“We know the great catch words of the ascetic ideal are: poverty, humility, & chastity:” Awe, in nietzschean fashion, bash the lowly of society and uplift the elite. I felt it was only proper to open the commentary with one of Nietzsche’s many famous quotes from On the Genealogy of Morality. Nietzsche, one of the most famous German philosophers, wrote the genealogy of morals in 1887 and it is considered a work of brilliance in the eyes of many. Although during this commentary I will challenge and refute many of his points in the novel like ascetic ideal, will to power, the origins of the conscience and guilt, and etc. I will not bring up that this was one of his novels used in Nazi propaganda, it’s not appropriate for this essay. I will basically have an argument on paper with him, and we will see who the victor is.
Ascetic Ideal, according to Nietzsche, means nothing to the artist, it is a key to in-depth self exploration for the philosopher, but for the priest nothing but a tool to control the lowly sheep they tend to. For one to even understand the context, we must find out what ascetic mean, it is a person who flees a life of material comfort in order to have a life of self discipline. Nietzsche opens his third essay explaining the ascetic idea and different meanings it may have. I would like to begin with the artist relation to ascetic idea. Nietzsche states “A perfect and complete artist is cut off from what is ‘real’ and actual for all eternity; on the other hand, we can understand how he can occasionally be so tired of the eternal ‘unreality’ and falsity of his inner existence that he is driven to despair, - and that he will then probably try to reach into an area strictly forbidden to him, into reality, into real being....
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...zsche would say, I was close to his definition of ‘will to power’, but the only think lacking is that ‘will to power’ is more than tangible objects, it is the driving force behind humanity. ‘Will to power’ itself is a tool used by man to gain freedom.
Finally, I would like to discuss with Nietzsche the importance of religion, God, and atheism. I notice throughout the book he insults many religions but mainly Christianity and god. Now I completely understand the mind frame of an atheist, I use to be one in my grade school year. My reason for being an atheist was the lack of knowledge I had about god, and also I felt that how can some extraterrestrial being control my life. How can some book force values and morals on to my life? Although, one thing I did not do was defame Christianity.
Works Cited
on the genealogy of morality by Friedrich Nietzsche
We have grown weary of man. Nietzsche wants something better, to believe in human ability once again. Nietzsche’s weariness is based almost entirely in the culmination of ressentiment, the dissolution of Nietzsche’s concept of morality and the prevailing priestly morality. Nietzsche wants to move beyond simple concepts of good and evil, abandon the assessment of individuals through ressentiment, and restore men to their former wonderful ability.
Nietzsche thought nobility was to see one’s self as the center and origin of value. He believed that people in power force common people into bidding their will, and those in charge are separated based on good or bad measures of their value. The rulers, or people in charge have master morality, the people who do their bidding have slave morality. Slave morality is how common people make their lives more bearable by using Christian ethics such as kindness and sympathy.
Power. It is defined as the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events. Throughout time, certain individuals have acquired power in their society as a way to govern and keep order among their community. Power is not a new concept; it was used in the past by many emperors, kings, and queens, and is still being used by presidents, prime ministers, and dictators. Although, it has been used to further progress societies into what the world is like today, not all power has been used for the best of mankind. But what goes awry to make power turn corrupt? In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, it is illustrated how power can turn corrupt, when authoritative figures, who possess power, abuse it for their personal gain, rather than for the common good of the society.
“On Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral Sense” is an unfinished work written by Friedrich Nietzsche in 1873. In this work, Nietzsche takes an approach to explaining the truth in a way that we would all find very unusual, but that is merely the Nietzsche way. In this essay I will analyze how Nietzsche views the truth, as explained in “On Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral Sense”
The book Ecce Homo seems to be an account of Nietzsche establishing a validation of his whole being. This whole book is an opportunity for him to critique himself, and he finds himself more than superb. ."..I have been told how getting used to my writings spoils ones taste. One simply can no longer endure other books, least of all philosophical works" (719). This writing is his way of not becoming perpetually problematic. He wants to make very clear that he is the pivot point around which all change will come and that his goal is to have all things established and idolized ruined. "Whoever uncovers morality also uncovers the disvalue of all values that are and have been believed: he no longer sees anything venerable in the most venerated..." (790). The review of his various works is a way to make sure that the reader cannot accuse him of being something he is not and therefore test the reader's true understanding of his nature. His ideal reader would be one that was strong enough to understand the boldness of an immoralist.
...Hence he concluded that individuals of a society governed by capitalism risked falling into a state of nihilism bereft of meaning. Moreover, the solution he believed was that of a superhuman. A superhuman understands life’s lack of intransience and consequentially looks within for meaning. However, life’s transitory quality results in the superhuman having to constantly recreate in order to overcome the continuously new obstacles thrown at him. Correspondingly, Nietzsche ascertains the quest for satiation of one’s hedonistic insatiable desires, is the greatest strength for a superhuman. This is chiefly due to it being the underlying source for man’s insatiable desire to overcome. Coincidentally, the syntax, as noted by Ginsberg, is one of a pyramidal structure. The monotonic crescendo, symbolizes Solomon’s growing madness and its correlation with a heightened joy.
While critical of the attitude found in the ressentiment of slave morality, Nietzsche’s includes it as an important factor contributing to the bad conscience of man. Even though Nietzsche dislikes the negative results of bad conscience – man’s suppression of his instincts, hate for himself, and stagnation of his will -- Nietzsche does value it for the promise it holds. Nietzsche foresees a time coming when man conquers his inner battle and regains his “instinct of freedom.” In anticipation of that day’s eventual arrival, Nietzsche views the development of bad conscience as a necessary step in man’s transformation into the “sovereign individual.”
The theory behind The Will to Power is incredibly well supported despite the fact that it is simply a collection of notes from Nietzsche's later years. It is a wonderful compilation of the premise behind all of his other works and the summary of their individual points. The most amazing aspect of the book and the philosophy is the incredible validity of it even now, over a hundred years after it was written. The social order of his new world needed to be addressed more, but the principles proposed stand sturdily on their own two feet confident in their own will to power.
Friedrich Nietzsche was a critic and a German Philosopher from the 18th century. Nietzsche was the father of psychoanalysis and he formulated several philosophical concepts that have greatly contributed to the understanding of human nature. Nietzsche ideas had been misinterpreted by many people over time specifically, due to his style of writing. Nietzsche style of writing was adopted to strengthen his arguments on various controversial topics. In this paper, I will discuss Nietzsche’s idea of naturalistic morality, master morality, self-mastery morality, and how they connect with the affirmation of nature and strength.
In 1887, two years before succumbing to utter madness, existential philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche writes his ethical polemic, On the Genealogy of Morals, in search of a man with the strength to evolve beyond humanity: But from time to time do ye grant me. one glimpse, grant me but one glimpse only, of something perfect, fully realized, happy, mighty, triumphant, of something that still gives cause for fear! A glimpse of a man that justifies the existence of man. for the sake of which one may hold fast to the belief in man! Nietzsche, 18.
Nietzsche's critique of religion is largely based on his critique of Christianity. Nietzsche says that in modern Europe, people are atheistic, even though they don't realise it. People who say they are religious aren't really and those who say they have moved on haven't actually moved on. Certain people in society retain features of Christianity. For example, socialists still believe in equality in all people.
...no way implies that Nietzsche is presenting the ideas of the Genealogy in bad faith; he certainly believes that they have some truth to them-but perhaps not to the extent that they are definitive. Thus, it is possible that Nietzsche, in writing his polemic, has other goals than the mere straightforward elucidation of a philosophical system. If this view is adopted, many of Nietzsche’s radical notions and unsupported assertions become easier to stomach. Of course, such a softening of the impact of Nietzsche’s claims may destroy the fundamental mind-opening project that lies at the heart of the book, since the shock of encountering such views is clearly essential to that project.
The Overman is the individual who is the most perfect person with great strength, great intelligence, and great virtue, who has the ability to keep society from falling into “despair and nihilism” (Commentary). Moreover, “the Overman is the meaning of the earth. Let your will say: The Overman shall be the meaning of the earth” (Zarathustra, 191). Proclaiming that the Overman is so grounded to the earth feeds into Nietzsche’s criticism of Christianity because Christianity claims “otherworldly hopes” that he finds unfeasible and threatening to his view of reality (Zarathustra, 191). The Will to Power is the system in which individuals compete to overcome in the hopes to rise to the top. The artists are the ideal individuals because they are willing to work to overcome their personal hardships to become the best person they can be; they will never be content with a mediocre or average product, they will constantly be achieving higher goals. Though “‘never yet has there be an Overman,’” the artists are those who are preparing for the rise of the Overman
When Nietzsche Wept is an inspiring novel that exhibits many of the perspectives from different theorists touched on throughout this semester. One such perspective is the existential one, and how it is related to Breuer’s behaviors and beliefs about responsibility and choice. All of Breuer’s life had been based around expectations that he placed on himself through external influence. In the novel, Nietzsche and Breuer uncover that this is was from aspects of life such as culture, and the expectations that society places on individuals. Breuer grew up Jewish, and like all his peers, wanted to grow out of the ghetto, have money, and meet all the markers for what they defined as success. Breuer never gave much thought to choosing something other
Nietzsche’s Genealogy of Morals can be assessed in regards to the three essays that it is broken up into. Each essay derives the significance of our moral concepts by observing