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Marx, Nietzsche and philosophy at Christmas

16th December 2021
961 words
Read time: approx. 5 mins

What are the Christmas holidays about? St Augustine reminds us that Christmas is, for believers, the celebration of a metaphysical miracle: of God becoming man. For those of a more secular sensibility, Christmas has become a tradition untethered from religion. Yet Nietzsche is quick to point out that tradition is not as innocent as we might think. The degree to which we look forward to Christmas to get us through the early months of winter has a strange Marxist echo: are the holidays the opium of the people? Nonsense, you might think, it's just a holiday, a time to take a break from work, relax and enjoy some free time - Bertrand Russell's orders! Yet Adorno is not sure that your free time is as free as you might think it is.

 

Nietzsche on following tradition

Christmas is celebrated by many who are not religious, a phenomenon that echoes’ Nietzsche’s remarks in The Gay Science about how even after the death of God, his shadow will still loom large. In reality, most of us don’t think very much about Jesus of the death of God over Christmas. If we think about it at all, we understand the festive celebrations as part of a tradition we inherited from our culture and our family. But Nietzsche has no kind words to say about tradition either.

IAI Editorial
16th December 2021

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Vyacheslav Dianov 17 December 2021

Christmas holidays also include Epiphany - attending a solemn mass in the church and a family dinner after midnight by the fireplace with a "Christmas log". According to Western tradition, on the day of the Epiphany, incense and chalk are consecrated in churches, with which believers write the initial letters of the names of the Magi at the entrance to their homes: "K + M + B". They believe that these letters drive away evil forces and evil thoughts from the house and from the well-being of the family living in it.
The absurd meaning of "baptism" is obvious, as "burning" the body with water, but we perceive this word out of a "blind" habit that does not allow us to understand the realities of the spiritual world. This "blindness" is the root cause of all the troubles and misfortunes of civilization, wars, hostilities, crises, corruption, diseases, including Covid 19!
Why, then, humanity, recognizing the existence of the elusive Spirit, ignores and refuses to recognize the "Harmonious worldview", which allows to objectively understand the entire completeness of the world, including the spiritual, spirit, human soul?

Roger Cain 17 December 2021

The Christmas season is an obvious example of compensation for winter. The cold, dark days are upon us. All the leaves are down and the sky is gray. We wear red and green to symbolize the sunlight and the organic growth that is to come with Spring. We talk about celebrating the season. This celebration can only make sense as a denial of the death that is winter.

The Christmas story is a myth of a Devine savior taking human form to save us from death by sacrificing himself. It is obviously not true. Nothing can save us from death. We will not rise from the grave.

Why does no one say that Christmas is obvious compensation for the cold dark days of winter and denial of the inescapable fact of death?

Marx's notion that we can give up our illusions is a good idea but his notion that we can somehow escape the conditions that prompt our illusions is another illusion. It is as much a fantasy as the Christmas fantasy.