Nietzsche’s Philosophy: Overman and Nihilism
Nietzsche’s Philosophy: Life, Morality, and the Overman
Nietzsche argues that Western culture is decadent because it opposes life and instinct, prioritizing rationality above all else. He critiques morality, metaphysics (both ontologically and epistemologically), and the positive sciences.
Life is central to his philosophy. Nietzsche seeks a new morality based on life itself. He posits two fundamental forces in human reality:
- The Apollonian: Represents reason, order, coherence, and rationality.
- The Dionysian: Represents the values of life, the overflowing joy of existence, disorder, and chaos.
In tragedy, the Apollonian and Dionysian harmonize. However, with Socrates and Plato, an error begins, as Apollonian values are imposed over Dionysian ones.
Nietzsche’s Critique of Morality
Nietzsche distinguishes between two types of morality:
- Master Morality: Characteristic of the Overman, it embraces life and power.
- Slave Morality: An inversion of values, emphasizing pain, smallness, and humility.
Nietzsche believes the weak have imposed their worldview on the strong. To overcome this Western decline, he proposes the Overman, free from the religious constraints of Catholic dogmatism.
The Death of God and the Rise of the Overman
The death of God is a metaphor for the death of absolute truths. For Nietzsche, the idea of God prevents man from becoming the Overman.
Nihilism: A Path to Revaluation
Nihilism is not merely a philosophical doctrine but a historical movement in Western culture. Nietzsche distinguishes between:
- Negative Nihilism: Following the death of God, supreme values are lost, leading to a denial of all value.
- Positive Nihilism: An inversion and revaluation of values, exalting the life force.
Nihilism progresses through three stages:
- Doubt: Resulting from the destruction of pre-existing values.
- Reflection: Humanity distances itself from Western culture and tradition.
- Revaluation: Leading to a new perspective on being, reality, and humanity itself.
The Nature of Man and the Will to Power
Man is not an end in himself but a bridge between beast and Overman. He is not static but possesses immense creative capacity. His will to power will dismantle the moral values to which he was subjected and usher in a new morality.
Characteristics of the Overman
The Overman is concerned with life. His conscience is that of nature: what promotes life is good, and what harms it is bad. The Overman affirms hierarchies among men, recognizing that equality can lead to the herd morality of slaves. He lives in accordance with the earth, treating life as an experiment (a continuous creation and development of possibilities). He embraces becoming and experiences the will to power (the drive to master) stemming from the desire to live. He lives the eternal return, the result of the desire for immortality. Life is like a circle; coming to an end, the various events repeat, its duration is eternal, but this does not lead to contempt for the moment, and we should try this life worth living.
The Transformations of Man on his way to the Overman:
- Camel: Represents the man who bears the weight and burden of the entire Western tradition; its maximum is the Kantian duty.
- Lion: Eliminates the debris of the past, is critical and self-possessed, and imposes his will on his last fight, God.
- Child: The Overman.