzsche's categorization is probably the best-known content of the text, it has been taken up and interpreted in many ways.
In Chapters 4–8, Nietzsche describes how an over-saturation with history can have an adverse effect on life and culture. Nietzsche's attacks are always aimed at his contemporaries, especially in Germany, but they also claim a general philosophical background. He diagnoses five “diseases” of the present, which are said to have been caused by the wrong use of history: firstly, a disturbed identity of the Germans, secondly, a lack of sense of justice, thirdly, a lack of maturity, fourthly, self-contemplation as epigones and fifthly, pathological cynicism.
In the tenth chapter, Nietzsche finally presents the means to cure what he believes is a sick present: The powers of the unhistorical and “superhistorical” - he calls art and religion - must be promoted in order to ultimately lead to “true education” instead of one-sided, scientific “ Literacy ” .