Nietzsche and Power
What does Nietzsche mean by a "will to power," or "life affirmation?"
"The world itself is the will to power -- and nothing else. And you, yourself are the will to power, and nothing else!" F. Nietzsche
Much of Nietzsche's thought seems to be about the concept of human beings, not individuals, but the species, overcoming mediocrity and becoming "better." Certainly, his ideas are sometimes translated out to mean "nothing matters," but his basic views do not seem to fit that idea. Nietzsche's advice is somewhat of an argument -- man is the immature being, and there is an ongoing process that must happen for humans to actualize. Nietzsche is not saying that he is this ubermensch, this person who has all the power; nor is he arguing knowing that people cannot rise to the occasion. Instead, he is asking humans to rise above the mundane, to become more than they are, and in a sense, to do what Marx and Engels complained that capitalism prevented one from doing -- self-actualize -- or take the "will to power" and "affirm life."
For Nietzsche, The great majority lacks...
However, Nietzsche is keen to observe that the fact that there are varying standards of morality or different moralities does not mean that there is no form of biding morality. If this is the case therefore, then it is logical to argue that there are as well varying kinds of 'binding' originating from the varying moralities, for instance, the Christian binding cannot be deemed the same as the binding
Nietzsche "Twilight of the Idols" Friedrich Nietzsche was a 19th century German Philosopher who did not shy away from either criticism or conflict with other philosophers. One example of this was Nietzsche's remarks on Rousseau, equality, and democracy. In Nietzsche's book Twilight of the Idols in the chapter entitled "Skirmishes of an Untimely Man," section 48 is devoted to Rousseau, and his idea of the natural equality of humans. (Nietzsche, 82-84)
Similarly, Zarathustra's time in the mountains offered him wisdom, knowledge that he needed to share with others; thus he resolved to "go under" (Nietzsche 10), and share the truth with the unenlightened 'herd.' Much of society is founded on this central tenet of education being a central good, and indeed everyday interaction seems to be predicated on the assumption that ignorance is potentially harmful. For example, many alcoholics are
Nietzsche and Nihilism "Nihilism" was the term used by Friederich Nietzsche to describe what he considered the devaluation of the highest values posited by the ascetic ideal. The age in which he lived was viewed by the German philosopher as one of passive nihilism, which he defined as the unawareness of the fact that the religious and philosophical absolutes had dissolved in the emergence of the 19th century Positivism. Since traditional
Foremost, though, is the Nietzschian concept that freedom is never free -- there are costs; personal, societal, and spiritual. To continue that sense of freedom, one must be constantly vigilant and in danger of losing that freedom, for the moment the individual gasps a sigh of relief and feels "free" from contemplating freedom, tyranny will ensue. He believed that it was the internal cost that contained value. This, however,
But this sense of a death of nationalism, or one's personal belief is different than Nietzsche's statement because no ideology has kind of hold Christianity did upon the world when Nietzsche wrote in 19th century Europe. Response 2 Do you think we reached a point where we no longer need God? On one hand, it is possible to see humanity's ability to engage in scientific discovery as proof of the glory of
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