Nietzsche's Philosophy: Will to Power, Zarathustra, and the Superman

Dionysus and Zarathustra

Dionysus and the Apollonian

According to Nietzsche, Greek tragedy originated from the merger of the Dionysian and the Apollonian spirits. Socrates is the great corruptor: he replaces the tragic man with the theoretical man, imposing the optimism of science. The Platonic dialogue replaces Greek tragedy. Knowledge becomes universal medicine, and error is the supreme evil.

Zarathustra: Beyond Metaphysics

Thus Spoke Zarathustra is the fundamental work of Nietzsche. It contains the essence of his message. Nietzsche replaces Dionysus with Zarathustra in order to refute all metaphysical comfort. Dionysus was too identified with the metaphysics of Schopenhauer; Nietzsche's new vision rejects all metaphysics and is maintained only in the field of moral values. Zarathustra is the one who surpasses morality, moving beyond good and evil.

Zarathustra is stripped of the metaphysics of Schopenhauer. His great enemies are Socrates, Plato, and all they represent. Nietzsche identifies that enemy in Christian Civilization. Dionysus stands against Socrates; Zarathustra stands against Christianity.

The Core Message of Zarathustra

The Will to Power

Nietzsche, always sick, tried to save himself and discover new life, transforming his willingness to health and life into his philosophy. The world, man, and life are the Will to Power. It is neither the will of the psychologists nor the will of Schopenhauer. It is not the passive will, the will to obey, or the 'will of the blue.' It is not even merely a will to live. Life is Will to Power, and this is the will to be, to live longer, to improve, to demonstrate an ever-increasing force: it is the will to create.

The Eternal Recurrence

Nietzsche argues that there is no world but this, denying the Platonic afterlife and the Christian 'other world.' This is our only world, and every flight to another world is a loss of reality. The Eternal Recurrence is the ultimate formula of fidelity to the earth, the affirmation of life and the world, which speaks of the Will to Power. The formula of Eternal Recurrence encapsulates the hope that all moments are affirmed as eternal.

The Revaluation of Values

The thought of my being is the Eternal Recurrence: it returns continually on the same subjects, and all others are reduced to one: the affirmation of life. Therefore, the Revaluation of Values is another perspective on this affirmation. Until now, mankind has valued all that is hostile to life, and morality comes from a sick and decadent spirit. Values must be reversed (revalued): we must assess and reaffirm life, moving beyond good and evil.

The Superman (Übermensch)

The Superman (or Übermensch) is the new man. He is a moral creator, contrasted with the Last Man, who is the most despicable man. The Superman has the innocence of a child, is beyond good and evil, and is the first man of a new era. He has the power to create values and lives true to the earth. The Superman is the embodiment of Nietzsche's entire message.