Marxism vs. Nietzsche: Materialism, Will to Power, and Value Revaluation

Karl Marx's Philosophy

Marxism is a philosophy of society and history that stands in contrast to idealist philosophy. It posits that human beings are integral parts of nature, driven by the need to meet their requirements. Consequently, social and cultural life is shaped by the material conditions of the environment in which people live, making it a materialistic philosophy.

Marx proposed a theory of historical and social evolution based on materialism and dialectics. He argued that material or economic conditions give rise to relationships and human thought. Historical and social evolution is dialectical, characterized by the struggle between capitalism and the proletariat—the class struggle.

The human being is defined by its relationship with nature, which is work. However, people experience alienation because the product of their labor, the work itself, and its benefits do not belong to them but to the capitalist. This unjust claim, perpetuated by religion, politics, and capitalist culture, maintains the existing ideology.

Relations of production determine social, intellectual, and moral reality. The economic, physical infrastructure, and social structure dictate the ideological superstructure. Matter determines consciousness. Capitalist society is founded on private property, the economic infrastructure that shapes all other aspects.

History progresses towards the elimination of private property and the establishment of equality for all. This is achieved through the success of the working class, the proletariat, transforming the social structure and ideological superstructure, leading to the dictatorship of the proletariat and communism.

Friedrich Nietzsche's Philosophy

Nietzsche, a philologist and philosopher, was influenced by classical Greek irrationalism and Arthur Schopenhauer's concept of the 'will to live'.

His philosophy is an affirmation of life, which he considered the true reality, defined as the 'will to power'—instinct, intuition, and creative force.

This conception of reality as life conflicts with the prevailing Western worldview of the nineteenth century, evident in science, philosophy, and religion. This worldview prioritizes demonstrable value and reason as truth, opposing life, spontaneity, and uncertain change.

According to Nietzsche, all previous moral philosophy represents a distortion and decline—the 'death of God' and nihilism.

He advocated for a 'revaluation' of values, not merely changing them but discarding decadent ones and creating new ones. This task falls to the 'superman' (Übermensch), the creator of values, embodying a morality of lords and affirming life as the sole true reality.

This transformation is envisioned within the framework of the 'eternal return', the eternal present, which overcomes linear, all-consuming time and allows for the emergence of the superman.