Of the 19th century philosophers, Friedrich Nietzsche is one of the most influential although he was not influential in his time. Rather, he was ostracized and persecuted for his anti-Christian beliefs. It was not until later that Nietzsche gained recognition and had an impact on modern philosophy. One of Nietzsche’s most well-known and popular works is Thus Spoke Zarathustra. In this work, Nietzsche criticizes the “herd morality” of religion. Instead of God, he raises up the ubermensch, or the overman, one who is superior to ordinary human beings. Nietzsche’s philosophy is applicable to today’s society; it would wake society from its lethargic state.
Nietzsche admired Greek mythology, and claimed that the original idea of good (good as defined by mythology) was that which was strong, brave and noble. In contrast, evil was that which was weak and humble . However, the invention of religion reversed those roles; it promoted humility and weakness and called it “good”, while condemning the strong as “evil”. Thus, the upper class went from being good to evil, and the lower class became good. Since religion was created by the weak, it was created in the interests of the lower class. It protected them from exploitation and cruelty by promoting and enforcing false virtues. These values included pity, democracy and equality. These virtues generated fear and vengeance towards the aristocrats, who were viewed as selfish brutes. Nietzsche regarded religious leaders and their followers as weaklings who were spiteful towards the upper class, who were noble, brave and strong . He called the belief that strong was good, “Master Morality”, and the belief that humbleness good, “Slave Morality” .
Master morality, of course, was superior because it was based on the belief that might makes right. Those who were strong and noble rose to power since no one would oppose them since those of the slave morality were not strong enough. In this way, Nietzsche’s theory is similar to the Darwinian theory of evolution; those who are fittest are those who survive. Complementing the master morality is slave morality.
Slave morality did not call people to rise to power, but rather to remain humble and submissive. It was also called “herd morality” because it was the morality of the general populace . It led society around blindly, without basis or explanation. Few dared to challenge or differ from the herd morality for fear of being ostracized and cast out, left to defend for oneself. In this way, one traded individuality for security. One did not obey the rules of good and bad because one believed in them; one followed the rules for fear of the consequences of not obeying them. Religion was a large contributor to herd morality, and it is ironic that humans are viewed as God’s flock of sheep. Nietzsche saw religion as an excuse for weakness. It permits and encourages people to stay miserable, without having any aim or goal in life. Religion, particularly Christianity, teaches people that those who suffer now will rejoice in the Kingdom of God, that those who serve will be served, and that those who are last will be first. “Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires; the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them!” . Generally, religion teaches people to be content with their petty lives, confining them to mediocrity and submissiveness. He believed that mankind, as a whole, lacked goals or aim in life . Their only hope is to die, so that in death their meaning of life is found and fulfilled. Religion also closed one off; one worshipped God and devoted his life to him instead of trying to help himself or his fellow beings. “Now I love God; man I love not.” Nietzsche despised this philosophy; he was a strong believer of “will to power” . He saw religion as something outdated and useless. One of Nietzsche’s well known claim is that God is dead.
By saying that God is dead, Nietzsche meant that God never was. God, and consequently religion, was an invention that was outdated for his time. Society had no use for religion and could no longer use it as a foundation for morality . He believed that the time had come for people to examine and evaluate their traditional values, and to examine the premises on which they were based. Instead of being content with mediocrity, he wanted people to become something more, to evolve into a higher state. “The time has come for man to set himself a goal. The time has come for man to plant the seed of his highest hope.” This transcendence lay in the self, the desire to attain power and superiority.
Nietzsche believed that one should seek power in oneself to establish power for oneself. In this way, one is not subject to others’ authority. Nietzsche’s ideal was the Ubermensch, or overman. The overman was a being who was passionate, that is, someone who was not content with what he had and had to attain more . The overman would have control over his passion, however, and would use it creatively to generate original thought, devoid of herd morality which was the creation of the weak. The overman’s definition of good and evil would be largely subjective since Nietzsche believed that truth was inherent; one man’s vice would be another man’s virtue . Also, the overman would not be subject to petty desires or frustrations which are typical of ordinary human beings. The overman would live life fully so that when it came time to die, he would have no regrets. He would live life for life, instead of living for the afterlife as followers of religion do, “[s]hrouded in thick melancholy and eager for the little accidents that bring death, thus they wait with clenched teeth.” The overman is a contrast to the person ruled by religion, who would be content with what life had given him. His excuse would be that God had intended it to be that way, and that he would receive his reward in heaven. In addition, the overman would not be subject to the law of the general people, since he was above them. It follows that the overman would not believe in God, for what use would he have for God or religion? Religion preaches that those who serve God best are those who bear His burdens patiently; Nietzsche preaches that those who live life best are those who seek to cast off and overcome their burdens. “Thus I too once cast my delusion beyond man, like all the afterworldly.” This means that Zarathustra had once been a follower of religion, but had since cast off his delusion (his burden) to become a free thinking individual. Of course, the overman must not only overcome these things for himself but also for others. The overman would be the enlightened one who would teach all the others. The overman would be the highest form of human excellence .
One such form of human excellence is Zarathustra. In the Prologue, Nietzsche writes:
"Behold, I am weary of my wisdom, like a bee that has gathered too much honey; I need hands outstretched to receive it. ... For that I must descend to the depths, as you do in the evening when you go behind the sea and still bring light to the underworld, you overrich star. Like you, I must go under - go down, as is said by man, to whom I want to descend.”
Nietzsche borrows Plato’s simile of the cave, meaning that Zarathustra has already achieved enlightenment and truth. It is his mission and obligation to descend back into the cave to free those who cannot see because of the herd morality. Zarathustra descends from the mountains where he has been living into a town, where no one listens to him because they are all waiting for a tightrope walker. This tightrope walker symbolizes man, crossing from being a beast to an overman. The trip is precarious and dangerous but must be completed in order to be fulfilled. In becoming an overman, there are three stages, or three metamorphoses.
In the section “On the Three Metamorphoses”, the three stages of becoming are the camel, the lion and the child. Each one symbolizes submissiveness, defiance and creation, respectively. The camel is a creature used to transport and carry heavy burdens. It is under the control and domination of its master. In this way, the camel is like ordinary man. Ordinary man is subject to the control of religion, and is burdened by life. The camel does not question the burden because it believes that it is doing the noble and right thing, the thing that God wants. “What is most difficult, O heroes, asks the spirit that would bear much, that I may take it upon myself and exult in my strength? Is it not humbling oneself to wound one’s haughtiness?” . The camel believes itself to be humble and thus virtuous by accepting the burden without questioning it.
The second stage is the lion. The camel becomes the lion, casting off the burden to become proud and defiant. No one controls the lion; he does whatever he wants. The lion is powerful and domineering; he is his master. The lion seeks to kill the “great dragon”, which is God. Man, in becoming an overman, must throw off his burdens (conventional values and societal influence) and challenge them. He must stand up to God and kill Him, that is, to defy religion and herd morality. The lion destroys everything that obstructs him from creating new values .
The third stage is the child, which is the creator. The child is innocence and perfection. The child is pure, and has an untainted view of good and evil. The child is a new beginning and truth. He controls the world with his will. However, Nietzsche writes that “...he who had been lost to the world now conquers the world.” . To become free from the world, one must first be lost in it. Before one can become part of master morality, one must first be a part of herd morality. It is only in this way that one can truly become an overman.
The last section of the first part, “On Gift-Giving Virtue”, is a summary of Zarathustra’s teachings. He does not describe the characteristics of the overman, since it would be redundant and useless, for the truth of the overman lies in one principle. Zarathustra tells his disciples, “Now I bid you lose me and find yourselves; and only when you have all denied me will I return to you.” . By this he means that his disciples should forget what he has taught them in the search for their knowledge. Denying or forgetting what one has learned allows one to form one’s opinions and values, without influence. It is also an opportunity to find oneself. This contrasts with Jesus’ teachings. Jesus wishes His disciples not to forget His teachings and to follow His path. He does not want his disciples to deny Him. This is another example of herd morality; one must obey the leader without question and without individuality. There is no room for establishing the truth for oneself.
Nietzsche’s ideas are applicable to today’s society. One of society’s problems is that is has stopped questioning and started accepting. It is unwilling to challenge for fear of destroying itself. Nietzsche believed that change was always necessary, even if it did destroy. “Change of values - that is a change of creators. Whoever must be a creator always annihilates.” Society has grown so used to the herd morality that it is afraid of being abandoned. Nietzsche’s philosophy is applicable to today’s Christianity as it was to the Christianity of his time. Contemporary religion is not applicable to today’s society; it has become empty. Faith has little or no meaning for many, but few challenge it. To change would be to exert oneself, and that is too much. “One no longer becomes poor or rich: both require too much exertion. What still wants to rule? Who obey? Both require too much exertion.” Nietzsche believed that society was too lazy to change one’s situation in life. It is much easier to accept or adapt someone else’s interpretation of the Bible or of life than to formulate one’s own ideas. Faith and religion used to give hope to the people in desolate times, but now people have grown accustomed to it, too lazy to cast it off in search of a better foundation and guide. Indeed, society has fallen into the trap of herd morality. It does not formulate its ideas of good and evil; rather, ideas are taught. “You call yourself free? Your dominant thought I want to hear, and not that you have escaped from a yoke.” Humankind may think it has freedom of thought and personal values, but upon close examination, it does not. Its dominant thought is still that of the herd.
Society conditions man to recite what is acceptable and what is not. For example, the Christian society disapproves of homosexuals. In the past, homosexuality was unacceptable. It is only now that they are losing its “evil” image. The Bible speaks out against homosexuality, citing it as something evil and unnatural and therefore something that should be discouraged. Because of this, society persecutes and ostracizes homosexuals. Few people, if any, questioned the Bible. It is easier to accept the Bible as an absolute presupposition than a relative presupposition; the Bible occurs without a cause. Today’s society must question its beliefs and examine the foundations of those beliefs and, if necessary, change them. Although it is dangerous, it must be done in order for the fulfillment of life. Otherwise, one is confined to mediocrity.
The subjectivity of the morality which Nietzsche encourages has been largely questioned and criticized. True, what one man may perceive as good, another may deem evil. Thus, the two individuals are in conflict as to what is right, and neither can permit the other to carry out their actions. However, Nietzsche did not believe that one’s morality should infringe on the rights of others. One should have their own definitions of good and evil, but one should not push them onto others. This is the way Zarathustra teaches; he informs people but does not force them to accept his values. Nietzsche was a lover of humanity, but not of the state of humanity.
Nietzsche has also been misunderstood and been classified as a perpetrator of Nazi thinking. The Nazis misinterpreted Nietzsche’s work. The overman was someone who was above the herd, not subject to their laws and definitions of good and evil. However, the overman is not supposed to be an absolute ruler with ordinary men enslaved under him. It was not in power that the overman is superior, but in morality. Nietzsche believed in peace and in love. In the section “On War and Warriors”, Nietzsche encourages man to be warriors and enemies, but he did not mean for man to fight and kill each other. He meant man to be warriors of knowledge and enemies of the herd morality.
"Your enemy you shall seek, your war you shall wage - for your thoughts. And if your thought be vanquished, then your honesty should still find cause for triumph in that. You should love peace as a means to new wars - and the short peace more than the long. To you I do not recommend work but struggle. To you I do not recommend peace but victory."
Man should fight for his freedom and individuality and refuse to be subject to the slave morality. He should constantly challenge others, as well as himself, to achieve a higher state. He should not be afraid to wage war, for he must try to be victorious in overcoming man.
Nietzsche’s philosophy had a great impact on modern philosophy by challenging the Church in his time. He dared to say that religion was not the only philosophy with which to live one’s life, and that society does not need religion. He challenged the world to become something more than it was already, to achieve a higher state in which it would not be satisfied with simply anything. Nietzsche tried to introduce the ubermensch, the ideal, to the world to save society. He dared people to question their beliefs and to look into themselves for answers, to throw off the shackles of religion to discover truth in oneself. Nietzsche’s ideas can still be applied to contemporary society which has become apathetic and lethargic. If society remains in its current state, then life would be meaningless and empty because one would be living someone else’s definition of life.
