The role of man in the cosmos is a topic of great debate among philosophers throughout history. Alexander Pope and Friedrich Nietzsche were two writers who took on this challenging dilemma in two very different fashions. I will be using Pope’s “An Essay on Man” in order to show and discuss his beliefs on the subject and Walter Kaufmann’s Portable Nietzsche as my source for Nietzsche’s opinion on the topic. Although both tackle the issue, they go about it with two very different processes. Alexander Pope’ Epistle I directly focuses on the topic “of the nature and State of Man, with respect to the Universe.” Pope begins by naming his task to “vindicate the ways of God to man.” He wants to explain the cosmos in ways in which man can understand it. This severely limits what you can and cannot use to validate his views because he must start within the framework of man (Pope, Section 1, 17-33). He discusses systems and frames of reference as creating bounds by which to consider the universe. This is clear because it would be impossible to understand things that are not even in the same system of thought. If one attempts to arrive at a conclusion that is outside the system then they would not have the process to be able to achieve that goal. Pope then goes on to describe the shortcomings of man and how they are currently failing. This is important to understand because they are not fulfilling their role in the cosmos. He discusses the pride of man and how as he attempts to get closer to God he is actually getting farther and farther away. He cannot begin to judge what is perfect and good. That is the role of God and when humans try to imitate Him they create a foundation of failure and go against the cosmos (Pope, Sec... ... middle of paper ... ...ving for something that does not exist, God. Pope’s solution is that man should just stop striving and should instead accept what is and stop worrying about what he/she does not understand. For Nietzsche, he wants man to live for themselves. Instead of focusing on another entity, they should be the best that they can be for their own good and health. The common issue in philosophy over how man should act within the larger universe is a very interesting problem. When Pope and Nietzsche tackle it, they both come at the problem with very different approaches in how they argue their points and in the actual solution. Such drastic differences in their opinions of God seem fundamental in their solutions to this classic dilemma. Whether we are too prideful or believing in something that does not exist, one thing is true. Humanity in its current course is failing.
This piece of work will try to find the answer to the question ‘In Nietzsche’s first essay in the Genealogy of Morals, does he give a clear idea of what good and bad truly are and what his opinion of those ideas is’. It will give a brief overview of his first essay, it will also go into greater detail of what he claims good and bad truly are, and finally look at what he is trying to prove with this argument. It will look at his background in order to see if and how that has influenced his work and opinions.
Pope moved Twickenham in 1717 there he received visitors just about everyone, attacked his literary contemporaries although notable exceptions were Swift and Gay, with whom he had close friendships and continued to publish poetry. He died May 21, 1744 at Twickenham Village. He wrote a poem called the Essay of a Man in 1733-1734) Pope examined the human condition against Miltonic, cosmic background. Although Pope's perspective is well above our everyday life, and he does not hide his wide knowledge, the dramatic work suggest than humankind is a part of nature and the diversity of living forms each beast, each insect, happy in its own.
Friedrich Nietzsche is an influential German Philosopher who is known for his writings, on Good and Evil, the end of religion in society, and the concept of “super man.” Nietzsche was born in 1844, in Röcken bei Lützen Germany. He published numerous works of philosophy, which includes Twilights of the Idols, and Thus Spoke Zarathustra. In 1880’s Nietzsche developed points of his philosophy. One of his famous statements is that “God is dead” which is a rejection to the Christian faith. Others were his endorsement of self-perfection throughout creative drive and a will to power, which brought his concept “super-man) which is an individual who strives to exist beyond conventional categories of good and evil. Nietzsche made a major influence on
Overall, Pope Francis places extreme concern on four areas, which are the idolatry of money, the option of the poor, inequality, and the common good/peace. Before reading Pope Francis’s book, I had a general familiarity with inequality and the option for the poor, but I was not completely aware of the idolatry of money in today’s society or peace in a Christian perspective. In Chapter 2, he starts talking about how we have found new idols in today’s society and how our relationship with money has taken control over not only our society, but also ourselves (Pope Francis, 55). Also, Pope Francis discusses how we as Christians need to realize that we are not exempt from concern for the poor and for social justice because it is required of everyone (Pope Francis, 201). In addition, he also talks about the vulnerability of certain groups and the progress of building people in peace, justice, and fraternity, which I will discuss in subsequent paragraphs. Prior to reading this book, I was aware of Pope Francis and some of his beliefs to an extent. I am Catholic, so I remember when he was first inaugurated as Pope and I remember hearing my family discuss some of his beliefs, but I was only somewhat aware of his style as a Christian leader. As a Christian leader, Pope Francis places emphasis on four areas of concern, which include: the new idolatry of money, option for the poor, inequality, and common good/peace.
...d of a Buddhist koan, which is intended to break the hold of logic on the mind. However, rather than breaking the hold of logic on the mind, Nietzsche, with his jibing remarks, swashbuckling writing style, self-contradictions, and secrecy, is intending to break the hold of socially determined "masks," or Isms, from the perceptions of the new philosopher who will arise the day after tomorrow. Nietzsche shows us how to philosophize without Isms. The only question remaining is whether we are strong enough to take his advice.
Enter here There is a shepherd that is guiding his flock it is his job to protect the sheep and to lead them to where they need to be. This works because the shepherd is smarter and stronger then the sheep. The sheep will follow their Shepherd anywhere and if one gets lost then it is the job of the Shepherd to bring the lost sheep back to the heard. Nietzsche would say that the strong man is that Shepherd and that the world needs the strong to lead the weak. The strong man is not just a man that can lift more weight or can win a fight, but a strong man is one that follows his passion and excels at it. The truly
The Jesuit astrophysicist finds himself in a mental conundrum; is the universe really the creation and the will of God? He tries to convince himself by stating, “God has no need to justify His actions to man.” (Clarke 81) But the divide between religion and science begins to drift farther apart in his consciousness. If the situation were inevitable, then God would have prevented their destruction but instead chose not to. He cannot shake the feeling that God is not the purest being as he so believes, as someone with a good heart would not allow the annihilation of such a peaceful civilization to occur. As he questions his religion he views the crucifix and begins to see it as nothing more than “an empty symbol” of something he once believed to be
God may well be dead but Nietzsche’s assessment of the pitfalls of our new arbiter of value provides a staunch critique against which we must measure our morality. The question though remains as to whether we can ever accept a plurality of values within a given polity, whilst it may solve the philosophical problem of linking categories such as ‘Truth’ and ‘Purity’ can any aggregation of humans ever produce an agreement that is anything but slavish or self interested or vain or resigned or gloomily enthusiastic or an act of despair or each individually? God may well be dead but Nietzsche is right when he says that his shadow remains over us and, for the moment, there seems no way we can cast our own light on that shadow and overcome his legacy.
In Friedrich Nietzsche’s essay, “The Madman and the Death of God”, Nietzsche uses the madman’s phrase “Where has God gone? I mean to tell you! We have killed him, –you and I! We are all his murderers! God is dead!”, to awaken people to the reality of how they are living in the present time period. In this paper I will argue Nietzsche’s madman is telling the people they have progressed into a daily working system where God is forgotten or killed because he is no longer depended on for survival, and people do not fear him as they gain more power in their life.
...’s lack of a direct response to this apparent contradiction ensures that this matter will continue to be hotly debated well into the future. For this seemingly simple contradiction of positing truths when one has denied all absolute truths, Nietzsche gives a very complex and personal answer.
Through studies, “Most arguments for the existence of God, such as; the Teleological Argument, the cosmological Argument, and The Moral argument, are from the ancient world. The Ontological argument comes from medieval times. By the moral argument has modern interest, emanating from works of Immanuel Kant”. (489) All fighting for their meaning to exist.
The essence of man, as defined by Pope, is a series of paradoxical, yet concrete sets of contrasting wo...
Nietzsche was right in stating “God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him” because it refers to the continued secularization of thought until humans came to rely far more on reason and logic than faith in any religion or God. This secularization has occurred through the Scientific Revolution, was furthered by the Enlightenment, and was acted upon within the French and American Revolutions. This has created a more secular society, with people who ascribe to logic, or logic and faith, instead of faith
Alexander Pope lived during the heart of the Enlightenment. Though he was a Christian, his writings show aspects of Enlightenment teachings and ideals. These teachings include reason, order, and man’s nature. His writings also include Christian principles, which was common in his time, because a vast majority of the common people were either practicing Christians or grew up in a Christian community. The Essay on Man is an argument between the two ideologies about, “Who is Right?” The essay is written in Early Modern English, so the structure and wordage would not cause readers during his time period. This does not mean people back then understood it in one reading. Pope writes in a style that can have multiple interpretations and explanations. He probably wanted his reads to make our own connections and conclusions when reading his works.
In the end, a story that appears to poke fun at the carefree lives of upper class women actually gives great appreciation to the subtle powers women hold over men. It could be argued that one of the most important powers of women is that of controlling men with their trivial problems and needs. Perhaps Pope was demonstrating women's skill in controlling men by simply playing the part of the vain shallow debutant. Whatever his intentions were it is clear that Alexander Pope did not in fact find the women of his time to be completely powerless, instead they were the driving forces of the household and of society.