The concept of the androgyne through the prism of the philosophy of life of A. Schopenhauer and F. Nietzsche

The article gives coverage to the deep meanings of the concept of androgyne which are polar to each other through the prism of the philosophy of life of A. Schopenhauer and F. Nietzsche. One of these meanings, which correlates with the philosophy of Schopenhauer, is a human’s denial of his dependence on his desires and incompleteness in androgyne as a symbol of indivisible integrity. Another meaning appears as a Nietzschean overman, representing the achievement of the extreme fullness of life in the androgyne, which pours out beyond time, becoming imperishable. It is concluded that these seemingly opposite meanings complement each other and form a continuum represented by a heterogeneous understanding of the concept of androgyne in the outlook of history of philosophy, which allows one to comprehend the many-sidedness of various views on the phenomenon of androgyne in all their completeness and consistency. In this approach, the philosophy of life, despite the absence of the distinguished concept of androgyne in it, acts as a connecting link between different understandings of androgyny, which allows one to overcome contradictions and carry out their synthesis, which opens up a completely new understanding of the ideal of androgyne for a man from the perspective of striving to overcome his nature. The parallels between the concept of androgyne and Schopenhauer’s ideals are drawn for the first time in this article.