What Nietzsche called the ascetic ideal opposed bodily pleasures to the deeper meaning which could be found in existence. As Reginster puts it, “what is most valuable in life transcends, and therefore excludes in whole or in part the well-being that consists in the satisfaction of natural human “instincts,” such as those which underlie the sensual desires for sex, food, or shelter, and certain psychological desires like the desire for social prestige”. This ascetic ideal does not renounce pleasure but rather gropes towards the possibility of a deeper enjoyment, a mode of being opened up by foregoing proximate temptations. What Nietzsche described as the ‘orgies of feelings’ opened up by the ascetic ideal swamp what is lost in the powerful energies which are created. It opens up a frontier of infinite passions beyond the “fleeting pleasures” and “passing voluptuousness”. The denigration of immediate satisfactions orientates us towards an horizon of infinte possibilities.
As Zupančič notes in The Shortest Shadow, what Nietzsche called ‘active nihilism’ constituted “a fight against semblance, as an attitude of exposing and unmasking the ‘illusions’, ‘lies’ and imaginary formations in the name of the Real”. This “involves the power always to go forward, to remove one veil after another – it is the enthusiasm of knowledge that (still) believes in its salutary power” (pg 63). In contrast” passive or reactive nihilism could be defined precisely as the name of the configuration where men will not to will rather than will nothingness“, an identification of willing with delusion leading to a desire to transcend it (pg 64). This leaves us with a deadlock between willing nothing and not willing, between investing ourselves in what is fleeting or refraining from investment at all. The need to “be in touch with the ‘Real’ to ‘feel like’ as vividly as possible, to feel awake” leaves us trapped in a movement for the answer can be a retreat from the excitement which moves us in the first place. The drive towards ever deeper, more expansive enjoyment, comes to feel like a compulsion which leaves us needing to mitigate our experience of it.
We stand in a contradictory relationship to our own enjoyment: needing it but also retreating from it. We feel we cannot do anything other than invest ourselves fully in our pursuits while simultaneously feeling the need to withdraw from the intensity of our experience. To solely embrace the former leaves us overwhelmed, to solely embrace the latter leaves us mired in a cold world devoid of resonance. Thus we are perched precariously between active and passive nihilism, between surrendering to our enjoyment and retreating from it. Zupančič gives a pleasingly concrete example on pg 69: “To ‘work out’ regularly, to go on a diet, to stop smoking – such things are not perceived as restrictions on our enjoyment, but, on the contrary as its forms or conditions”. The manner in which i organise my enjoyment, in constraining and blunting it, constitutes the condition which makes it sustainable. The question is can I organise my enjoyment while enjoying my enjoyment?
The answer suggests Zupančič comes in how we inhabit this paradox, in which refraining from our embrace of something is the condition for our embracing it. The transcendent objects of our enjoyment, the fantasies of what I might be and do, rest on the capacity of sublimation to “create a stage on which these very ‘obscure passions/drives’ becomes something valuable … the creation and maintenance of a certain space for objects that have no place int he given, extant reality, objects that are considered ‘impossible’” (pg 77-78). Active nihilism dives into this space, smashing through one object after another in pursuit of the real, whereas passive nihilism recoils from what is (rightly) seen as the chaos incipient within this space. What’s dangerous, argued Lacan, is a passion for the Real which seeks to destroy these objects in the hope we will eventually encounter a bedrock of reality which can fully ground our enjoyment. To traverse the fantasy involves grappling with the impossibility of that hope, without a corresponding tumble into passive nihilism:
This process involves the recognition of the Other’s deficiency, the realization that the unconscious fantasies that have been directing one’s desire and contributing to one’s suffering are both relative and doomed to remain unfulfilled and, hence, that there is no transcendent meaning to be found for one’s existence, no ultimate object that will satisfy one’s desire, and no single, fundamental jouissance that will of itself make life worth living.
Lacan, Discourse and Social Change pg 72 [my emphasis]
The problem, argues Zupančič, is that confusing the Real with reality “does not allow much space for our desire to develop”. if we “give up on our desire” such that “we will no longer be prey to all the difficult (and ‘ideological’) choices with which our desire confronts us” we will not find peace, but rather be subject to an imperative to enjoy which is more insistent than ever: “since there is nothing beyond the reality (principle), we have to enjoy each and every moment of it” (pg 82). The ‘beyond’ to which active nihilism orientates itself creates a space for our desire, a sense of the present objects not exhausting the realms of how we can respond to the world. Whereas if these present objects of desire are all that we have, all that we could have, the enjoyment which is the only meaning of life in the absence of a ‘beyond’ commands us to incessantly make the most of them. In not running from our passion we create the possibility of moving beyond the objects of our passion:
This could have the effect of waking the subject, waking him from his dream (but also awakening him to the Real of his own desire and enjoyment). Instead of spending all his energy in trying to scape this thing that persecutes him so passionately, he might just manage to feel some passion for the Thing.
Pg 82
Sublimation takes place at the intersection of the object of drive: “there is the object that is supposed to satisfy the drive (and at which the drive aims), but there is also this very satisfaction that should itself be conceived in terms of an object (satisfaction as object) (pg 83). To use Zupančič’s example, there is the food we eat and the satisfaction we find through eating. To enjoy our enjoyment means treading lightly in this gap, in terms of our objects of desire as well as the field of desire more broadly. Zupančič cautions that “if I say to myself: ‘I know very well that the real object of my drive is not this man, or this steak, or this dress that I desire at this moment, but only the satisfaction that I will find in them … then I risk missing the Real precisely on account of being too efficient”. The enjoyment of our enjoyment arises in this experiences, from the fleeting satisfactions which the object makes possible as well as the broader horizon which makes this satisfaction fleeting but ensures there’s an endless array of other (similarly fleeting) satisfactions to come in future. If we try and ‘see through’ desire we kill desire, but if we treat it naively we get stuck on certain objects and impede the movement which makes it enjoyable. The real is something we ease into, something we fall into, rather than something we struggle for. To enjoy our enjoyment involves loosening our grip on enjoyment, without letting go entirely. To desire our enjoyment involves stepping back from it, but always reflexively and never too far.
This is Claude 3’s response to construct a case profile to illustrate the point I’m trying to make here:
Case Profile: Alex, the Aspiring Artist Background: Alex is a 25-year-old aspiring artist who has always been passionate about painting. From a young age, they showed a keen interest in the arts and spent countless hours honing their skills. Despite their talent, Alex struggled to find recognition in the competitive art world. Ascetic Ideal and Pursuit of Meaning: Driven by a deep desire to create meaningful art, Alex decided to dedicate themselves entirely to their craft. They gave up a stable job, a comfortable apartment, and a long-term relationship to pursue their artistic vision. Alex believed that by foregoing these immediate pleasures and comforts, they could tap into a deeper source of creativity and produce truly transformative works of art. Active Nihilism and the Quest for the Real: In their pursuit of artistic truth, Alex became increasingly consumed by the need to strip away the layers of illusion and artifice in their work. They sought to expose the raw, unvarnished reality beneath the surface, believing that only by confronting the "Real" could they create art that truly mattered. Alex's work became more experimental, challenging societal norms and pushing the boundaries of what was considered acceptable in the art world. Passive Nihilism and the Struggle with Enjoyment: As Alex delved deeper into their artistic journey, they found themselves grappling with the intensity of their own enjoyment. The very act of creation, which had once been a source of profound fulfillment, began to feel like a burden. Alex questioned the value of their sacrifices and wondered if their pursuit of meaning had become a form of self-delusion. They felt trapped between the desire to fully immerse themselves in their art and the temptation to retreat from the overwhelming nature of their passion. Navigating the Paradox: In moments of doubt, Alex sought solace in the routines and rituals of their artistic practice. They found that by imposing structure and discipline on their creative process, they could create a space for their desire to flourish without being consumed by it. Alex learned to embrace the paradox of their situation, recognizing that the very constraints they placed on their enjoyment were what allowed them to sustain it over time. Conclusion: Through their journey, Alex came to understand that the pursuit of meaning and the confrontation with the "Real" were ongoing processes rather than final destinations. They realized that the value of their art lay not in some ultimate truth or transcendent object, but in the very act of creation itself. By learning to inhabit the space between active and passive nihilism, between the desire for the impossible and the acceptance of its impossibility, Alex found a way to channel their passion into a lifelong commitment to their craft.
Mark Carrigan 