Philosophy Discussion Forums

I am Fernando. I am from Lima, Peru. I am new to this forum.

I have one question: what colors are best suited for representing the Apollonian and Dionysian principles? And, why? I was thinking in gold or white and red or black, respectively.

Thank you.

That has to be the strangest question I've seen.

I would go for white and black. I view order as white and chaos as black, kind of a yin yang thing I guess.

Fernando Perla wrote:I am Fernando. I am from Lima, Peru. I am new to this forum.

I have one question: what colors are best suited for representing the Apollonian and Dionysian principles? And, why? I was thinking in gold or white and red or black, respectively.

Thank you.

Why do you ask? What is the point of this question?
So if you were being serious in your quest, you might first state what you understand by ' the Apollonian and Dionysian principles'.

Georgeanna wrote:Why do you ask? What is the point of this question?
So if you were being serious in your quest, you might first state what you understand by ' the Apollonian and Dionysian principles'.

1. I want to know a visual way of recognizing the Apollonian and Dionysian in nature, for artistic and philosophical reasons.
2. By Apollonian principles I mean: reason, order, clarity, light; and for the Dionysian: chaos, death, frenzy, madness, etc.

Georgeanna wrote:

Fernando Perla wrote:I am Fernando. I am from Lima, Peru. I am new to this forum.

I have one question: what colors are best suited for representing the Apollonian and Dionysian principles? And, why? I was thinking in gold or white and red or black, respectively.

Thank you.

Why do you ask? What is the point of this question?
So if you were being serious in your quest, you might first state what you understand by ' the Apollonian and Dionysian principles'.

Undoubtedly a reference to The Birth of Tregedy, by Nietzsche. I just happen to be reading it

VERY basically you can sum up his position as being one regarding "Apollo" as Order/"pessimism" and "Dionysus" as Chaos/"optimism", but with each running into each other to some degree. In terms of Grecian culture Nietzsche was looking at the emotional quality of Greek tragedy representing certain fatalistic attitudes of the human condition (I've yet to finish his work so take that as you will to some degree.)

Another way to view it is to say that Apollo is light and Dionysus is dark, hence my comment of black and white.

Fernando Perla wrote:

Georgeanna wrote:Why do you ask? What is the point of this question?
So if you were being serious in your quest, you might first state what you understand by ' the Apollonian and Dionysian principles'.

1. I want to know a visual way of recognizing the Apollonian and Dionysian in nature, for artistic and philosophical reasons.
2. By Apollonian principles I mean: reason, order, clarity, light; and for the Dionysian: chaos, death, frenzy, madness, etc.

1. In nature. I'm not sure that specific colour choice would be helpful to recognise philosophical principles. Think of the sky, grass, the ground, wind, moon and stars, men, women, cats and dogs. The variations...no absolutes.

2. These words you listed are not principles as such. And not helpful in identifying colour choice. I pity some colours for the negativity attached - and other associations e.g. gender.

I could suggest yellow sky for Apollonian, blue moods for Dionysian; mixed together = green, the colour of nature.
But how useful is any of this.

I agree with burning ghost, black and white are pretty classic symbolic absolutes.

Burning ghost wrote:

Georgeanna wrote: (Nested quote removed.)


Why do you ask? What is the point of this question?
So if you were being serious in your quest, you might first state what you understand by ' the Apollonian and Dionysian principles'.

Undoubtedly a reference to The Birth of Tregedy, by Nietzsche. I just happen to be reading it

VERY basically you can sum up his position as being one regarding "Apollo" as Order/"pessimism" and "Dionysus" as Chaos/"optimism", but with each running into each other to some degree. In terms of Grecian culture Nietzsche was looking at the emotional quality of Greek tragedy representing certain fatalistic attitudes of the human condition (I've yet to finish his work so take that as you will to some degree.)

Another way to view it is to say that Apollo is light and Dionysus is dark, hence my comment of black and white.

Thanks for explanation. Did you mean order/ optimism and chaos/ pessimism ?
Yes - black and white would seem obvious symbolic choices.