Fredrich Nietzche
The Mad Man from the Gay Science
-The Society described is an “Enlightend one.”
-A consequence of the Enlightenment is a more secular society, which eventually leads to nihilism(the rejection of all meaning):
“Are we not plunging continually? Backward, sideward, forward, in all directions? Is there still any up or down? Are we not straying, as through an infinite nothing? Do we not feel the breath of empty space?”
-The madman argues that the place god and religion took in the lives of humans (namely, giving them a meaning) cannot be ignored, and that we need a new sort of new ‘mythology’ to replace it:
“Who gave us the sponge to wipe away the entire horizon? What were we doing when we unchained this earth from its sun? Whither is it moving now? Whither are we moving? Away from all suns?”
“Has it not become colder? Is not night continually closing in on us? Do we not need to light lanterns in the morning?”
The OverMan(Ubermensch)- Nietzsche’s attempt to replace this much needed mythology
-In order to understand Nietzsche’s Overman we must first explore his concept of morality
-Nietzsche describes two types of Morality:
Master Morality- to Nietzsche this is the more natural morality of man in which the good is measured by what is helpful while the bad is measured by what is harmful. This is the acceptance of virtues like strength, life affirmation, self-growth, creativity, and power We ought not to be ashamed of who we are as if we are sinners, but embrace who we are as masters of our existence.
Slave Morality- To Nietzsche slave morality has arisen out of the weak revolting against and villainizing the values of the strong. The aim is not to overthrow the strong but to turn them into slaves as well. Slave morality values what is good for the many: self sacrifice, conformity, charity and self-restraint.
As a response to slave morality in Beyond Good and Evil Nietzsche writes, "And how could there exist a 'common good'! The expression is a self- contradiction: what can be common has ever been but little value. In the end it must be as it has always been: great things are for the great, abysses for the profound, shudders and delicacies, for the refined, and, in sum, all rare things for the rare."
-One Aspect of the Overman is a Rejection slave morality as it is not life affirming and constricts freedom.
-The Overman is the main focus of Nietzsche’s book, Thus Spoke Zarathustra and his answer to the madman’s riddle:
“I teach you of the overman. Man is something that shall be overcome. What have you done to overcome him?
All beings so far have created something beyond themselves; and do you not want to be the ebb of this great flood and even go back to the beasts rather than overcome man? What is the ape to man? A laughing stock of a painful embarrassment. And man shall be just that for the overman: a laughingstock of painful embarrassment.”
-The Overman is a complex concept with many facets, but is associated with ideas of self overcoming, the creation of higher values, a fierce rejection of slave morality, and a strong embracing of life.
-The Overman is for Nietzsche the new meaning for man which symbolizes man becoming strong enough to create their own meaning on an individual basis, and to continually strive over and beyond themselves.
Test Questions:
1)What problems does Nietzsche feel humanity faces as a result of enlightenment ideals?
2)How does Nietzsche suggest we remedy the problem?
Links:
This is an excellent lecture by Robert Solomon which explains much of Nietzsche’s philosophy
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8ggjo_nietzsche-nihilism-death-of-god-pt1_creation
don’t forget to watch part 2!
For A more in depth look at Nietzsche check this out.
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/nietzsche/
For the most curious take a look a Thus Spoke Zarathustra. This isn’t my favorite translation(The Penguin translation is best in my opinion.), but it’s free!
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1998/1998-h/1998-h.htm