Friedrich Nietzsche Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) was a German philosopher famous for his controversial and often critically anti-religious views on human nature. He was born on October 15 in Röcken bei Lützen, a small rural town in Germany, to a family of Lutheran ministers. His childhood was a traumatic one, however, as when he was 5 years old his father died of a brain ailment and his younger brother followed 6 months later. When he was 14 years old he began attending a prestigious boarding school named Schulpforta. At 20 years old, he enrolled in the University of Bonn and began studying philology and theology. A year later, however, he moved to the University of and began to establish his reputation. It was here that he met friend and quasi-paternal figure Richard Wagner (1813-1833), who served as inspiration to the young Nietzsche. In 1869 Nietzsche began teaching philology at the Swiss University of Basel. He began taking classes on modern German culture. It was here, possibly, that he began to realize his distaste for contemporary society. In 1872 he wrote his first book, The Birth of Tragedy. This book showcased Nietzsche's critical views on contemporary German culture. However, a bitingly negative review written Ulrich von Wilamowitz-Möllendorff (1848-1931) stating that Nietzsche was a "disgrace to Schulpforta (Wilamowitz-Möllendorff, 1872)" did irreparable damage to the young author's reputation. While it did dampen his image, the review did not dissuade Nietzsche from writing- over the course of his life, he wrote a total of 6 books, with some of the most famous being The Birth of Tragedy (1872) and The Gay Science (1882).
Nietzsche's critical writing manner alienated him from the philosophical society of his time, but his ideals remain significant to this day. He referred to himself as an "immoralist" and mocked contemporary religions and their ideals of morality. In short, Nietzsche believed that humanity had evolved too far past the religious/ethical requirements once mandated by a God figure; therefore, humans as a whole could no longer follow any universal code of ethics. The common man was obsessed with only his own needs and desires. Because of this, Nietzsche mocked Christianity's attempt to bend man to any form of morality. His ideal of mankind was the Ubermensch, German for "overman". The Ubermensch was a member of mankind who would go beyond his peers and make sacrifices for the better of his people as a whole, rather than the typical man who tends only to his needs. This concept is ironic in the fact that it closely resembles the actions of Christianity's Jesus figure, who Nietzsche was adamantly opposed to.
Nietzsche saw the government as corrupt, calling it "nothing more than a vehicle for mass power and a squanderer of exceptional talent" (Kleen, 2010). It is generally unclear from his writings what government he would put in place, however his distaste for nationalism is clear. In his book Human, All Too Human (1878) Nietzsche states that mankind would benefit if all of the nations were condensed into one and the overman was bred, containing all of the beneficial traits. Nationalism, he believed, was a breeding pool for self-centeredness and aimless existence. He also disliked socialism, claiming that its aim was to create a comfortable existence for all- this was a problem because humans would become too comfortable and feeble to accomplish the great intellectual works of the future that he saw possible. Nietzsche believed that in order to create the overman, mankind would need to be pushed to its limits and plant the seeds of intellectual development. If pushed, man could create a great future. The solution to this problem contradicts itself, because people would need to be controlled in order to successfully achieve this level of progress. Yet Nietzsche was strongly opposed to any form of self-inhibition and claimed that it was damaging to human nature, a point on which he frequently criticized the Church. The only modern form of government that could possibly meet his political criteria would be a dictatorship, yet this would violate his philosophical criteria. An ironic point is that Nietzsche's ideals were the seed from which the Nazi party was formed, yet he was highly critical of anti-Semitic policies.
Contrary to popular belief, the views of Catholicism and those of Nietzsche are not polar opposites (it is Christianity that is opposite to Nietzsche's ideals). The Catholic Church believes that humans are intrinsically good because they are created in God’s image. This concept is called “imago dei” which is Latin for “image of God.” However, because of the sin committed by Adam and Eve, humans are flawed by original sin. "The purpose of existence is to attain salvation through God’s grace" (Stewart, 2008). Nietzsche also believed that humans were unacquiredly good, but society had a major impact on the disposition of its people. While the Church taught faith, kindness, and repression of sexual desires, Nietzsche believed that these teachings were creating a feeble and weak society. He believed that repressing natural urges was damaging to the mind, and that the Catholic Church was causing people to become meek and therefore condemning the possibility for intellectual advances into the future.
Friedrich Nietzsche aimed to delve into human nature and find a sense of order that did not require Christian values. His works, often piercingly critical of religion, urge the citizens of a contemporary world to find social harmony in this life, rather than focusing on the afterlife. “His atheism also aims to redirect people's attention to their inherent freedom, the presently-existing world, and away from escapist, pain-relieving, heavenly other worlds” (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 97). While his methods may be viewed as harsh, Nietzsche’s intentions were simply to create a better world which we are forced to exist in, and that is a principle that, to this day, proves itself timeless.
Nietzsche and Human Nature
The most important thing about human nature that Nietzsche believed is that there is no good or evil. He believes it is an illusion and we live life as we want to. As humans, all we try to do is avoid death and have offspring. His ideas may be animalistic, but he believes that humans do only what they need to do to survive. This leads to his idea of the Will to Power. Nietzsche says that people only want to do things that will give them more power in their life. Every action to another human is only a way of having an influence over them. People always want more and more power over other people.
Very rarely do people want only to conserve what they have. This never-ending quest for more power is seen throughout the entire animal kingdom. Our human nature makes us fight for advancement and adaptation. We need can never be satisfied with what we have. This need is not all bad though because it leads to evolution, which is extremely important because it created humans from animals. Because we evolved from animals, we still have the instincts of animals. These animal instincts are an essential to the will to power, because everything humans, or any animal for that matter, does is just to have more influence or power.
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) was a German philosopher famous for his controversial
Nietzsche's critical writing manner alienated him from the philosophical society of his time, but his ideals remain significant to this day. He referred to himself as an "immoralist" and mocked contemporary religions and their ideals of morality. In short, Nietzsche believed that humanity had evolved too far past the religious/ethical requirements once mandated by a God figure; therefore, humans as a whole could no longer follow any universal code of ethics. The common man was obsessed with only his own needs and desires. Because of this, Nietzsche mocked Christianity's attempt to bend man to any form of morality. His ideal of mankind was the Ubermensch, German for "overman". The Ubermensch was a member of mankind who would go beyond his peers and make sacrifices for the better of his people as a whole, rather than the typical man who tends only to his needs. This concept is ironic in the fact that it closely resembles the actions of Christianity's Jesus figure, who Nietzsche was adamantly opposed to.
Nietzsche saw the government as corrupt, calling it "nothing more than a vehicle for mass power and a squanderer of exceptional talent" (Kleen, 2010). It is generally unclear from his writings what government he would put in place, however his distaste for nationalism is clear. In his book Human, All Too Human (1878) Nietzsche states that mankind would benefit if all of the nations were condensed into one and the overman was bred, containing all of the beneficial traits. Nationalism, he believed, was a breeding pool for self-centeredness and aimless existence. He also disliked socialism, claiming that its aim was to create a comfortable existence for all- this was a problem because humans would become too comfortable and feeble to accomplish the great intellectual works of the future that he saw possible. Nietzsche believed that in order to create the overman, mankind would need to be pushed to its limits and plant the seeds of intellectual development. If pushed, man could create a great future. The solution to this problem contradicts itself, because people would need to be controlled in order to successfully achieve this level of progress. Yet Nietzsche was strongly opposed to any form of self-inhibition and claimed that it was damaging to human nature, a point on which he frequently criticized the Church. The only modern form of government that could possibly meet his political criteria would be a dictatorship, yet this would violate his philosophical criteria. An ironic point is that Nietzsche's ideals were the seed from which the Nazi party was formed, yet he was highly critical of anti-Semitic policies.
Simon Critchley Examines Friedrich Nietzsche
Contrary to popular belief, the views of Catholicism and those of Nietzsche are not polar opposites (it is Christianity that is opposite to Nietzsche's ideals). The Catholic Church believes that humans are intrinsically good because they are created in God’s image. This concept is called “imago dei” which is Latin for “image of God.” However, because of the sin committed by Adam and Eve, humans are flawed by original sin. "The purpose of existence is to attain salvation through God’s grace" (Stewart, 2008). Nietzsche also believed that humans were unacquiredly good, but society had a major impact on the disposition of its people. While the Church taught faith, kindness, and repression of sexual desires, Nietzsche believed that these teachings were creating a feeble and weak society. He believed that repressing natural urges was damaging to the mind, and that the Catholic Church was causing people to become meek and therefore condemning the possibility for intellectual advances into the future.
Friedrich Nietzsche aimed to delve into human nature and find a sense of order that did not require Christian values. His works, often piercingly critical of religion, urge the citizens of a contemporary world to find social harmony in this life, rather than focusing on the afterlife. “His atheism also aims to redirect people's attention to their inherent freedom, the presently-existing world, and away from escapist, pain-relieving, heavenly other worlds” (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 97). While his methods may be viewed as harsh, Nietzsche’s intentions were simply to create a better world which we are forced to exist in, and that is a principle that, to this day, proves itself timeless.
Nietzsche and Human Nature
The most important thing about human nature that Nietzsche believed is that there is no good or evil. He believes it is an illusion and we live life as we want to. As humans, all we try to do is avoid death and have offspring. His ideas may be animalistic, but he believes that humans do only what they need to do to survive. This leads to his idea of the Will to Power. Nietzsche says that people only want to do things that will give them more power in their life. Every action to another human is only a way of having an influence over them. People always want more and more power over other people.Very rarely do people want only to conserve what they have. This never-ending quest for more power is seen throughout the entire animal kingdom. Our human nature makes us fight for advancement and adaptation. We need can never be satisfied with what we have. This need is not all bad though because it leads to evolution, which is extremely important because it created humans from animals. Because we evolved from animals, we still have the instincts of animals. These animal instincts are an essential to the will to power, because everything humans, or any animal for that matter, does is just to have more influence or power.