Nietzsche’s Philosophy: Nihilism, Will to Power, Eternal Return, and the Superman

Posted on Mar 5, 2025 in Philosophy and ethics

Nietzsche’s Nihilism and European Devaluation

Nietzsche identifies European nihilism as the devaluation of traditional values resulting from Christianity and the concept of moral truth. He distinguishes between two forms of nihilism:

Passive Nihilism (Camel Phase)

This form denies life, aligning with false Western values. It attributes the perceived worthlessness of life to the Western tradition, specifically:

  • The Problem of Idealism: Prioritizing reason over instinct.
  • Transcendent Reality: Belief in an afterlife governing the world.
  • The Good-Bad Dichotomy: Differentiating between good (spiritual) and bad (bodily pleasures and instincts).

Active Nihilism (Lion to Child Phase)

This form warns against the creation of false values. This denial is necessary to create new, life-affirming values, paving the way for the Superman. Science and reason are considered new forms of nihilism, new ways to justify the meaning of life.

It is crucial to understand why individuals are dissatisfied with their lives and why they invent another life. Overcoming this nihilism involves rediscovering the joy of living and the pure innocence of becoming.

Nihilism unfolds in three stages:

  1. Destruction of current values.
  2. Affirmation of the nihilistic process itself.
  3. Progression towards a new vision of humanity.

Nietzsche argues that the idea of God prevents human beings from excelling and becoming the Superman.

The Will to Power in Nietzsche

This concept originates from Schopenhauer’s The World as Will and Representation. Nietzsche defines will as a strong, chaotic, destructive, and constantly changing force. He emphasizes that the ultimate meaning of actions is the impulse to prevail over one’s surroundings and rise to powerful and valuable ways.

Will to power does not equate to lust for power or wielding power to gain recognition. Instead, it involves creating new values. The will to power can be positive (appreciative) or negative (neglectful) towards life. An affirmative will leads to exceeding limitations and becoming the Superman by creating new values (Nietzsche called transmutation of values).

Nietzsche’s Eternal Return

Nietzsche explores the concept of eternal return in Thus Spoke Zarathustra and The Gay Science. This idea refers to a circular concept of history or events, suggesting that history is not linear but cyclical: once a cycle of events is completed, it happens again.

This concept denies the religious position of worldly reality, arguing that the flight to that belief is a departure from the true reality and a failure to remain loyal to the Earth. Nietzsche considers those who think otherworldly thoughts to be poisoners. Being faithful to the Earth means reaffirming oneself to life and the world.

It asserts two things:

  1. The value of the innocence of becoming and evolution.
  2. The value of life and existence.

The expression eternal return embodies the hope that everything is eternal, nothing is different from what it is, and we should live in the moment, as we are in a constant back and forth, similar to the cyclical movement of the waves.

The Superman of Nietzsche

Nietzsche introduces the concept of the Superman after proclaiming the death of God and the return to Earth, having abandoned otherworldly settings. This transformation involves three metamorphoses of the spirit (as described in Thus Spoke Zarathustra):

  • Camel Phase: Symbolizes the heavy burden of decadent Western values.
  • Lion Phase: Symbolizes rebellion against those values.
  • Child Phase: Symbolizes innocence and the future, acquisition and creation of new values.

The Superman embodies the following characteristics:

  • Love of Life: Fidelity to life on Earth is the only imperative.
  • Rejection of Egalitarianism: Rejects mummy concepts.

Mummy Concepts

This metaphor expresses Nietzsche’s critique of dogmatic philosophers who use concepts conceived by reason to refer to true reality. Such inventions are hollow, empty, unreal concepts that do not contain life (becoming), like mummies.

Moral Optical Illusion

Refers to the intangible world (world of ideas) of traditional metaphysics. This world, as such, is unreal, existing beyond the reason that created it. Hence, Nietzsche considers it an illusion. This concept underlies a moral reality: the ascetic view that the real world is bad and, as such, is not true.