Nietzsche's Philosophy: The Übermensch and Will to Power

The Concept of the Übermensch

The Übermensch: The idea of the Superman (Übermensch) is one of the best-known concepts in Nietzsche's philosophy. It is understood as a moral aspiration that is necessary to affirm life. This concept is supported by the development of the Übermensch, who cultivates both Apollonian and Dionysian values.

Critique of the Philosophical Tradition

• Rationalism: Nietzsche believes that European rationalist philosophy focuses too much on attributes that only appear through reason, thus falling into the deception of the senses.
• The Change of Theories: The continuous replacement of theories with other "idols" is a recurring theme for Nietzsche.
• Christianity: Nietzsche identifies three important aspects of Christian morality: the weighting of intense humiliation, the utilization of the thoughts of Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates, and its overall influence on philosophy, which he calls European Slave Morality.

Master and Slave Morality

Nietzsche distinguishes between Master Morality and Slave Morality to explain two ways of understanding ethics:

• Slave Morality: A performance criterion where human behavior is subject to external laws and predetermined aims.
• Master Morality: A performance criterion of human conduct that aims for constant self-improvement and excellence.

The Will to Power and Transmutation of Values

Nietzsche's Vitalism owes much to the importance he recognizes in the will as a knowledge factor. He clearly censures passive nihilism, representing life instead as a passionate Will to Power.

Understanding the Will to Power

• Will as Becoming: This is equivalent to constant change in the universe. Action is not attributed to a subject; rather, the subject itself is a product of the action.
• Will in Nature: Life is governed by the Will to Power, which is present in all living things.
• Will as Self-Overcoming: This is not only a physical or historical phenomenon but also a moral one that properly expresses human behavior.

The Creation of New Values

Nietzsche exerted an intensive critique of any moral rating that subverts order or ideological correctness. An example of this is the proposed transmutation of values, which critiques Western culture's reliance on:

• Values derived from Platonism.
• Values of Christianity.
• Values of the scientific revolution.

The Doctrine of Eternal Return

The Eternal Return signifies the endless repetition of time and the definitive character of every event. To attribute the center of history to any single point is to fail to understand the Eternal Return of life. Every thing that exists has already existed and will exist countless times again.

The theory of Eternal Return is the culmination of Nietzsche's philosophy. Through the desire for eternal life-affirmation, where one wishes to repeat life forever, he reaches the most extreme affirmation of life, where both good and evil are repeated eternally.