Nietzsche: Early Life and Influences

Multiple choice answers

• Nietzsche was born in 1844
• Nietzsche began his career as a classical philologist

Greek Drama

• Nietzsche views classical Athenian tragedy as an art form that transcends pessimism.
• This art form embraces the vital forces of nature and life.
• Greek spectators find life worth living despite the abyss of human suffering depicted on stage, passionately and joyously affirming life.

Nietzsche's Proposal

• Friedrich Nietzsche proposed marriage to Lou Andreas-Salomé in 1882.
• Salomé was a Russian woman studying philosophy and theology in Zurich.

Origin of Punishment

• Nietzsche suggests that the concept of guilt originally had no moral overtones.
• There is a similarity in the German words for guilt and debt.
• Someone in debt was considered "guilty".
• Creditors could make good on the debt by punishing the debtor
• Pain is deep-rooted in the human psyche.
• Proto-humans practiced memory through the infliction of pain via willpower.

Bad Conscience

• Nietzsche argues that the transition from hunter-gatherer to agrarian societies led to the suppression of violent animal instincts as they became less useful.
• Suppressing these instincts by turning them inward led to an inner life, bad conscience, a sense of beauty, and a sense of indebtedness to ancestors, which is the origin of religion.

Priestly Morality and Slave Morality

• Slave morality is developed by those opposing the masters, often a priestly caste that is poor, unhealthy, and impotent.
• They hate and resent the health and power of the masters, dubbing their masters "evil."
• Nietzsche associates slave morality with Jewish traditions, born out of slaves' RESENTMENT towards the master class.
• Unlike Hegel, Nietzsche views slave morality as twisted and unnatural, fueled by resentment from the slaves toward the masters.

"God is Dead" and Future Morality

• Nietzsche's concept of the Übermensch (Overman/Superman) is central to his philosophy of how future morality and culture could be shaped after the "death of God."
• The Übermensch rejects traditional, especially Christian, morality, which is viewed as a "slave morality" that suppressed human potential.
• The Übermensch creates new values, affirms life, embraces the "will to power," and strives for self-overcoming and personal growth.
• Instead of focusing on otherworldly or abstract ideals, the Übermensch is grounded in the reality of earthly existence.
• Nietzsche's ideas can be interpreted as promoting radical individualism, where each person is responsible for creating their own meaning and values.
• Nietzsche called for a "re-evaluation of all values," questioning the foundations of traditional morality and encouraging a new perspective on what is good, evil, and worthwhile in life.
• The Übermensch embraces the "will to power" to enhance one's own capacities and achieve one's full potential, not necessarily as domination over others.
• Nietzsche critiqued modern culture's emphasis on conformity, mediocrity, and suppression of individuality; the Übermensch represents a potential antidote.
• Nietzsche believed that the "death of God" created both a crisis and an opportunity.
• The Übermensch embodies the potential for humanity to move beyond nihilism and create a new, life-affirming culture based on individual strength, creativity, and a re-evaluation of values.
• Self-overcoming is a crucial concept describing the Übermensch, which is an ongoing process of self-improvement and surpassing limitations.
• The Übermensch embraces all aspects of existence, including suffering and challenges, affirming life (Amor Fati).
• The "Eternal Recurrence" thought experiment poses living your life exactly as it is, over and over again, for eternity.
• Nietzsche believed the Übermensch would embrace this prospect, finding joy and meaning in every moment.
• Nietzsche's concept of the Übermensch represents a radical vision of human potential and a challenge to traditional ways of thinking about morality and culture and is complex and open to interpretation.
• The "death of God" necessitates a profound shift in perspective, placing responsibility for meaning and value creation on humanity, with the Übermensch symbolizing this potential transformation.