15 Minute Philosophy - 'Ressentiment' , or The Spirit of Revenge

'Life - we don't like it' says Zen teacher and psychotherapist Manu Bazzano.

Tim Lott
Hello, Mano  Are you in a philosophic mood?

@0:14 - Manu Bazzano

Most of the time, yeah. Then, philosophy is preparation for death, according to Plato.

@0:21 - Tim Lott (timlott56@gmail.com)

Well, we'll be talking about that - death - for the later session. Today we're going to discuss ressentiment. Well, I don't know if it's a purely philosophical concept or even a sociological concept.

I associate it for some reason with Julia Kristeva. Probably the average man in the street doesn't know what that means other than its resemblance to the word ‘resentment.’

And we're going to talk about it in the sense of how it is a kind of atmosphere or backdrop, to society.

 What does it mean, ressentiment, and why does it matter?

@1:10 - Manu Bazzano

Well, the genealogy, the origin of the concept is Nietzsche. He started to write about, in his beloved French, he used the word ressentiment, which is much more than simply resentment - although it is also resentment.

And the other expression he uses is ‘the spirit of revenge’. And it's true, as I understand it, it has to do with our attitude as humans, with regards to existence,  the world, life in general.

We don't like it. it. Because it doesn't bow, it doesn't adapt to our wishes and desires.  

At heart, ressentiment is an objection to the fact that inherent in life and existence is chaos, randomness, impermanence - things don't stay in place.

‘Nothing lasts forever’ to quote Lou Reed, not even for five minutes. We don’t like it. For Nietzsche, and I subscribe to that view, the entire edifice of culture, science, religion, psychology philosophy is animated by the spirit of revenge. ‘I can’t hack it, I can’t hack the magnitude, the magnificence and the terror of existence.’ So I have to create all sorts of artifices to make it bearable.

Full recording and transcript beneath the paywall.