Nietzsche, considerably more than most other philosophers, has permeated Western popular culture to the extent that most people will have heard his name and even harbour certain connotations with it. Given the manner in which Nietzsche is most often portrayed in popular culture, it is unsurprising that these connotations are predominantly negative. “Conan the Barbarian”, for example, opens with Nietzsche’s line, “What does not kill us, makes us stronger,” indicating a certain encouragement of brutish barbarianism. Moreover however, Nietzsche’s philosophy is associated with cruelty in Polanski’s “Death and the Maiden”, in which Dr.Miranda, who tortured and raped political prisoners, is recognised for his tendency to quote Nietzsche. Perhaps Nietzsche’s most widespread association, is however with Hitler.
I argue that these negative associations are not only inaccurate, but in fact quite ironically opposite to the philosophy that Nietzsche actually promoted. While accusations related to Nazism can relatively easily be refuted, accusations of brutishness, elitism and immorality are not entirely unfounded: Nietzsche encouraged strength and power; called himself an “immoralist”; rejected democracy and human equality, and promoted the notion of an “Übermensch”. At first glance, Nietzsche’s philosophy thus appears to support the aforementioned, negative conclusions. It is for this reason precisely that short quotes by Nietzsche rarely do his entire philosophy justice. As will be seen presently, it is vital that Nietzsche’s philosophy be understood in its entirety if we are to realise its true, severely positivist nature.
Such a reading will however not suffice to reveal Nietzsche positivism; judgements of Nietzsche promoting an inherently negative philosophy are present even in academic treatments of him, by authors who have, presumably, considered Nietzsche’s philosophy with some deliberation. It is among such academics that the most serious accusation against Nietzsche arises; that of Nietzsche being a nihilist.3 As with the other accusations, Nietzsche being labelled a nihilist is not unfounded; Nietzsche did promote nihilism. Similar to those other accusations however, it is of vital importance to understand Nietzsche’s promotion of nihilism in the context of his philosophy as a whole. By doing so, it becomes clear that Nietzsche (somewhat ironically) treats nihilism as a means an end, to present an inherently positive and life-affirming philosophy.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- I - Introduction: The Three Metamorphoses.
- The Camel, the Lion and the Child...
- "Philosophising with a Hammer"
- Nietzsche's Style
- The Present Essay.
- II - From a Naturalist Methodology
- Methodological Naturalism
- Nietzsche's Naturalist Motivation
- Lower and Higher Men
- III The Camel: A Threat of Nihilism.
- Three Stages of Refutation
- A Futile Cycle
- The First Condition: "God is Dead"
- The Second Condition: Unattainable Values
- IV - The Lion: A Devaluation of Values…
- The Target of Attack
- JCM Values as Life-Negating
- Meta-Ethical Rejecting of Objective Values
- Nihilistic Disorientation
- V-The Child: A Revaluation of Values
- Normative Subjectivism
- Avoiding a Criticism of Relativism
- Moving "Beyond Good and Evil"
- VI - Affirming Life: The Will to Power
- The Will to Power
- Understanding 'will' and 'power'.
- The Mechanisms of WTP
- Egoism
- VII - The Übermensch
- A New Myth
- The Übermensch as an Ideal
- Characterising the Übermensch
- VIII - Eternal Recurrence
- IX - Conclusion
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This dissertation examines whether Nietzsche's philosophy deserves the negative connotations commonly associated with it. The essay aims to present a positive reading of Nietzsche's philosophy by placing it in context and analyzing its key themes. It seeks to demonstrate that despite some potentially controversial aspects, Nietzsche's work ultimately promotes a life-affirming and positive view of existence.
- The Three Metamorphoses: Camel, Lion, and Child
- Nihilism as a Stepping Stone to a New Morality
- The Will to Power and its Role in Personal Development
- The Übermensch as an Ideal of Self-Overcoming
- Eternal Recurrence and its Implications for Living a Meaningful Life
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The first chapter introduces the essay and discusses the common misinterpretations of Nietzsche's philosophy. It establishes the goal of presenting a positive and accurate reading of his work.
Chapter two explores Nietzsche's methodological naturalism and its connection to his understanding of human nature. It lays the groundwork for understanding the development of his ideas.
Chapter three analyzes the "Camel" stage of the three metamorphoses, focusing on the challenge of nihilism that arises from the death of traditional values.
Chapter four examines the "Lion" stage, where the individual actively rejects traditional values and seeks to overcome nihilism through a devaluation of existing moral frameworks.
Chapter five discusses the "Child" stage, where the individual revalues values and creates a new, personal morality based on self-affirmation.
Chapter six explores the concept of the Will to Power as the driving force behind individual growth and self-actualization.
Chapter seven introduces the Übermensch, an ideal of the fully realized individual who transcends traditional limitations and embraces the potential for self-creation.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
Nietzsche, philosophy, nihilism, will to power, Übermensch, eternal recurrence, metamorphoses, morality, values, self-overcoming, life-affirmation, naturalism.
- Quote paper
- Nicholas K. Lory (Author), 2011, On the accusation of negativity in Nietzsche’s ethics: A refutation, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/200732
