What do you think of Nietche's 'Superman'?

Question

'Lo!, I teach you the Superman, man is that which must be overcome...what have you done to overcome him'....from his philosophy Nietze beleive that using will power we can transform ourselves into the Superman?....is the will power sufficent to transform a person...i beleive that you cannot change things merely by willing it...what do you think?

Answer 1

That was Nietzsche's meaning of life. Man was something to be overcome. To truly live man had to be unafraid and able to fully embrace life. The superman is the ideal, a perfect man something we haven't got yet. We should all be working towards realizing this prefect being and be prepared to sacrifice ourselves for him. This is man's destiny and one which we must recognize for it to be realized. Most people never reach anything like their potential. They live their lives of quiet desperation distracted by petty things, the superman is able to fully realize the meaning of life, he is the ultimate celebration of creation. I think it is a goal to strive for. Man is something to be overcome. An individual who is not motivated by petty jealousies or hatred is truly to be wishes for.

Answer 2

I think will power IS enough to transform yourself, but of course, you need to have enough will power, and many people do not. They limit themselves with self-pity, or through beliefs derived from society, religion, and/or culture. The notion of the superman (or overman) is all about overcoming all the false limits we place on ourselves, or allow others to place on us. Many of us do indeed have much more potential than the lives we actually live.

The modern-day closest equivalent of the overman is probably the transhumanist movement. The transhuman believes in using rational thought, "will to power," and the latest technology to become more than he is now, more than the average human. The logical conclusion of transhumanism is the eventual evolution into the posthuman, a being far superior to homo sapiens in memory, intelligence, depth and breadth of thought, health, longevity, wisdom, experience, etc. While the transhuman might be said to be an overman in the figurative sense, or at least one striving to be an overman, the posthuman is one who has attained that ideal in the literal sense of the word.

Answer 3

Nietzsche's superman is a translation from ubermench, the term uber here is not merely having extra power or capacity as connotated by the word super, the term uber also related to the concept of upper, so basically He's saying that each individual should not be satisfied with the person he/she is now, satisfied with what they have and the status quo,but should always dare to gain more, change, and be more of themselves constantly. The drive for that constant change should be a basic internal drive that according to Nietzshe is the underlying drive for all the movement and change, which he named the will to power (der wille zur mach).The word power as the translation of the word 'mach' here is not only refer to gain power as in political/structural power where one has the capacity to control others under his/her influence, but more to the notion of oneself who has the capacity, willingness and courage to take control of his/her own decision, free from external influence and subordination. the term will (wille) in Nietzsche's work came under the influence of schopenhauer's philosophy which views will as the innate drive and universal force that lies behind every movement, change and flux. it is completely different from the concept of ego centred will in the works of later existentialist thinker like sartre.

Answer 4

Nietzsche isn't talking about "will power" he is talking about the "will to power" (basically the idea that one of the primary motivators of human behavior is to have power over others). If you are interested in understanding Nietzsche's basic philosophy of human nature, the best source is probably a novel called "When Nietzsche Wept." This is piece of fiction about an imaginary meeting between Nietzsche and Freud's mentor Dr. Breuer. Although fictional, it gives perhaps the best insight into Nietzsche's views that is available to the lay person.

Before getting too involved with his concept of the superman, which is I think a fairly tricky concept, you would do better to understand his concept of re-sentiment, and it's application to morality. In a nutshell it's this: most of modern morality (e.g. be kind, be humble, be altruistic) has evolved as a way for the powerless to surrepticiously gain power over the more powerful. When one is powerless, one doesn't have the luxury of standing up for oneself against insult, etc. So instead one "reverses" morality and say that what is normal for the powerful (e.g. pride) is morally bad , and the opposite (e.g. humility, turning the other cheek) is morally good. This places the powerless in a more favorable position to be morally good, since now the action they would naturally take turns out to be the morally good choice.

Nietzsche's problem with this as a basis for morality is that it is dishonest and cowardly. People (in this scenario) are not acting kind and altruistic because they think altruism is a positive good, but because placing others in a debt to you (because, for instance, you did something kind for them) is a sneaky way to gain power over them.

Contrary to popular belief, Nietzsche does not think that altruism, kindness, and humility are necessarily bad; he objects to dishonestly adopting a morality of helping others as a sneaky way of helping yourself. This is why he believes only the genuinly powerful (spiritually and psychologically) have the ability to be kind simply for the sake of being kind, and not for alterior motives.

Some of the best philosophical work on Nietzsche is by Robert Solomon out of U Texas; easy to read, and with a very deep grasp of the fundamentals of Nietzsche's views. If you want primary texts, I would start with the Geneology of Morals, and Beyond Good and Evil.

Answer 5

If the average man tries to live a life beyond good and evil instead of being a Siegfried he will be a Raskolnakov.

Answer 6

I preferred Christopher Reeves

Answer 7

I think that is the only way to change things.

Answer 8

I think you should watch 'Politics' Ricky Gervais' second stand up DVD.