Nietzsche's Übermensch: Active Nihilism and the Three Transformations

Nihilism and the Path to the Übermensch

Nihilism is a critical movement in the history of Western culture. The Western spirit, burdened by high, inadequate, and fictitious values, succumbs to nihilism—i.e., losing faith in these foundational values. When this occurs, culture remains nonsensical, as nihilism acts as a destructive force against the basis of Western civilization: God, the monotheistic God. This God dies, whom we have collectively killed.

Overcoming Nihilism: The Will to Power

When we realize this death, we can overcome the nihilistic state by constructing a new table of values leading to the Übermensch (Superman). Nietzsche’s active nihilism is a violent, destructive power that stems from a growing spiritual strength. The desire for power—the will to create new values—directly destroys the old ones. Nietzsche seeks to create a new civilization before the former finally collapses.

Defining the Übermensch

The Superman is a higher being, free from past values, independent, aggressive, and a legislator. He is his own rule because he is beyond good and evil. The Übermensch represents the highest end of humanity, affirming life and naturally moving away from what is downward and unnatural. The exact nature of the Superman is complex; perhaps understanding the eternal return is necessary. The Superman might be the first man, the innocent man who still remains from primitive, Pre-Socratic times.

The Three Metamorphoses of the Spirit

Nietzsche presents the Superman as the result of three transformations:

1. The Camel: The spirit becomes a camel, kneeling to bear the weight thrown by the great dragon (duty and tradition).
2. The Lion: The camel transforms into the lion, who seeks freedom, throwing off old values and asserting its desire for power.
3. The Child: The lion, unable to create new values, must wait until it is transformed into the child.

Nietzsche asks: "Why must the rapacious lion become a child? The child is innocence and forgetfulness, a new beginning, a game, a wheel that moves by itself, a first movement, a holy yes." (Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Of the Three Transformations, First Chapter.)

The Superman, possessing the innocence of the child, is beyond good and evil, has the power to create new values, and remains faithful to the living earth. In summary, the Superman embodies the paradox of Nietzsche's message: a powerful creator who is also innocent.

The Death of God as Prerequisite

Nietzsche states that the Death of God is a necessary condition for the appearance of the Superman, as God represents the antithesis of life and the denial of human innocence. Nietzsche writes:

"The concept of God, invented as a life-confrontational concept, focuses on everything that is harmful, poisonous, defamatory—any hostility unto death against life."