Andaleon, Karen Gaile L.

Essay 2

LS Form

The Morality of Man: An Essay on Gaudium et Spes and Friedrich Nietzsche s Superperson

!. "om#are and "ontrast: The $nderstandin% of the &'man (ein% as )resented *y Gaudium et Spes and Friedrich Nietzsche s Morality The quest for living is the search for meaning. We human beings continue to search meaning in everything we do. We seek the depth of the things that occur to us. Some of us rely on faith. Others believe we create this meaning. A. Similarities of Gaudium et Spes and Nietzsche s )hiloso#hy The two philosophies in Gaudium et Spes1 and Friedrich Nietzsche deal with the depth of ones life. Both focus on guidelines on how to achieve a good life. They present their own assertions relying on whichever system they continuously uphold. They mention the sources of strength which will make human beings powerful. (. +ifferences of Gaudium et Spes and Nietzsche s )hiloso#hy However there are more differences than similarities with the two philosophies one focusing with the relevance of !hurch while the other dealing with a situation where faith is absent. Gaudium et Spes emphasizes the great role of the !hurch in bringing meaning to the life of people. "t believes that through !hrist# man is offered light and strength. "t is the faith that puts light on everything and it directs the mind to solutions which are fully human. Gaudium et Spes asserts that through the unity of body and soul# man becomes complete. $an has the responsibility to treat his body as sacred# as good and honourable since %od created it. Because of sin# man engages himself in destructive ways of demeaning his body and soul. $an is given the freedom and abusing it would lead to the destruction of the sanctity of his body and soul.
& Gaudium et Spes! "romulgated by "ope "aul #$ on %ecember &' 1()*

!onscience is considered to be the most secret core and sanctuary of a man. Gaudium et Spes points out that %od has allowed man to be in control of his own decisions# to seek his !reator spontaneously and to come to Him freely. ' Gaudium et Spes' !hapter &# &()*+ $an is personally motivated and prompted from within and not by blind internal impulse or e+ternal pressure. Gaudium et Spes teaches that man has been created by %od for blissful purposes beyond earthly misery. 'Gaudium et Spes' !hapter "# &()*+ Gaudium et Spes also tackles the point that atheism conceals rather than reveals the authentic face of %od and religion. 'Gaudium et Spes' !hapter "# &()*, -theists claim that freedom cannot be reconciled with the affirmation of a .ord who is the author and purpose of all things. Gaudium et Spes believes that the !hurch professes that all men# believers and unbelievers alike# must work for the rightful betterment of this world. ' Gaudium et Spes' !hapter "# &()*+ Gaudium et Spes mentions that everyone must consider his every neighbour without e+ception as another self. Gaudium et Spes asserts that human institutions must labor to minister to the dignity and purpose of man. ' Gaudium et Spes' !hapter ""# &()*, $en can work to better the circumstances of their lives through a monumental amount of individual and collective effort. Gaudium et Spes emphasizes that it is only through %od that answers can be known to the several /uestions we human beings keep on asking ourselves. 'Gaudium et Spes' !hapter "0# &()*, The morality of man in Gaudium et Spes is different from Friedrich Nietzsches philosophy as manifested in Nietzsches writings such as ,eyond Good and -vil.1 '2tumpf and Fieser# 1334, Nietzsche claims that aesthetics is the most promising alternative to religion. Nietzsche wrote philosophy in a manner calculated to provoke serious thought rather than to give formal answers to /uestions. 5nlike the philosophy of Gaudium et Spes which has respected the system of the !hurch in clarification in the meaning of life# Nietzsche believes that building systems lacks integrity since honest thought must challenge precisely these self6evident truths on which most systems are built. '2tumpf and Fieser# 1334, Nietzsche believes that philosophers must be less pretentious and pay more attention to /uestions of human values than to abstract systems. He is the proponent of the phrase 777777777777777777777777
. ,eyond Good and -vil! One of the books which /riedrich 0iet1sche wrote. 2e also wrote The %awn of l$fe' 3oyful Wisdom' Thus Spake 4arathustra' and 5 Genealogy of 6orals

7God is dead8 as he was influenced by the incontrovertible fact that belief in %od has declined to a point which gives the confidence to assert such phrase. '2tumpf and Fieser# 1334, He re8ects the e+istence of spirit. '2tumpf and Fieser# 1334, He thought about both the collapse of religious faith and the belief in the 9arwinian notion of a relentless evolution of the species. '2tumpf# and Fieser# 1334, 5nlike Gaudium et Spes which puts paramount importance to the !hurch as source of truth# Nietzsche considers !hristianity as the most fatal and seductive lie that has ever e+isted. Nietzsche claims that !hristianity contradicts nature when it re/uires the people to love their enemies because it is natures in8unction for a man to hate his enemies. '2tumpf and Fieser# 1334, He criticized the spiritual people of !hristianity who performed services in :urope by giving comfort and courage to the suffering because this led to the deterioration of the :uropean race. '2tumpf and Fieser# 1334, Nietzsche proposes revaluation to re8ect the traditional morality because he treats traditional morality as perversion of original natural morality. '2tumpf and Fieser# 1334, He focuses on the internal power within individuals which is capable of shaping and creating events. '2tumpf and Fieser# 1334, "n Gaudium et Spes the ;ill of <ower is represented by the !hurch who recognizes !hrist as the source of life. 'Gaudium et Spes' !hapter "# &()*, =n the other hand# Nietzsches notion of the ;ill of <ower is represented in the attitudes and behaviour of the Superperson9. '2tumpf# 2amuel and >ames Fieser# 1334, Nietzsches Superperson represents the highest level of development and and e+pression of physical# intellectual and emotional strength. The Superperson will be the very embodiment of the spontaneous affirmation of life. 5nlike in Gaudium et Spes which claims that it is !hrist who is the source of meaning in our life# for Nietzsche it is the self that would create this meaning. '2tumpf and Fieser# 1334, =ne does not have to depend on !hurch or !hrist to seek answers to his /uestions about life. '2tumpf and# 1334,

777777777777777777777777777777777 9 Superperson! The ne:t stage in human evolution. Superperson is the goal of /riedrich 0iet1sche for humanity.

!!. (enefits and +isad,anta%es of Each )osition A. (enefits of Gaudium et Spes Gaudium et Spes can serve as inspiration for !hristians because it reminds them what they should do to achieve a good life. Gaudium et Spes strengthens the foundation of !hurch teaching. "t reminds people of the importance of following !hrists teachings. "ts advice on having good family# culture# economic development and international relationships motivate people. Through Gaudium et Spes one would realize the importance of the !hurch in helping them maintaining the sanctity of their life given by !hrist. Through it people can seek hope in humanity. "t can lead to a faithful community believing that through !hrist and !hurch everything will serve its purpose meaningfully. "t is in !hrist that happiness can truly be achieved. (. (enefits of Nietzsche s )hiloso#hy =n the other hand# Nietzsches philosophy is beneficial for modern thinkers who do not believe in dogmatic systems. This is helpful for secular institutions because# despite the lack of spiritual motivations these institutions can find meaning in the things they pursue. His philosophy tends to focus on the inner strength of an individual. He did not rely on any other source of human power beyond oneself but only from the individual himself. His ideas are beneficial in increasing ones confidence. "t gives a person the greatness to do things and to overcome the adversities he may encounter. His philosophy is helpful for people who are not brought up believing in a certain !hurch. ". +isad,anta%es of Gaudium et Spes There are also disadvantages in the philosophies presented. Too much reliance on !hristian teaching such as in Gaudium et Spes can make people 8ust follow what the !hurch says in the hope of a good life. "t becomes disadvantageous when people do not really understand the things deemed obligatory by the !hurch. This can also be a room for shallow faith because believers can only become too focused on the goal of a good life and neglect the rationale behind it. Gaudium et Spes may also result to closed6mindedness of the people. Through Gaudium et Spes believers may discriminate ideas of other people which are not in accordance with the
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!hurch doctrine. This can also be a room to pre8udice other non6believers and consider every act done by them to be immoral or sinful. "f an act done is not in accordance with the teachings of the !hurch one may discriminate others despite the goodness of the act performed by the person. +. +isad,anta%es of Nietzsche s #hiloso#hy Nietzsches philosophy may bring too much confidence to an individual which may result in resistance in asking guidance from other people and from 9ivine Being. "t can bring egoism# denying that we owe reverence to immense forces beyond ourselves. Too much freedom and independence can also poison ones soul. - person may continue doing his act in the belief that he is doing it to be the Superperson. He may be engaged in acts which harm other people and because of his adoption of Nietzsches philosophy# he may lose concern with the people around him thinking he is doing it rightly in the pursuit of his 7revaluation of moral system.8? Nietzsches attack on the !hurch and its teachings may shake the faith of the believers. "t may also result to isolation because of his emphasis on inner strength and the Superperson. <eople may believe that they do not need a 2upreme Being to have a good life. This can be harmful because people would tend to lose fear from a 2upreme Being who is the source of all the goodness. His failure to include %od as foundation for life can lead to hopelessness and human despair. =ur morality usually teaches us that %od is the source of hope. Through Him and His teachings people e+perience guidance and love from %od and His people. ;ithout faith in %od people have more tendencies of becoming pessimistic when faced with disappointments and failures in life.

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? ;evaluation of moral system! Nietzsches pro8ected ma8or work

!!!. Synthesis-Endorsement Being a !hristian " prefer the philosophy of Gaudium et Spes because it serves as guidance for people. "t reiterates the importance of preparing ones self for marriage because it is crucial in bringing up children and molding them to be good individuals. "t reminds me of the important role of parents in rearing their children. Gaudium et Spes formulates the evolution human culture must have to develop whole human person and help man in his performing his duties. "t also creates depth to the acts done by people because Gaudium et Spes reminds the !hristians who are actively participating in socio6economic development the assurance that they do this act for the prosperity of mankind and peace of the world and in relation to the understanding of $an and his acts. "t gives more meaning in the every actions people do. Through this philosophy we visualize ourselves as person who can have a good life as long we live in accordance with !hrists teachings. "t reminds us believers that in everything we do it is !hrist that would give us meaning. This philosophy gives us hope because the things we do have worth and with our faith we can achieve the security and happiness that we deserve. 9oubts can be removed through our faith. =ur fear can be overcome through the guidance the !hurch gives us. Nietzsches philosophy has merits in terms of the value it gives to an individual. !onfidence in oneself can be established by believing in his philosophy. His philosophy must be used by a person to envision himself as capable of accomplishing great things in life.=ne is able to entrust himself through this faith in self. ;ith confidence in oneself one becomes secure in the things he does. "n security# one becomes capable of sharing himself with other people. !onfidence in oneself can also serve as an inspiration for other people because confident people have more tendencies for achieving success and happiness in life. Fears can be overcome through confidence. .ife challenges can be hurdled with certainty if one carries this moderate confidence. However confidence in ones potential for greatness must be moderated to avoid aggressiveness. Too much aggressiveness can also be harmful because aggressive people tend to forget the feelings of other people for the sake of pursuing ones own goodness. ;ith faith in !hrist and confidence in oneself# happiness in life is more likely to be achieved. %ood relationships with the people around us can also be achieved. - positive attitude
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can also result by possessing faith and confidence. The two must be balanced to be able to achieve the society we hope to have. Being faithful and confident must be e+ercised accordingly to create the pro8ected selves we are longing for.

.eferences:

&.2tumpf# 2amuel and >ames Fieser. 2ocrates to 2artre and Beyond@ - History of <hilosophy# 1334. pages A)36A)B. 1. Gaudium et Spes' &()B. !hapters & to *.