Ride the Tiger

1. The Modern World is an Age of Dissolution, Antithetical to Tradition.

Everything that has come to predominate in the modern world is the exact antithesis of any traditional type of civilization.

Fundamental opposition. The modern world is characterized by dissolution, a breakdown of order and meaning, standing in stark contrast to the world of Tradition. A traditional civilization is ruled by principles transcending the merely human, ordered from above and directed towards the transcendent. The modern world, conversely, is defined by forces that are the opposite of these principles.

Irreversible decline. The current state of affairs, shaped by events like the world wars, suggests that the transformations are too deep to be reversed. Attempts to restore order based on remnants of the recent past, like the bourgeois world, are futile and compromise traditional values. The forces unleashed are too strong to be contained by outdated structures.

Crisis of the bourgeois. The crisis often discussed today is primarily that of bourgeois civilization, which itself was a departure from a more ancient order. Forces initially used against traditional European civilization have now turned against the bourgeoisie, accelerating the general disintegration. This process is a "negation of a negation," potentially leading to chaos or, for a few, a new space for action.

2. A Differentiated Human Type Lives In, But Does Not Belong To, This World.

He feels himself, in essence, as belonging to a different race from that of the overwhelming majority of his contemporaries.

Inner alien. This book concerns a specific human type who, despite being involved in the modern world, does not inwardly belong to it and refuses to yield to its dissolution. He perceives himself as fundamentally different from the masses, feeling like a stranger in the contemporary environment.

Rooted elsewhere. The natural place for this man is the world of Tradition, understood as a civilization governed by transcendent principles. However, the external structures and institutions of this traditional world no longer exist in the modern age, leaving him without external support to fully realize his potential or order his existence.

Standing among ruins. A small number of such men remain, consciously or unconsciously connected to that other world. Their challenge is to maintain their inner orientation and integrity amidst the ruins and chaos, without compromising with the prevailing forces or relying on defunct external forms.

3. "Riding the Tiger" is the Strategy for Navigating Dissolution.

When a cycle of civilization is reaching its end, it is difficult to achieve anything by resisting it and by directly opposing the forces in motion.

Go with the flow, but stay firm. The Far Eastern saying "ride the tiger" symbolizes the appropriate conduct in a period of dissolution. Instead of direct resistance, which is likely to be overwhelmed by the strong current of the age, one should let the destructive forces take their course while maintaining inner stability and readiness.

Detachment and timing. The key is not to be fixated on the present chaos or the apparent triumph of negative forces. These forces, lacking higher connection, are inherently limited. One must keep a view towards future conditions, waiting for the moment when the forces exhaust themselves, like the tiger tiring of running, to potentially intervene.

Autonomous conduct. This strategy implies an autonomous, personal line of conduct, independent of external circumstances or the unpredictable future. The possibility of a new cycle or a positive outcome should not be the primary motivation; the value lies in the inner stance itself, regardless of external results.

4. The "Death of God" Symbolizes the Collapse of Transcendent Values and Rise of Nihilism.

"The death of God" is an image that characterizes a whole historical process.

Loss of transcendence. Nietzsche's phrase signifies the desacralization of existence and the rupture with the world of Tradition, where life had a real reference to transcendence. This loss is the root cause of the collapse of all values and the inability of morality to sustain itself without a higher sanction.

Stages of moral decay. Following the "death of God," morality loses its foundation. It moves from rationalistic "autonomous" morality, which lacks invulnerable support, to utilitarian or social ethics based on convenience, and finally to anarchic dissolution where nothing has intrinsic norm and adjustment to social codes replaces genuine law.

Existential void. Nihilism extends beyond morality to truth, worldviews, and ends. The loss of God is associated with the loss of any meaning or justification for existence. This leads to the sense of absurdity and irrationality of the human condition, where everything is possible but nothing has ultimate value.

5. Socioeconomic Myths and Modern Culture are Disguises of Nihilism.

Behind the myth is the most terrible void, which acts as the worst opiate yet administered to a rootless humanity.

Anesthetics for meaninglessness. Modern socioeconomic myths, whether Western prosperity or Marxist communism, function as evasions and anesthetics for a humanity that has lost the meaning of existence. They assume that misery is primarily material and can be solved by economic systems, ignoring the spiritual void.

Organized nihilism. These ideologies represent an "active nihilism," methodically neutralizing higher sensibility and interests by focusing solely on the economy. The myth of prosperity offers comfortable well-being as the ultimate goal, while communism promises a future "humanism" through material liberation, both reducing human potential to an "animal ideal."

Symptoms of crisis. Phenomena like the "lost youth," protest movements, and rising suicide rates in prosperous societies demonstrate that material well-being does not solve the existential crisis. These movements, often irrational and lacking higher principles, confirm the general nihilistic character of the epoch, even when they rebel against the system.

6. True Strength Comes from the Transcendent Dimension, Not Mere "Life".

"Spirit is the life that cuts through life" (Geist ist das Leben, das selber ins Leben schneidet).

Beyond immanence. Nietzsche's attempt to find meaning solely in "this world," life, and the will to power ultimately fails because it stops halfway. True strength and the capacity for self-surpassing come not from mere life, but from a principle superior to it – the transcendent dimension.

Transcendent source. Qualities like making a law for oneself, asceticism to test strength, not obeying passions, defiance of unhappiness, and indifference to pleasure/pain are only attainable when "life" is "more than life." These are values of the superman, but they are only comprehensible and attainable through transcendence.

Passive vs. active transcendence. Nietzsche experienced transcendence passively, as an energy acting within the closed circle of immanence, leading to potential collapse. The differentiated man, however, actively assumes this dimension, making it the calm, detached, and sovereign center of his being, capable of transforming negative experiences into positive ones.

7. "Being Oneself" Requires Anchoring in the Supra-Individual Self.

"Become yourself: an injunction addressed only to a few, and which to an even smaller number appears redundant."

Inner law. The principle of "being oneself" means living according to one's own law, defined by one's own nature, independent of external rules or conventional morality. This goes beyond Kantian autonomy by rooting the command in one's specific being, not universal reason.

Problem of unity. In the modern age, the average man lacks a defined, recognizable "proper nature"; he is changeable and divided. Fidelity to oneself is problematic when there is no stable self to be faithful to. This is why many fail when thrown back on their own will, finding nothing to sustain them.

The Self as anchor. For the differentiated man, "being oneself" is possible because he finds a fundamental direction within, anchored in the supra-individual principle – the Self (das Selbst) – as opposed to the fragmented individual I (Ich). This transcendent core provides the necessary unity and stability.

8. Invulnerability is Achieved Through Detachment and Integrated Experience.

He can encounter everything, abandon himself to everything, and open himself to everything without losing himself.

Stability in chaos. Anchoring oneself in Being (transcendence) as the essential center of personality provides stability. This allows one to face the chaotic, contingent modern world with intrepid openness, accepting every experience not for self-proving, but to unfold possibilities and reveal new contents.

Dionysian Apollonism. This attitude integrates the intensity of the Dionysian experience (encountering life's irrational aspects) with Apollonian stability (spiritual superiority, clarity). It overcomes the spirit-senses antithesis by introducing a higher quality into the sense domain, transforming its motive force.

Lucid inebriation. The result is a unique state of lucid inebriation, a calm "being" constantly wedded to the substance of life. This is distinct from ecstatic surrender to elemental forces or seeking sensation as a surrogate for meaning. It provides the vital element for existence in a free state within a chaotic world.

9. Act Impersonally, Without Desire, Guided by Knowledge of Cause and Effect.

The first of these is to act without regard to the fruits, without being affected by the chances of success or failure, victory or defeat, winning or losing, any more than by pleasure or pain, or by the approval or disapproval of others.

Pure action. The differentiated man's conduct is guided by acting without desire for results, unaffected by external outcomes or personal feelings. This "action without desire" is not passive but involves applying oneself fully, doing "what needs to be done" impersonally.

Action without acting. This paradoxical concept describes action where the higher principle of "being" remains the true subject, sustaining and guiding from within, without being stirred or involved in the action itself. It is "being inasmuch as one acts," an expression of the self regardless of the action's object.

Beyond good and evil. This approach transcends conventional morality. "Sin" is replaced by "fault" or "error," understood objectively as a deviation from the law of cause and effect (karma). Actions are judged by their objective consequences, not subjective moral sanctions, allowing for freedom as long as one accepts the reactions.

10. Existentialism Reflects the Crisis but Fails to Provide a Positive Solution.

"We are condemned to be free."

Anguish of freedom. Existentialism, particularly Sartre's, highlights "existential freedom" as a "nihilating rupture" with being, but views it as a condemnation rather than a victory. Man is sentenced to be free, abandoned without refuge or excuse, leading to anguish and a sense of absurd responsibility.

Problematic being. Existentialism sees "Dasein" (being-there) as problematic, based on nothingness, a mere "project flung into the world" that may or may not be realized. This leads to existential angst, the fear of not being, and confines existence to temporality, a "retreat forward" in pursuit of an elusive totality.

Creatural surrender. Despite acknowledging transcendence, existentialism fails to establish a positive, central relationship with it. It is often conceived as an external, opaque force, leading to passive surrender, faith, or a sense of guilt for finite existence. This reflects the crisis of modern man, not a path beyond it.

11. The Dissolution of the Individual Can Lead to the Absolute Person.

The "defense of the personality" appears insignificant and absurd when measured on any individual basis.

Individualism's dead end. Modern society's emphasis on the individual, born from the collapse of traditional structures, has led to atomization, standardization, and the anonymous mass. Defending the individualistic "personality," often based on subjectivism and external traits, is futile against these dissolving forces.

Person vs. Individual. The traditional concept of "person" (mask) signifies a concrete manifestation of a higher principle, differentiated and structured, unlike the formless individual. When reference to the supra-personal is lost, the person degrades into the individual, leading to subjectivism and arbitrary self-affirmation.

Active anonymity. The dissolution of the individual can be a positive process for the differentiated man. By maintaining inner tension and activating the transcendent dimension, he can burn out individuality and reveal the "absolute person." This is a state of active anonymity, where the supra-individual principle gives objective perfection to the "persona," reflecting a higher, impersonal grandeur.

12. Apoliteia and Detachment are Necessary Responses to Modern Society.

His principle will become apoliteia, as it was called in ancient times.

Disengagement from the absurd. In the modern world, characterized by the lack of legitimate authority, the degradation of politics into party haggling and material interests, and the rise of the mediocre mass-man, the differentiated man must adopt an inner attitude of apoliteia – detachment from the political realm.

Inner distance. Apoliteia is not necessarily practical abstention but an inner distance that prevents being bound by the myths and "values" of contemporary society. Political activity, if engaged in, is done impersonally, for the sake of the action itself, not for any inherent higher value in the current political landscape.

Beyond nations and parties. The crisis of nation-states and the struggle between power blocs are spiritually meaningless. The differentiated man cannot take sides based on these degraded forms. His potential unity is an invisible one, based on shared nature and inner law, transcending national, social, and political divisions, anticipating a possible future order based on ideas rather than naturalistic or material factors.

Last updated: May 18, 2025