Exploring Nietzsche's Philosophy: Realizing Human Potential — History of Philosophy #1
Friedrich Nietzsche was a 19th-century German philosopher and maverick thinker known for his thought-provoking ideas and unique approach to traditional philosophy.
Nietzsche critiqued bourgeois culture and morality. His philosophy inspired various ideological movements at the beginning of the 20th century, contributing to the spiritual climate of the coming era.
His works challenged the conventional notions of morality and beliefs of his time, urging a re-evaluation of commonly held values and embracing a more self-determined way of life.
What kind of culture we need to fully realize our human potential is a crucial question Nietzsche sought to answer.
And to find this answer, Nietzsche wasn’t afraid—paraphrasing the title of one of his works—to philosophize with a hammer, meaning to shatter mental schemas and rebel against established traditions. Nietzsche aimed his critique at everything that restrains human beings: dogmatic rationalism, traditional idealism, common human prejudices, falsehoods, and Christianity.
He sought to awaken in people the "Will to Power," which he saw as the fundamental driving force in humans. And it ties into his often misunderstood concept of the Overman (Übermensch).
For Nietzsche, the Overman is a being who can completely affirm life: someone who says "yes" to everything that comes their way; a being who can determine their own values and shape their characteristics and circumstances into a beautiful, empowered, ecstatic whole.
In short, this person can fulfill his ultimate potential to become who they truly are.
Although Nietzsche did not belong to any specific philosophical school, his ideas on the relativity of values, the important role of human will in shaping life, and the subjective nature of morality left a profound impact on the entire thought of the 20th century.
1. The Will to Power
Thus Spoke Zarathustra is the most famous prose work by Friedrich Nietzsche. The work is simultaneously a philosophical treatise and a theological one — it is here that Nietzsche coined the conception of the will to power (Wille zur Macht) and the eternal recurrence.
“Whatever I create and however much I love it, soon I must oppose it and my love; thus my will wills it […] Only where life is, is there also will; but not will to life, instead – thus I teach you – will to power“
— Thus spoke Zarathustra
For Nietzsche, the supreme value of life is the will to power. The essence of life lies not in the preservation of life itself, but in the striving for increased power. This is achieved through self-overcoming, which is a struggle with oneself.
Human beings, like any organism, strive to achieve their full potential and then exploit it. Anything that limits the realization of this goal and weakens the individual is considered bad. This perspective gives rise to a paradox: in the name of affirmation of life, one must sometimes risk life itself and engage in internal battles with its various manifestations.
For instance, according to Nietzsche, war, if it serves the increase of power, is considered something good; whereas avoiding war, confrontation, or struggle is considered something bad.
In his book "Thus Spoke Zarathustra," Nietzsche explains the concept of the will to power in the chapter on overcoming one's own nature (“Self-surpassing”). The announcement of this concept is preceded and prepared by three songs: "The Night-Song," "The Dance-Song," and "The Grave-Song." In each of these, Zarathustra overcomes internal resistance to manifest the will to power.
In "The Night-Song," Zarathustra complains that it is difficult for him always to be the one who gives. Zarathustra compares himself to the sun, upon which no light falls from anywhere. He must accept loneliness, silence, and the lack of social contact.
“Light am I; ah, that I were night! But this is my loneliness that I am girt with light.”
Even though he would like someone else to speak to him for once, he feels an overwhelming need to speak from his soul, and this desire is stronger than all others.
In "The Dance-Song," Zarathustra overcomes the spirit of heaviness and praises life, even though it is so unfathomable that one can easily drown in it because dangers are inevitable. The chapter also ends on an unexpectedly melancholic note.
Zarathustra is overcome with sadness and tormented by an "unknown" question:
“Thou livest still, Zarathustra? Why? Wherefore? Whereby? Whither? Where? How? Is it not folly still to live?”
For the first time, the question about the meaning of existence is formulated so sharply.
In logical connection with "The Dance-Song" comes "The Grave-Song". In it, Zarathustra mourns his death. The death of his friends from his youth hits him hard.
“From you, my dearest dead ones, cometh unto me a sweet savour, heart-opening and melting. Verily, it convulseth and openeth the heart of the lone seafarer.“
Zarathustra endured everything because there was something in him that could not be hurt, and that is what is called his own will.
“How did I ever bear it? How did I survive and surmount such wounds? How did my soul rise again out of those sepulchres?
Yea, something invulnerable, unburiable is with me, something that would rend rocks asunder: it is called MY WILL.”
Therefore, Zarathustra says that the will is the "demolisher of graves" — "Yea, thou art still for me the demolisher of all graves: Hail to thee, my Will!". The conclusion of "The Grave-Song" consistently leads to the crucial issue placed in the chapter "Self-Surpassing."
Everyone must, like Zarathustra, learn to overcome themselves. Only the will to power makes a person the master of their fate and enables them to imbue life with meaning.
The subsequent chapters in "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" can be seen as exemplifications of the idea of the will to power, as well as expressions of disdain for those who do not advocate for the sovereignty of human existence.
According to Nietzsche, creation requires the will to power, which is intensified through self-overcoming and constant struggle. Therefore, Nietzsche argued that the greater the sense of power, the broader the limits of individual freedom. For Nietzsche, freedom is a secondary category compared to the will to power.
Man must bring out the will to power within himself by finding the meaning of existence. He will succeed when he establishes his own laws and values - when he regains the will to live a creative life.
The human attitude requires awareness of taking risks and facing challenges, even those that endanger life. It demands a struggle against one's own nature. Therefore, a person with a high intensity of will to power accepts themselves without regret, because they love life.
According to Nietzsche, the will to power is fulfilled when a person fully affirms life and acts by their will, without weakness or deviations.
Additionally, in the context of the will to power, it is worth recalling Nietzsche's concept of decadence, which refers to the decline of cultural, moral, and spiritual values that lead to the weakening of society. Nietzsche was known for criticizing society for its conformity, mediocrity, and lack of authenticity.
Therefore, in response to decadence, he introduced the concept of "will to power" (Wille zur Macht), which he defined as the fundamental driving force of life, expressed in the pursuit of creativity, domination, and self-fulfillment.
The will to power allows individuals to transcend the limitations imposed by a decadent culture.
“Do you want a name for this world? A solution for all of its riddles? A light for you, too, you best-concealed, strongest, most intrepid, most midnightly men?— This world is the will to power—and nothing besides! And you yourselves are also this will to power—and nothing besides!”
The will to power is — according to Nietzsche — the primary existential principle. The extent to which it manifests in individuals' actions determines their value. Evidence of the loss of the will to power is found in all doctrines that advocate submission and humility, as they deem the will to dominate as immoral.
Nietzsche perceived human life as a struggle for existence, but in a fundamentally different sense than Darwinists: it is not a struggle for survival or adaptation to the environment, but for life itself, and it consists of the fullest manifestation of the will to power.
Nietzsche used the will to power to explain both life-denying and strong life-affirming impulses, as well as both master and slave morality.
2. Master–slave morality
One of Nietzsche's main areas of interest was human culture, particularly morality. The German philosopher advocated for the rejection of traditional values based on religious assumptions.
“The noble type of man regards HIMSELF as a determiner of values […] The slave has an unfavorable eye for the virtues of the powerful“
One of the works that confirmed Nietzsche's position as a leading European philosopher of his era was 'Beyond Good and Evil,' in which Nietzsche critically examines traditional morality, contrasting master-morality with slave-morality.
He argued that Christianity, which professes love, is essentially an expression of hatred towards the stronger; however, due to its inability to overcome them in open conflict, it hides this hatred while claiming moral superiority for itself.
Despite his harsh critique of Christianity, Nietzsche admired Jesus for boldly challenging the religious conventions of his time and for his vision that the Kingdom of God lies within, as well as for his encouragement to lead a life of fulfillment.
The master mentality:
“The noble type of man regards HIMSELF as a determiner of values; he does not require to be approved of; he passes the judgment: “What is injurious to me is injurious in itself;” he knows that it is he himself only who confers honor on things; he is a CREATOR OF VALUES. He honors whatever he recognizes in himself: such morality equals self-glorification.”
The slave mentality:
It is otherwise with the second type of morality, SLAVE-MORALITY. Supposing that the abused, the oppressed, the suffering, the unemancipated, the weary, and those uncertain of themselves should moralize, what will be the common element in their moral estimates? Probably a pessimistic suspicion with regard to the entire situation of man will find expression, perhaps a condemnation of man, together with his situation. […] The slave has an unfavorable eye for the virtues of the powerful; he has a skepticism and distrust, a REFINEMENT of distrust of everything “good” that is there honored—he would fain persuade himself that the very happiness there is not genuine.
According to Nietzsche, what distinguishes people with slave morality from noble people is their incorporation of the idea of free will into their worldview, despite not truly desiring it. This is because freedom implies responsibility, a burden that people with a slave mentality find unbearable. As a result, they prefer others to set the rules and bear the consequences.
People with a slave mentality only need the appearance of freedom to satisfy their vanity and to feel a semblance of greatness that they cannot achieve. They direct their efforts toward seeking rules and creating systems that protect them from the strong.
Because people with a slave mentality cannot create their own reality like noble people, this generates ressentiment within them — the driving force of slave morality, which transforms the values of the dominant and strong into negative traits. Ressentiment describes a deep feeling of envy and resentment that arises in those who feel weak and powerless.
Those who experience ressentiment create a morality that condemns qualities such as strength, confidence, and success while promoting humility, compassion, and equality. Nietzsche saw ressentiment as a defensive mechanism of the weak, which, however, leads to further decadence and cultural impoverishment.
Ressentiment represents a way of viewing the world and values that allow a person to maintain a high opinion of themselves, thereby achieving self-acceptance. It is an emotion, especially of envy and hatred, fueled by the constant recollection of perceived humiliation or injury.
This ressentiment leads to what Nietzsche called The Slave Revolt in Morality—a reversal of the moral order where altruism and pity become primary values. The slaves, envious of the masters' strength, established an inverted morality, emphasizing virtues that Nietzsche considered weak.
In this new slave morality, emerging from a rebellion driven by ressentiment, what was originally seen as noble (in antiquity, strength was valued over weakness) is now regarded as evil, while what was considered lowly is elevated to the status of good.
Following Nietzsche's words, "The Slave Revolt in Morality" signifies a complete denial of the essence of certain virtues and values. It's as if athletes who constantly lose, being unable to win, developed ressentiment, which led them to stop valuing strength and establish a new rule, imposing it on everyone—according to this rebellion—that the best athlete is not the one who wins but the one who lets others win.
Therefore, someone who strives for victory would be seen as a bad athlete, even though winning is fundamentally what matters in sports. In this way, this rebellion, in Nietzsche's philosophy, represents a reversal of virtues and values that constitute the essence.
The driving force behind The Slave Revolt is ressentiment—a deeply hidden envy that operates unconsciously. It arises in those who feel weaker and leads them to reject values they cannot attain for various reasons.
“The knightly-aristocratic judgments of value have as their basic assumption a powerful physicality, a blooming, rich, even overflowing health, together with those things which are required to maintain these qualities—war, adventure, hunting, dancing, war games, and in general everything which involves strong, free, happy action. The priestly-noble method of evaluating has, as we saw, other preconditions: these make it difficult enough for them when it comes to war!”
It's worth noting that master and slave moralities are not static sets of values but rather methods of moral evaluation. They describe how values are assessed rather than the values themselves. The foundation of these moral evaluations lies in the fact that master morality is active, whereas slave morality is reactive and responsive.
The master looks inward for values, affirming his own existence by judging what he values as good. For masters, morality revolves around a dichotomy of good and bad; there's no concept of evil values. Conversely, the slave lacks autonomy and agency under the master's control, leading to resentment over his lack of power over himself, his circumstances, and his world.
The slave's moral evaluations are entirely reactive and initially negative because they negate the master’s values and define what’s evil based on what the master deems good. Positive values, or what is considered good, only come as an afterthought.
The difference between these two moralities lies in their dichotomy of value perception: masters judge values as Good/Bad and are primarily proactive, whereas slaves judge values as Evil/Good and are reactive.
For Nietzsche, it is crucial to understand that the conflict between these two types of moral values leads to transformations in culture and society, where slave morality becomes dominant in the era he calls the "era of decadence," that is the 19th century when he lived.
Because of this, Nietzsche proposed the concept of the “Transvaluation of all Values” and aimed to revalue the moral order. Reversing the common (“slave”) views on good and evil was the central objective of Nietzsche's philosophy.
By revaluing all values, Nietzsche sought to overturn this moral order, promoting a life-affirming ethic that celebrates strength, creativity, and individualism. This radical re-evaluation aimed to liberate humanity from the constraints of conventional morality and to inspire a new kind of greatness.
3. Transvaluation of all Values
“What is good? — All that heightens the feeling of power, the will to power, power itself in man.
What is bad? — All that proceeds from weakness.
What is happiness? — The feeling that power increases — that a resistance is overcome.“
Instead of slave morality, Nietzsche proposed new values. These are distinguished by the fact that they are derived from the concepts of life, strength, vitality, and have an individual character. It means that as a result of rejecting the current system of values, man becomes sovereign; nothing and no one from outside—no God, no Law—can impose his way of life.
The individual becomes the sole creator of their own fate—establishing values and norms of conduct for themselves that enhance their sense of strength. The increase of vital forces and power is the fundamental criterion for good, evil, and happiness.
Truth according to Nietzsche differs from the classical definition of truth as the correspondence of judgment with reality. In Nietzsche's philosophy, truth is understood in the existential sense, relating to the authentic experience of one's own existence and the realization of the individual's potential.
It’s worth adding that existential means:
1. relating to, or affirming existence
2. grounded in existence or the experience of existence
Therefore, we might ask ourselves: How do we determine if an athlete's training method is correct? According to the existential definition of truth, the answer would be that it is correct if the athlete achieves success. The same principle applies to the truths we uphold.
For this reason, Nietzsche's philosophy is not about us objectively understanding certain definitions, but about us beginning to live better thanks to and through this understanding. And for Nietzsche, living better means living in accordance with the nature of the world. The nature of the world, in turn, is life. The essence of life is the pursuit of growth (of strength, spirit, vitality).
It is also worth mentioning that Nietzsche is the author of the famous saying, "What does not kill us makes us stronger." One of his most renowned works, The Will to Power, expresses the idea that the essence of life is the pursuit of greater spiritual strength, which we can achieve by battling against ourselves. By rejecting all apparent goods and false beliefs, and by overturning the rules and customs that constrain humans, Nietzsche aimed to re-evaluate all values on the path to a completely new morality.
The revaluation of all values is Nietzsche's method for overcoming 19th-century nihilism. Nietzsche sought a way of human existence that would allow one to become completely active and affirmative. He sees this possibility in the transvaluation of all values, which means replacing all the prevailing values in Western culture - values that are opposed to Life (hidden in Christianity, humanism, utilitarianism, communism, nationalism, or even science) - with values that are in accordance with Life.
Nietzsche's fundamental premise was that only life has absolute value, and everything else of value stems from it. This assumption stood in opposition to 19th-century morality.
It's important to note that Nietzsche's philosophy and the transvaluation of all values don't reject morality outright, but rather question its universality and absoluteness.
Thus, the transvaluation of all values involves a critique of many universal and absolute principles, such as justice, equality, and utility. For example, Nietzsche believed that rights and goods shouldn't belong to everyone, but only to brave and exceptional individuals. Regarding utility, Nietzsche held that life itself is the highest good, and its affirmation is paramount, while the production of goods is secondary.
Nietzsche's emphasis on affirming life itself and living according to one's potential is also evident in his rejection of the primacy of spiritual goods. The German philosopher believed that the body is the foundation of everything, and life is primarily a physical matter, with the spirit being merely a superstructure built upon it.
The transvaluation of all values also includes a critique of the principle of reward and punishment, where reward is understood as happiness and punishment as unhappiness. For Nietzsche, living a full and dignified life that allows us to fulfill our potential is more important than simply being happy.
Nietzsche fought against all forms of self-limitation, asceticism, and escape into the realm of ideals. He believed that only a degenerate life requires renunciation, prohibitions, asceticism, and religious or moral ideals. In his view, a truly vibrant and healthy life doesn't need these constraints.
Nietzsche is, in a sense, an immoralist, as he proclaimed the shallowness and ridiculousness of moral doctrine. He believed that 19th-century Western morality was nothing more than a code created for shallow people who are unable to think independently and need ready-made answers to every question just to be able to live.
Nietzsche held the lowest opinion of the mindless crowd. He expressed this view through the words of his created sage, Zarathustra:
“There they stand,” said he to his heart; “there they laugh: they understand me not; I am not the mouth for these ears. Must one first batter their ears, that they may learn to hear with their eyes?
All-too-many are born: for the superfluous the state was invented! See just how it entices them to it, the all-too-many! How it swallows and chews and rechews them!
Nietzsche, as a classical philologist familiar with ancient culture, greatly praised the ancient Hellenes, seeing in them a lost ideal of perfect human beings. Even in Homer's works, we encounter a whole array of great, creative heroes, each with a psyche resembling a battlefield of emotions. These heroes follow the emotions that predominate within them at any given moment.
As long as the Greek spirit was not infiltrated by Socratic contemplativism (a love for excessive discussion of concepts, which Nietzsche called "sluggishness"), the Greeks created what Nietzsche considered an ideal culture. They embodied both the will to power and the principle of amor fati (love of fate).
According to Nietzsche, 19th-century morality based on the Christian religion prevents individuals from realizing what is most human in them, in accordance with the principles of amor fati and the will to power. Instead, it deprives people of their most human qualities: creative forces, passions, and expressiveness.
Therefore, Nietzsche calls for the transvaluation of all values, which means redefining the main moral concepts and allowing creative individuals to give them their own meaning. This process involves a radical reassessment of traditional values and the creation of new ones that affirm life and human potential.
“My formula for greatness in a human being is amor fati: that one wants nothing to be different, not forward, not backward, not in all eternity. Not merely bear what is necessary, still less conceal it—all idealism is mendacity in the face of what is necessary—but love it.”
The transvaluation of all values was a key tenet of Nietzschean immoralism. Its aim was to free exceptional and creative individuals from the moral constraints of our civilization, which imposes universally binding social norms and predetermined notions of good and evil.
According to Nietzsche, a creative individual who affirms life should decide for themselves what is good and evil, and set higher, more important goals than those considered worthy by the majority.
For an individual to be truly culture-creating, they must subjectively reassess and redefine commonly accepted values. This process allows for the emergence of new, life-affirming values that go beyond conventional morality and social expectations. So, individuals could embrace a more authentic and powerful way of living, one that celebrates human creativity, passion, and the acceptance of life in all its complexity.
The transvaluation of all values is also a concept that, in a broader context, is connected to the idea of evolution, as it paves the way for the concept of the Superman (Übermensch). The Superman is an evolutionary ideal - a full emanation of the creative will to power, an embodiment of the principle of amor fati, and a person who has independently accomplished the transvaluation of all values and managed to actualize them.
It's important to emphasize, however, that Nietzsche's Overman, as the ideal and ultimate fulfillment of Nietzschean immoralism, is an unattainable ideal. According to Nietzsche's concept, whoever achieves their ideal surpasses it in two ways. Firstly, they demonstrate that it wasn't truly an ideal, and secondly, they no longer have anything to strive for, thus ceasing to develop.
It also highlights the paradoxical nature of ideals in Nietzsche's philosophy, emphasizing the importance of constant striving and self-improvement rather than reaching a fixed end point.
4. Decadence
All the problems and challenges that Nietzsche faced were encapsulated in a single phrase: cultural crisis, or more precisely, cultural decadence.
"It is a self-deception of philosophers and moralists to imagine that they escape decadence by opposing it. That is beyond their will; and, however little they acknowledge it, one later discovers that they were among the most powerful promoters of decadence."
The German thinker described a total crisis of culture, its falsehood, the limitations it created, and its disastrous impact on knowledge, morality, and human life. He boldly stated that religion only deepens the sickness of the spirit, and called Christianity "the metaphysics of the executioner." Nietzsche tracked philistinism, base motivations, and the trivialization of human goals associated with industrial progress.
Nietzsche's aim was twofold. Firstly, he sought to establish the genesis and essence of the crisis: where it originated and what exactly it entailed. Secondly, the philosopher was in search of a remedy: how to overcome the crisis and heal culture.
This crisis, as described by Nietzsche, manifested itself on multiple levels. As previously mentioned, it was evident in morality - people were incorrectly determining what is good and what is evil. Nietzsche also examined other dimensions where he perceived crisis.
On the cognitive level, he believed people were erroneously defining truth and falsehood. Furthermore, on the existential plane, Nietzsche observed that people were living without perceiving meaning or purpose, questioning the very foundations of existence. This was particularly problematic for Nietzsche, as he viewed life itself as the absolute and unconditional source of all values.
As previously mentioned, Nietzsche advocated for the ancient concept of amor fati. This idea encompasses the acceptance and affirmation of everything life brings, including both its joys and sufferings. For Nietzsche, true living consists of fully affirming one's fate, regardless of circumstances. He believed that life has absolute value and that all values should stem from life itself and be an affirmation of it. It is from this perspective that Nietzsche criticized nihilism and decadence.
In Nietzsche's philosophy, amor fati represents a powerful antidote to the cultural crisis he identified. By embracing this principle, individuals can overcome the despair and meaninglessness characteristic of nihilism.
Nietzsche viewed life as the fundamental source of all value and considered any values that negated life to be false and destructive. His concept of the Übermensch (Overman or Superman) represents a being who creates their own values and lives according to the will to power, transcending limitations imposed by society, religion, and tradition.
In Nietzsche's philosophy, life was not just important, but central. All the values he promoted were closely tied to the affirmation of life and its inherent aspects, such as suffering, joy, the will to power, and the constant striving for self-overcoming.
While nihilism denies inherent meaning or value in life, Nietzsche's philosophy asserts life's intrinsic worth and calls for its celebration.
As we mentioned previously, Nietzsche sought ways to heal culture, viewing it as an organism capable of falling ill and being cured. This perspective also aligns with his broader philosophical themes of health, vitality, and life-affirmation.
Nietzsche's fundamental thesis on decadence posited that European culture was in a phase of decline, falsehood, and hypocrisy. As we mentioned earlier, this manifested on multiple levels. What particularly intrigued Nietzsche was how contemporary culture restrained the spontaneity of human activity by forcing it into frameworks of artificial norms and standards. He criticized abstract thinking detached from the realities of life.
Additionally, he denounced the widespread hypocrisy of the petty bourgeoisie - the discrepancy between what people preach and how they actually live. He also opposed the use of religion to justify personal weaknesses.
In the conclusion of Ecce Homo, the German philosopher writes:
“It is my fate that I have to be the first decent human being; that I know myself to stand in opposition to the mendaciousness of millennia.— I was the first to discover the truth by being the first to experience lies as lies—smelling them out.”
Nietzsche’s self-proclaimed role as the "first decent human being" underscores his belief in the pervasiveness of cultural decay and his mission to uncover truth amidst widespread falsehood.
It's worth noting that although the German philosopher identified crisis on many levels, he studied them all simultaneously and did not separate them from each other. In fact, such separation and isolated study is itself one of the signs of crisis. Life, which underlies everything, is one, an absolute and unconditional whole - any divisions are already a falsification of life. Thus, in Nietzsche's work, there is no division into epistemology, ethics, aesthetics, metaphysics, etc. Everything is part of the whole and mutually conditions each other.
Furthermore, the philosopher did not clearly separate content from form. Form shapes content, content imposes form - that's why Nietzsche placed such great importance on a proper style. He always sought the appropriate form to capture what he wanted to convey.
One of the key aspects of Nietzsche's thought is the idea of perspectivism, the belief that there are no absolute moral truths. Instead, different values and principles can be true from various points of view.
Acting "Beyond Good and Evil," as the title of one of Nietzsche's works suggests, means understanding and accepting the multiplicity of perspectives and not limiting oneself to a single, imposed morality.
When discussing cultural decadence, it's worth mentioning that Nietzsche was fascinated by Schopenhauer's philosophy, which argued that at the foundation of reality lies an irrational, blind force called will. However, Schopenhauer drew pessimistic conclusions from the irrationality and inevitability of this will, which Nietzsche disagreed with. Nietzsche transformed Schopenhauer's concept of will into the concept of life, aiming to overcome his mentor's pessimism.
Schopenhauer's idea that life has no purpose, being merely a mindless, irrational forward drive, shook the foundations of European philosophical history. Despite the diversity of moral ideas throughout European history, one belief had been common: life has a purpose.
Nietzsche drew upon Schopenhauer's ideas, partially agreeing with him: indeed, man has no purpose beyond himself. However, Nietzsche asserted that man has a purpose within himself: life itself is the purpose. With this conviction, Nietzsche moved beyond Schopenhauer's nihilism and pessimism, seeking to overcome the cultural decadence of the 19th century.
Against this backdrop, Nietzsche aspired to revaluate all values and created his ideal of man, which he called the Overman. And the path to this ideal involves Three Metamorphoses (The Camel, the Lion, and the Child).
5. The Three Metamorphoses
Three metamorphoses of the spirit do I designate to you: how the spirit becometh a camel, the camel a lion, and the lion at last a child.
The concept of the Three Metamorphoses is closely tied to the revaluation of all values and the idea of the Overman. It illustrates the path that, according to Nietzsche, an individual should traverse to achieve their full potential.
This concept was presented by Nietzsche in his work "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" which describes a transformation from the camel, symbolizing obedience, to the lion representing rebellion and courage, and ending with the child, which symbolizes innocence and a new beginning. This final stage is where the individual, freed from old values, creates new, personal values and affirms life.
Nietzsche's study of the three metamorphoses is a highly versatile metaphor. Within it, we find both a three-stage process of becoming a culture-creating individual and, characteristically for Nietzsche's work, an outline of criticism of our civilization's contemporary condition.
The first stage is the camel - The camel is a metaphor for every ordinary member of society. As social beings, imposed upon by a commonly accepted way of thinking, we resemble camels. Every value, every established behavior in literally every social situation is for us another bundle on our backs, with which we must march.
Camels cannot think for themselves and need ready-made answers and simple social norms to make their world understandable and orderly.
“Many heavy things are there for the spirit, the strong load-bearing spirit in which reverence dwelleth: for the heavy and the heaviest longeth its strength.
What is heavy? so asketh the load-bearing spirit; then kneeleth it down like the camel, and wanteth to be well laden.
What is the heaviest thing, ye heroes? asketh the load-bearing spirit, that I may take it upon me and rejoice in my strength.
All these heaviest things the load-bearing spirit taketh upon itself: and like the camel, which, when laden, hasteneth into the wilderness, so hasteneth the spirit into its wilderness.”
The first stage of Three Metamorphoses represents the state of uncritical acceptance of traditional values and behaviors that Nietzsche saw as prevalent in society.
In Nietzsche's critique, this stage represents the starting point from which individuals must evolve to overcome cultural decadence and achieve authentic self-realization. It embodies the passive acceptance of inherited values that Nietzsche sought to challenge through his philosophy.
The second stage of the Three Metamorphoses is the lion.
“But in the loneliest wilderness happeneth the second metamorphosis: here the spirit becometh a lion; freedom will it capture, and lordship in its own wilderness.
Its last Lord it here seeketh: hostile will it be to him, and to its last God; for victory will it struggle with the great dragon.”
The creative spirit, venturing into its inner solitude, begins to analyze the social values and norms to which it was previously subordinated. It notices their shallowness and banality, and consequently sheds their weight to live without them. This is how the transformation from camel to lion occurs, resulting in a combative being that defends itself against re-subordination to old values and primitive society.
However, this is not a simple challenge, as the lion must engage in a difficult and unequal battle with the dragon:
“What is the great dragon which the spirit is no longer inclined to call Lord and God? "Thou-shalt," is the great dragon called. But the spirit of the lion saith, "I will."
"Thou-shalt," lieth in its path, sparkling with gold- a scale-covered beast; and on every scale glittereth golden, "Thou shalt!"“
The dragon embodies everything that the liberating spirit has rejected. It represents the entire social life that defines every commonly accepted value. The tension between the lion and the dragon thus illustrates the conflict between the creative individual and the mindless crowd.
The individual must fight for their own spiritual independence, to avoid being suppressed and to remain free from common norms, ready-made answers, and everything that has previously limited them.
This is freedom from every universal "you must" in the name of realizing an individual, creative, and significant "I want." It is a struggle against the belief that beyond social norms and morality based on religion, there are no other values or any other, higher and more perfect morality. However, the lion is not the final form of the creative person's metamorphosis:
“To create new values- that, even the lion cannot yet accomplish: but to create itself freedom for new creating- that can the might of the lion do.”
It's worth noting that the lion is an intermediate form of the spirit. The creative spirit becomes a lion at the moment of liberation and remains so during the time it must oppose everything it has abandoned. However, it does not yet represent the full realization of the will to power and the restoration of the principle of amor fati. For these to manifest in their complete form, the creative spirit must become a child.
“But tell me, my brethren, what the child can do, which even the lion could not do? Why hath the preying lion still to become a child?
Innocence is the child, and forgetfulness, a new beginning, a game, a self-rolling wheel, a first movement, a holy Yea.
Aye, for the game of creating, my brethren, there is needed a holy Yea unto life: its own will, willeth now the spirit; his own world winneth the world's outcast.“
The child is a metaphorical description of a pure and innocent being. On one hand, it is untainted by prevailing morality and unrestrained by revealed religious truths. On the other hand, as a blank slate, it can develop freely and without limitations. In this sense, the child is "beyond good and evil," as the philosopher would put it, meaning that the trivial notions of "good" and "evil" imposed upon us are simply false.
Therefore, the child embodies Nietzsche's concept of the transvaluation of all values. The creative individual, similar in attitude to a child, has the obligation to independently decide what is good and what is evil. Without this ability, they cannot achieve significant things. They will not create works of culture and science. Moreover, without this capacity, the creator will not progress towards the ideal of the Overman, which Nietzsche described as an evolutionary necessity.
6. Overman (Übermensch)
The idea of human improvement is not new. Philosophers not only describe and interpret the world around us but also present their programs for its betterment. One such proposal is the vision of the Overman.
“The overman...Who has organized the chaos of his passions, given style to his character, and become creative. Aware of life's terrors, he affirms life without resentment.“
To illustrate his concept of the will to power and his ideal of life, Nietzsche described a figure liberated from all bonds of morality, prejudices, and religion. He called this figure the Overman, in opposition to the ordinary person who has not matured to full life. This was meant to be a creative being, endowed with an extraordinary will to power.
Nietzsche longed for such an imaginary being who would only appear, re-evaluate all values, and constitute an ideal of life in accordance with the principles of the will to power and amor fati. Against the background of these beliefs, Nietzsche created his ideal of man - Overman.
The embodiment of the struggle with oneself in the name of power is the Overman. Nietzsche heralded his coming in the work Thus Spoke Zarathustra:
“Man is something that shall be overcome. Man is a rope, tied between beast and overman — a rope over an abyss. What is great in man is that he is a bridge and not an end.”
It is worth noting that despite Nietzsche's famous criticism of Christianity, the concept of the Overman has its roots in Christian philosophy. The idea of the Overman is based on the Christian belief that man has the potential for transformation and holiness.
Although Nietzsche never precisely defined who the Overman is, as it was largely a distant ideal for us and our aspirations. However, we know that it must be a being who consciously follows the will to power and the joy of existence, who is sublime and refined, and who develops all of their instincts, even the most subtle ones.
In Nietzsche's philosophy, the Overman is the highest authority, and one could say the lawgiver, who creates their own values, is far removed from the schema of what Nietzsche considered the harmful values derived from Christian ethics.
“To enable a sanctuary to be set up a sanctuary has got to be destroyed: that is a law—show me an instance where it has not been fulfilled!“
What characterizes the Overman and their agency is a distancing from reality and subjecting it to a critical evaluation based on the new criterion of an intensifying will to power.
As mentioned earlier, Christian philosophy, which is based on the belief in human potential for transformation and holiness, also lies at the roots of the concept of the Overman. However, Nietzsche sought to construct a model of humanity in opposition to Christianity, which he believed had brought nihilism to Europe, primarily through the teachings of St. Paul.
Nietzsche's ideal was a person capable of affirming life and living in a world of self-created values, rather than relying on God. This individual would be able to create meaning in a world without divine guidance, embracing life in all its complexity and challenges.
What Nietzsche criticized in Christianity was the ascetic ideal, which he saw as a negation of human life and its natural powers—specifically, the will to power. Furthermore, Nietzsche criticized Christianity's approach to earthly life, which viewed it as merely transitory and devoid of value compared to eternal life.
For this reason, Nietzsche was convinced that we need a new human ideal, one that would stand in opposition to the pervasive nihilism and serve as a true alternative to the Christian ascetic ideal. It was based on these convictions that he uttered his famous proclamation, 'God is dead,' and proposed a radical solution to overcome nihilism. Nietzsche asserted that humans would achieve complete freedom once they realized that God does not exist. In short, he believed that individuals could liberate themselves by 'killing' God
Nietzsche's Overman would be a creative individual, endowed with a great will to power, for whom every moment of life is perfectly full and worth reliving. This ideal human would cultivate qualities such as the courage to master oneself and rigor.
This vision serves as a direct response to Christian morality, where humility and meekness are considered among the most important virtues. These Christian virtues, as we mentioned earlier, perpetuate what Nietzsche called 'slave morality'
Nietzsche was convinced that Christian values, instead of building strength in individuals and mobilizing them for creative activity, promoted what he considered to be detrimental values, such as weakness, humility, and turning the other cheek.
The Nietzschean Overman would create their own morality and, as a result, live beyond the principles governing the rest of humanity, beyond its ruling laws. As Nietzsche demonstrates in 'Beyond Good and Evil', the Overman would live fully in this earthly world, as it alone has absolute and unconditional value. For this reason, the Overman would affirm earthly life as strongly as possible, in contrast to the 'eternal life' glorified by Christianity.
To better understand who the Overman is, it's crucial to contrast him with his opposite - the Last Man (der letzte Mensch). Nietzsche, analyzing his contemporary times, concluded that humanity was heading toward the so-called 'last man', characterized by contentment with small pleasures, lack of ambition, and a comfortable life.
“The opposite of the overman [Übermensch] is the last man: I created him at the same time with that. Everything superhuman appears to man as illness and madness. You have to be a sea to absorb a dirty stream without getting dirty.”
In Nietzsche's philosophy, the Last Man seeks peace, quiet, contentment, and joy. He accepts his fate and feels satisfied with everyday life. The Last Man is also characterized by a desire to be the same as others. Nietzsche viewed this attitude not only as the antithesis of the Overman but as a symbol of cultural degeneration.
According to Nietzsche, the Last Man is the product of a society that values comfort and security above all else, leading to the loss of all higher aspirations and goals.
A crucial premise of the Overman is the complete affirmation of life. This affirmation extends to accepting one's own destiny, regardless of what it may bring. This affirmation is known as 'amor fati' ('love of fate'), in which both evil and good are necessary components.
For Nietzsche, pain becomes a normal part of every natural event. We need not explain the presence of evil; evil is necessary, pain is necessary, suffering is necessary – all of these are part of an inner conflict. As we know, for Nietzsche, the goal of life is not happiness, but strength.
Interestingly, Nietzsche believed that it was impossible to precisely describe the characteristics of the Overman. He argued that the Overman is distinguished by originality, and any attempt at standardization would be contrary to nature, as averaging inhibits individual development.
Due to this emphasis on originality, Nietzsche chose to outline the principles that guide the Overman rather than provide a detailed list of traits. The primary principle is that Overmen are independent and always act according to their own will, which serves as their personal law. However, these were mainly outlines rather than clearly defined characteristics.
It's important to note that the German philosopher was opposed to uniform ideologies and societal modes of operation. Nietzsche believed that diversity inspires creativity, which he considered the highest value.
The idea of the Overman is not precisely defined, which has led to many interpretations, often contradicting the author's intentions. The lack of a comprehensive picture is not due to inconsistency or inability to create one but is the result of a deliberate approach. Nietzsche believes that it's impossible to formulate definitive answers to any question, as the world is will to power, which is an eternally self-overcoming dynamic force.
It is also worth adding that after the death of the German philosopher, many distortions of his theory appeared, however, Nietzsche himself was against discrimination of people due to social or national origin and considered the most important thing to be the individual will to power, which predisposes to creativity.
Although the concept of the Overman is at times unclear and was frequently misinterpreted after the German philosopher's death, it's not difficult to discern certain positive aspects of it, such as Nietzsche's intention to overcome the growing nihilism in Europe through this concept.
“The earth has become smaller, and on it hops the man who makes everything small...'We have invented happiness'—say the last men, and they blink.“
The concept of the Overman in Nietzsche's philosophy is inextricably linked to his doctrine of eternal recurrence. The Overman appears as a being who not only can, but joyfully embraces the idea of eternal recurrence. This acceptance signifies a complete affirmation of life in all its aspects - both those considered good and bad. The Overman, in their greatness of spirit, is ready to accept the repetition of the entire history of the world, including all sufferings, failures, as well as triumphs and joys.
This readiness to accept eternal recurrence is the highest expression of strength and life affirmation that Nietzsche attributes to the Overman. Unlike the 'last man', who seeks only comfort and avoids suffering, the Overman sees value in every experience, even the most difficult ones.
7. Eternal Recurrence (Return)
Nietzsche, who was classically trained as a philologist, was well-versed in the works of ancient philosophers. He particularly admired Homeric characters, who are emotivists. In these figures, Nietzsche saw the embodiment of his ideals, such as love of fate and the will to power.
Each of these characters represented a battleground for their own internal emotions, motivating them to act and realize their plans. Nietzsche believed that the power of Greek culture and the dynamic development of city-states stemmed from the spirit of competition that Homer instilled in the Greeks.
It's no coincidence that Homer's work was called "The Bible of the Greeks."
“What if some day or night a demon were to steal into your loneliest loneliness and say to you : 'This life as you now live it and have lived it you will have to live once again and innumerable times again; and there will be nothing new in it, but every pain and every joy and every thought and sigh and everything unspeakably small or great in your life must return to you, all in the same succession and sequence - even this spider and this moonlight between the trees, and even this moment and I myself. The eternal hourglass of existence is turned over again and again, and you with it, speck of dust!'“
Stoicism, an ancient philosophical school that promoted tranquility and emotional self-control, created the theory of eternal recurrence, which Nietzsche reformulated and imbued with new meaning in the context of his philosophy. In doing so, the philosopher broke away from the linear conception of time with a beginning and an end, i.e. a goal.
Although the Stoics used their concept of eternal recurrence to promote acceptance of fate, similar to Nietzsche, there were key differences in their approaches. While the Stoics focused mainly on the cyclical nature of the universe, the German philosopher concentrated on individual experience and its repetition.
Furthermore, where the Stoics used the concept of eternal recurrence to encourage virtue and acceptance of a divine plan, Nietzsche called for creative living and self-transcendence.
Above all, the concept of eternal recurrence is closely tied to Nietzsche's idea of life affirmation. Eternal recurrence presents the individual with a challenge - whether one can accept and desire the repetition of every moment of their life, including suffering. And this requires a strong will to live.
Additionally, Nietzsche also saw the concept of eternal recurrence as a way to overcome nihilism. Accepting eternal recurrence requires a profound 'yes' to life. This concept, characteristic of Nietzsche's philosophy, is not static but actively rooted in affirming life, which additionally corresponds with the active nature of the will to live.
The Stoic theory of eternal recurrence is the idea that the historical process has a circular structure - the world goes through all stages of development, then burns and starts anew, with every previous event repeating cyclically for eternity. According to the Stoics, this means that one should not be concerned with any events, but instead should distance oneself from them and renounce all emotions.
Nietzsche, reinterpreting this theory, conducted a simple thought experiment: if a person agrees to have their life, with all its failures and successes, repeat itself infinitely, it means they regret nothing and respect themselves. In such a case, they are a strong and valuable individual.
Nietzsche was convinced that if one adheres to the principles of love of fate and the will to power, one would want to repeat their life infinitely. On the other hand, if someone is incapable of realizing their potential, they would be terrified by such a vision. Through this concept, Nietzsche criticizes the Christian vision of eternal life. He argues that if a person fails to fulfill their potential and doesn’t want to relive their life infinitely, their thoughts deviate and long for eternal life after death, which is a negation of affirmation and amor fati.
Nietzsche was an opponent of dualistic metaphysics - the concept of 'two worlds': the 'true' and the 'apparent'. By taking this stance in the name of human life's value, Nietzsche sought to recognize what is valuable in the reality accessible to us. He criticized various forms of escape from our world, including the rejection of biology, the realm of instincts, and the body.
By rejecting the dualistic worldview, Nietzsche aimed to redirect human attention and energy toward affirming and improving life in this world. He saw the creation of false dichotomies between 'true' and 'apparent' worlds as a symptom of life denial and a failure to fully engage with the richness of human existence.
Through the concept of eternal return, Nietzsche challenges both pessimism and optimism. Instead, he promotes what he calls 'tragic wisdom' - a celebration of existence. In Nietzsche's view, life's challenge comes from the process of growth and change, which brings both joy and suffering.
Nietzsche used the idea of life repeating endlessly to express the drama of existence and the seriousness of our choices. He wanted people to realize how important it is to live fully in the present, rather than wasting life pursuing cultural ideals he criticized.
“Everything goes, everything comes back; eternally rolls the wheel of being. Everything dies, everything blossoms again; eternally runs the year of being. Everything breaks, everything is joined anew; eternally the same House of Being is built.“
Nietzsche's concept of eternal return is a powerful manifestation of life's creative force. It suggests that the world has an infinite capacity for transformation, with the possibility of past events recurring endlessly. This idea isn't just a theory about how the universe works; it's a challenging thought experiment that pushes us to deeply reflect on our lives and choices.
The eternal return asks us to consider: Would we be willing to live our lives exactly as they are, over and over again for eternity? This question demands a profound affirmation of life and a continuous reaffirmation through our actions and choices. It's not about passive acceptance, but active engagement with life in all its complexity.
Nietzsche's eternal return is not meant to paralyze us with the weight of infinite repetition but to inspire us to live more fully and authentically. It encourages us to create a life so affirming and meaningful that we would gladly choose to live it again and again.
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Summary
Friedrich Nietzsche was one of the most significant philosophers of the 19th century. His works profoundly influenced the creators of the modernist era and continue to inspire individuals seeking authentic expression and those who challenge conventional norms.
The Will to Power emerges as a fundamental driving force in Nietzsche's philosophy, representing not just a desire for domination, but a creative impulse to grow, overcome obstacles, and reach one's full potential.
Nietzsche's Master-Slave Morality offers a provocative reinterpretation of the origins and nature of moral values. By distinguishing between the morality of the strong and the weak, Nietzsche challenges us to reconsider the basis of our ethical judgments and the potential limitations they impose on human growth.
The Transvaluation of All Values represents Nietzsche's ambitious project to overturn traditional moral frameworks, particularly those rooted in Christianity and Platonic philosophy. This radical reassessment calls for the creation of new, life-affirming values that celebrate human potential rather than constrain it.
Nietzsche's critique of Decadence in Western culture diagnoses a decline in vitality and creativity, stemming from an overreliance on reason and a neglect of instinctual life forces.
The Three Metamorphoses provides a poetic allegory for the stages of human spiritual development, from obedience (the camel), through rebellion (the lion), to creative self-realization (the child). This narrative encapsulates Nietzsche's vision of human growth and transformation.
The concept of the Overman (Übermensch) represents Nietzsche's ideal of human potential – a being who has overcome societal constraints and personal limitations to create their own values and live authentically.
Eternal Recurrence serves as both a cosmological theory and a profound thought experiment. By asking us to consider whether we would choose to relive our lives infinitely, Nietzsche challenges us to affirm life fully and to create an existence we would willingly repeat.
The starting point of Nietzsche's thought is the belief that the foundation of human existence is bodily life (that is, what is biological), while spiritual and intellectual life are derived from it. Nietzsche asserts that reality is changeable - in a state of constant becoming, infinitely rich, and chaotic. This dynamic view of the world forms the basis for many of his key ideas.
Nietzsche's relativism has transformed our thinking about values and morality.
It's difficult to overestimate Nietzsche's influence on today's world. However, ideological interpretations have had detrimental consequences for his philosophy, often misrepresenting his ideas.
Friedrich Nietzsche spent the last three years of his life in complete isolation and apathy. He died on August 25, 1900.
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