The Superman (Der Übermensch) is a concept primarily associated with the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. Richard Roos defined it as:
The Superman of Nietzsche is a god on earth. It should not worry about men, nor the government’s.
The Superman in Nietzsche’s thought
In the philosophy of Nietzsche, the concept of Superman is linked to two other major concepts, the Will Power and the Eternal Return. The Superman is, by definition, the incarnation of human will power the highest performing life that finds itself in at the thought of the Eternal Return. This idea of a performance of the human will to power is, for Nietzsche, an attempt to overcome (überwinden) nihilism and give meaning to the story of humanity.
Genesis of Superman
Nietzsche probably found this notion in Byron and Goethe, the use he makes of it is not the same as in the romanctic era though. It has a history that belongs to Nietzsche.
Throughout the development of the thought of Nietzsche, Superman or, more accurately, the quality designated by the word superhuman, is understood as a concept that brings together ideas that were first present themselves scattered (particularly criticism of morality, wisdom tragic morality of morals, culture and art). These ideas have their genesis in the period of All Too Human, and the concept appears in its handling in Thus Spoke Zarathustra, it takes a different philosophy as it is now announced a new human reality referred through a process of excess Nietzsche had previously described forms an important part of human history.
What gives value to the saint in world history, this is not what it is, but what it means to others, non-saints. It was a mistake on his behalf, it was falsely interpreted his moods and was rejected as much as possible of course, absolutely unique phenomenon in nature and foreign superhuman, but that is precisely what he has earned this extraordinary strength with which he was able to capture the imagination of epochs and peoples. ”
Thus, with the example of the saint, the über-prefix refers to a process by which interpretation is convinced of the high value at the highest level of a state of mind which exalts the power of the. However, these self-metaphysical interpretations of Nietzsche are forgeries, which raises the question of the value:
“Each time, a lot of hypocrisy and lies broke into the world through such a metamorphosis: each time, and at this price, a new concept superhuman, exalting man. ”
Nietzsche on that models abundant use of the prefix über-, which allows us to clarify the concept of tolerance which concerns not only the rise and the flight metaphysics of man, but is inherent in any desire for power, and In particular, the superman. Thus Zarathustra said:
“And life itself told me this secret:” Look, she says, which I must always overcome myself. ”
In the case of excess morale, the moral man who goes to the master of his instincts and dominates, which allows him to indulge his passion for control over his instincts: he overcomes and as in suitable double thinkable reality made. Man is an animal-on (Ueber-Thier ), because he invented a kind of legal interpretation of the animal:
“The on-animal. The beast that is in us is not to be deceived, the moral is the lie. Without the errors include the assumptions of morality, the man remained animal. But the way it has taken for something higher and has imposed more stringent laws. ”
The value of this superiority, however, is doubtful for Nietzsche. In the case of metaphysical excess is the same man, the man who finds himself living weakened disposed to an absolute value and foreign,
“To the extent that all that is big and strong has been designed by the man as superhuman, as a foreigner, the man was weaker – he separated the two sides, one very pathetic and weak, the another very strong and amazing, in two separate spheres, he was called the first “man”, the second “God”.
Works Cited:
Lampert, Laurence. Nietzsche’s Teaching: An Interpretation of Thus Spoke Zarathustra. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1986.
Nietzsche, F. (1885) Also Sprach Zarathustra
Safranski, Rudiger. Nietzsche: A Philosophical Biography. Translated by Shelley Frisch. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2002.
Rosen, Stanley. The Mask of Enlightenment: Nietzsche’s Zarathustra. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1995.
