Horrors and Horror: The Response of Tragedy

Horror manifests itself in many forms: natural horrors, historical horrors, individual horrors and, for some artists and thinkers, a metaphysical Horror pervading all three. Responses to horrors have also taken many forms: artistic, philosophical, social scientific, religious. This article proposes that a tragic vision is the most adequate response to horror for Westerners. Moreover, Friedrich Nietzsche remains the most original and influential reader of Greek tragedy as well as the most powerful proponent of the modern need for a new tragic philosophy.