Iqbal’s Aesthetic Cognitivism: A (Theistic) Critique of Nietzsche?

Muhammad Ihsanul Wafinatra; Mustofa Anshori Lidinillah; Agus Himawan Utomo; Muhammad Ilham Ulul Azmi Khasri Khasri

doi:10.15408/refleksi.v25.i2.53333

Authors

Muhammad Ihsanul Wafinatra Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia
Mustofa Anshori Lidinillah Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia
Agus Himawan Utomo Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia
Muhammad Ilham Ulul Azmi Khasri Universiti Islam Selangor, Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15408/refleksi.v25.i2.53333

Keywords:

Aesthetic cognitivism, Spirituality, Iqbal, Nietzsche

Abstract

Aesthetic cognitivism is the view that artwork can provide knowledge or understanding and that this capacity contributes to its aesthetic value. Recent studies have entertained the possibility of a spiritually oriented aesthetic cognitivism, yet lack a framework that addresses the possibility for artwork to provide spiritual knowledge or understanding and the aesthetic relevance of that capacity. This study proposes Iqbal’s aesthetic cognitivism as such a framework and argues that it can be understood as a critique of Nietzsche’s. This study employs qualitative library research through philosophical hermeneutics to reconstruct Nietzsche and Iqbal’s aesthetic cognitivist arguments from English translations of works by Nietzsche and Iqbal originally written in German, Persian, or Urdu, and works by Iqbal originally written in English, and determine whether Iqbal rejects any of the premises underlying Nietzsche’s aesthetic cognitivism and/or defends any premises Nietzsche rejects. Based on the selected corpus, this study concludes that Iqbal’s aesthetic cognitivism can be understood as a critique of Nietzsche’s, as Iqbal defends the possibility of intuitive knowledge Nietzsche denies and rejects Nietzsche’s idea that value is purely human-made, both of which entail premises Iqbal rejects or defends.

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