Desenmascarar y Crear: Sobre la Tarea de la Filosofía en Nietzsche y Vatimo

Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to reflect on the role of philosophy today by contrasting two ways of understanding the act of philosophizing: the Aristotelian conception, founded on wonder and oriented toward the search for first causes, and the Nietzschean conception, which places the original impulse of philosophical reflection in the horror before the decadence of an era. Based on this opposition, this paper examined Gianni Vattimo’s interpretation of Nietzsche’s thought, particularly regarding the notions of demystification, unmasking, and the creation of values. The argumentative development showed that Nietzschean philosophy adopts a critical stance toward the Western metaphysical tradition, identifying in Socratic rationalism, Christian morality, and metaphysics various forms of concealment that contributed to the consolidation of a decadent culture. Likewise, it analyzed how the genealogical method allows for questioning claims of absolute truth and opening the way to new possibilities of interpreting and evaluating existence. Finally, it concluded that philosophy maintains its relevance to the extent that it is capable of engaging in critical dialogue with its historical moment, dismantling the idols of each era, and contributing to the construction of new horizons of meaning. From this perspective, Nietzsche’s thought, as reinterpreted by Vattimo, allows us to understand philosophy as a hermeneutic practice committed to life, dialogue, and the creation of the future.