"God is dead. Man is now free."
2006-07-12 16:43:30 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
God is dead" (German: "Gott ist tot") is a widely quoted phrase by Friedrich Nietzsche. It first appears in The Gay Science, section 108 (New Struggles), in section 125 (The Madman), and for a third time in section 343 (The Meaning of our Cheerfulness). It is also found in Nietzsche's classic work Also sprach Zarathustra, which is most responsible for popularizing the phrase. The idea is stated by 'The Madman' as follows:
God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we, murderers of all murderers, console ourselves? That which was the holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet possessed has bled to death under our knives. Who will wipe this blood off us? With what water could we purify ourselves? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we need to invent? Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us? Must we not ourselves become gods simply to be worthy of it?
— Nietzsche, The Gay Science, Section 125, tr. Walter Kaufmann
2006-07-12 16:49:42 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
We put "God" under the scrutiny of history, geneology, archaeology, philosophy and rendered it into ash. It's been completely de-mystified it has no bearing, all our world can be explained without it.
We are free to choose our human destiny, for this life and earth. Of course Nietzsche has a madman in the streets saying "God is dead" because then, even though Germans knew it in 1880-- they still couldn't deal with the prophetic implications, the cultural implications... they could not rise to the occasion, and STILL people deny that such a cultural thing has happened.
Nietzsche's madman was the one on the streets back then, Now it's the pro-life activists and doomsday preachers on the streetcorner.
2006-07-12 23:57:08 · answer #2 · answered by -.- 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is Nietzsche's support for Nihilism. The idea is the there is no free will because of the rules of predestination and the definition of omniscience and therefore any supreme being is subjugating his people. Because it is known before it happens, there is no choice, Man is simply performing the predestined will of God like a puppet.
2006-07-13 00:06:04 · answer #3 · answered by PUtuba7 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He was a son of a preacher, and became disheartened with the faith due to hypocrisy. Unfortunately, he lived a miserable life and died an agonizing death.
The fault in his theology was that he looked at Christians and held them up against a perfect Being. No one can live up to that.
I'm a hypocrite too, though I strive not to be, but serve a perfect and forgiving God. God is not dead. He is very much alive.
2006-07-12 23:50:01 · answer #4 · answered by warrenvet 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My understanding is that "god is dead" refers to man no longer needing the concept of god or religion. It's not meant to literally imply that god died. It could be compared to the meaning behind "religion is the opiate of the masses." Where if we no longer need religion man can now truly be free.
I don't know where that exact quote is from. I know "god is dead" appears many times throughout Zarathustra.
2006-07-12 23:54:54 · answer #5 · answered by laetusatheos 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Man and Superman. Man is free to choose the life he wants (we might caal is secular humanism)
2006-07-13 00:18:45 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nihilism is alive and well..but only in Nietzsche.
the book is "Man-Superman"..I believe??
2006-07-12 23:47:21 · answer #7 · answered by G-Bear 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋