Frederich Nietzsche And His Philosophies Essay Research

Frederich Nietzsche And His Philosophies Essay, Research Paper

FRIEDERICH NIETZSCHE AND HIS PHILOSOPHIES

Friederich Nietzsche was born in 1844 in the Prussian province of Saxony. He was the offspring of a long line of clergymen including his father, who was the pastor of a Lutheran congregation. His childhood was consumed with the haunting death of his father and, soon after, brother.

After enrolling in school, he suffered from intense, painful headaches and myopia which caused burning sensations and blurred vision. This may have been syphilis and it may have been contracted from his father who had shown similar symptoms.

In 1858, he enrolled in the prestigious Pforte boarding school. His illness continued to plague him, resulting in several “pilgrimages” to the sanitarium yet, he was able to form a group called Germania, which was devoted to the continuing study of “intellectual subjects.” He delivered impressive lectures on subjects ranging from Nordic legends to German poetry. Shortly before graduation, he made the decision to study philology due to his intrigue of it’s emphasis on analysis and logic.

It was after he left the University of Bonn that Nietzsche’s life took a significant course. After acquiring a massive debt at Bonn, Nietzsche left for Leipzig for a more affordable solution to a quality education. There, he discovered Arthur Schopenhauer’s The World as Will and Representation. In his work, Schopenhauer declared that conflict and suffering were the purpose of life. This predilection intrigued Nietzsche. He (Nietzsche) soon developed a routine of little rest and an excess of study. It was then that he had decided to become a philologist and the world became introduced to his philosophies.

Sometimes philosophy is called “timeless,” implying that it’s lessons are of value to any generation. This may be hard to see in Nietzsche’s work; but, we are assured that it was appropriate thought for his time. However, even Nietzsche’s critics admit that his words hold an undeniable truth, as hard as it is to accept. Perhaps this is why his work is timeless, and has survived 150 years in print. Christianity “God is Dead!” announced Zarathustra (better known as Zoroaster), in Neitzsche’s book, Thus Spoke Zarathustra (1883-1885). Unlike many philosophers, Nietzsche never tried to prove or disprove the existence of God, just that belief in God can create sickness; and to convince that highest achievements in human life depend on elimination of God. Whether God existed had no relevance in his goal. Proclamation of the death of God was a fundamental ingredient in the values Nietzsche advocated. “Nothing has done more than Christianity to entrench the morality of mediocrity in human consciousness.” “Christian love extols qualities of weakness; it causes guilt. Charity is just teaching hatred and revenge directed toward nobility.” “Belief in God is a tool to bring submission to the individual of noble character.” — F. Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Nietzsche had an ideal world in mind, with an ideal government and an ideal God: the “Overman” or “Superman.” These Gods were a product of natural selection, or social Darwinism. He felt, very strongly, that any kind of moral limitations upon man would only stand in the way of The Overman. “The Will To Power,” his strongest teaching, meant that The Overman should and would do anything possible to gain power, control and strength. If one showed the smallest bit of weakness or morality, he would be killed by the stronger Overman, and taken over. Thus, the advancement of The Master Race (will be discussed later). “Not mankind, but superman is the goal. The very last thing a sensible man would undertake would be to improve mankind: mankind does not improve, it doesn’t even exist – it is an abstraction.” “… his superman as the individual precariously rising out of the mire of mass mediocrity, and owing his existence more to intentional breeding and careful nurture than to the hazards of natural selection.” Nietzsche is often referred to as a pre-Nazi thinker, by his idealism of The Master Race. He was, in fact, a prime influence on the writing of Hitler’s highest men, and quoted in Hitler’s speeches. But, his writings were mostly taken out of context, because he was very open about his distaste for “those anti- Semites.” If one is able to come from a more intelligent place, regarding the breeding of “best-fit humans”, Nietzsche was far beyond Hitler. Nietzsche understood the necessity for variety in a population, and was able to appreciate the contributions of other races and cultures. His ideal society would be a race that included select bits from many races/cultures. The only culture that he seemed to have a special appreciation for were the Polish. He wrote, “The Poles, I consider the most gifted and gallant among Slavic people…” Still, he wrote about his value for the Jews, as a response to the growing anti-Semite culture in Germany during his time: “The whole problem of the Jews exists only in nation states, for here their energy and higher intelligence, their accumulated capital of spirit and will, gathered from generation to generation though a long schooling in suffering, must become so preponderant as to arouse mass envy and hatred. In almost all contemporary nations, therefore — in direct proportion to the degree which they act up nationalistically — the literary obscenity of leading t