Nietzsche & His Power Ethics

Chapter 12
Friedrich Nietzsche
Nietzsche Autobiography
 Friedrich Nietzsche was born in 1844 in Rocken, Prussia
 His Father and Grandfather were both Lutheran ministers
 He upheld the idea that God is dead.
 When he was 4, his father died and was left to grow up in a society of
women.
 He originated one of the most masculine Philosophies i.e the philosophy
of superman
 His studious demeanor and religious earned him the nickname
“the little pastor”.
Nietzsche Autobiography
 At the age of 20, he entered the University of Bonn and studied
“Theology” but later he gave up when he lost the faith he was born
in.
 He excel in classics, religion, literature and philosophy and greatly
influenced by the works of Plato.
 But later he transferred to the University of Leipzig because he was
greatly dismayed by the shallowness of his professors in the
University of Bonn and stayed there from 1864-1869 there he met
professor Friedrich Ritschl.
Friedrich Ritschl

 He was the one who kindled Nietzsche a passion for philology, the
study of classical philosophy, and literature.
Richard Wagner

 When Nietzsche was in University of Leipzig, he discovered his

music.
Nietzsche Autobiography

 In his stay in University of Bonn, he was regarded and gain a

reputation as a brilliant student in classical philology.
 He was able to publish exceptional papers and was considered so
brilliant that before he completed his doctorate at Leipzig, the
University of Basel already offered him a professorship.
 At the age of 24 he was awarded in University of Leipzig as Doctor
of Philosophy without any examination.
 In the autumn of 1865 there he discovered a book authored by
Arthur Schopenhauer.
Arthur Schopenhauer

 Nietzsche discovered his philosophy.

 Through his book “The world as will and Representation” he was
able to remark that the prudent man strives not for pleasure but for
freedom from pain.
Nietzsche Autobiography

 In 1888, he experienced a brief period of respite from his prolonged cycle of

sickness and recovery.
 But even though he has sickness during the span of 6 months he was able to
produce five books who are considered as his best writings.
• The case of Wagner
• The twilight of the idols
• Anti-Christ
• Ecce Homo
• Nietzsche contra Wagner.
Nietzsche Autobiography

In January 1889, he collapsed on a street in Turin

and brought to a clinic’ in Basel after which he
was sent to a mental asylum in Jena and later
on to the care of his mother and sister.
In the last 11 years of his life, Nietzsche became
irretrievably insane as result of an infection in his
brain.
The Philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer

 His Philosophy is known as

Pessimism- belief that life is disappointing and that for every satisfied desire, ten
new unsatisfied ones will emerge.
 According to him our only hope is detachment and withdrawal thus he argued
that life is nothing more than a constant will to survive.
 He believed we are merely pawns of a life force and our best hope is to detach our
own self from the cycle of wanting-getting-wanting more.
 For Schopenhauer life is Irrational, purposeless striving for a pointless existence.
Thus he held that little salvation that we have comes only from resisting the blind
will to live at all costs and curtailing our desires.
 The Philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer

 Because of his pessimistic attitude to life he had led him to develop

his
“will to power”
 He was on the belief that human existence must be a kind of error
 In this case he held that every creature on earth seemed to be
equally committed to an equally meaningless existence.
 It was not the intention of Schopenhauer to depress his readers but
to free them from expectations.
 According to him people should consider life to be meaningless
and it had really nothing to offer.
 Johann Wolfgang van Goethe

 The friend of Arthur’s Mother.

 Schopenhauer was admired of him,
because he turned so many pains of love into knowledge.
 This made Arthur advised his readers
that they should endeavor to
transform tears into knowledge
in order to at least have a more
fulfilled and less troubled life.
 The Writings of Nietzsche

 Fulfillment is an illusion
 He developed the idea that people should not expect that there would be happiness
in life.
 Fulfillment was to be reached not by avoiding pain but by recognizing its role as
natural.
 In his book “The birth of Tragedy” we should look for a model that will serve as
an inspiration in forming a better society.
 Emergence of a savior will be greatly needed, a savior is the creative genius who
will give meaning to everyone’s existence.
 The Writings of Nietzsche

 Nietzsche called this savior the Ubermensch (Overman) or the

Superman
 The Will to Power

 Every human being has the inherent tendency to aspire for the will to power,
regardless of one’s race or culture.
 When one adheres to humility and patience, he will become a feeble loser
 Nietzsche rejected concept of equality.
 According to Nietzsche, Superman represents the highest level of development
and expression of physical, intellectual, and emotional strength.
 But Superman’s passion should be controlled and his animal nature should be
harmonized with his intellect.
 Superior being should rise above the masses instead sympathizing with the weak.
 The Writings Nietzsche

 The mark of society is to exploit the weaker member for the benefit
and the interest of the strong and the powerful few.
 Nietzsche rejected absolute moral principle contrary to Kant.
 According to him this destroys the individual’s freedom to act
according to his own creative insights.
 He believed that universal morality is a torturous straightjacket
which prevents the individual from asserting himself.
 Master Morality versus Slave Morality

 Master of morality (Herren Moral) - stresses the independence, self

approbation and the action that flows out of strength and power.
 Slave Morality (Herden Moral) – bespeaks of herd mentality, i.e. a
behavior which is unsure of itself, or an action that is borne out of
resentment, puts great emphasis of the virtues of humility and patience.
 Greatest virtue would be ruthlessness, exploitation, and mastery over
others.
 Christianity a perverted morality. Based on suffering and weakness
Suffering and weakness will lead human person to self-destruction.
 The Death of God

 According to Nietzsche “God is Dead”

 Belief in God destroys the humanity and denies them their freedom.
 Superman the apex of Master morality.
 Christianity should be considered religion of pity
 God committed mistakes in His works of creation.
 First mistake Creation of Science
 Second Mistake Creation of the Woman
 Critiques on Power Ethics

Man will have the tendency to become Selfish and Greedy

Nietzsche failed to understand that every human person is
also naturally a spiritual being. And thus this will make the
man never find peace at all
Human will never realize true happiness at all.