What's Nietzsche talking about in Thus Spoke Zarathustra?

Question

The more I read him, the more confused I get.

I think he's mostly saying, "And I'm better than you, and I'm better than you," and, "The definition of the Ubermensch: not you," and "Men are being and women are seeming," and "Live in the moment," and some stuff about how we should be all tough and hroargh.

But he's running circles around my head.

Also, what's up with the Will to Power? I don't understand it.

Answer 1

I find anything he wrote difficult to understand. Good luck

Answer 2

he's not talking about any of the things you accuse him of talking about, that's for sure. Nietzsche writes in such a way that he assumes some kind of prior familiarity with his ideas. prior to zarathustra he wrote the birth of tragedy, untimely meditations, human, all too human, daybreak, and the gay science. the only thing you're right about is that he does say really bad things about women.

he's talking about a LOT of different things in zarathustra. what he's not saying is that HE is the overman or that YOU are not the overman. also note, there is a lot of verbage in this book, but concentrate your attentions on "first part: on the three metamorphoses". Also, read some commentaries by walter kaufman. also, stop reading this book and read his previous books first. but with that said:

1) the will to power, the will to power is a will to perpetually overcome oneself and ones state. the 'self' is not a static thing but a verb, an activity of constant overcoming and striving. this is developed in his prior books a bit, although he does not call it 'the will to power' then.
2) the overman as a kind of 'ideal' of one who uses the will to power well. the overman does so by overcoming traditional meaning and morality (the death of god, traditional morality and meaning are described in previous books). he does not do things merely because others think they are right or because he 'ought' to do so or because a god demands it. to do that is to live according to static ideas and concepts.

3) the overman overcomes all that and CREATES for himself his own values and meaning by his actions. and when he does that he doesn't sit down and conceptualize them, he tries to overcome those as well. realizing that the old values are false frees the overman to overcome them and create himself anew out of nothing. it is BECAUSE of the realization that the formerly objective guides are all worthless that he is freed to create for himself what it means to be himself.

4) this is related to another idea, the idea that human beings create who they are and are not finished until they're done creating. a persons 'being' is not just decided in advance, a person has to live it out and create it for themselvess. life and reality are constantly changing so one needs to be constantly changing and overcoming oneself and adapting to it.

5)also: nietzsche has his usual attack on the mind-body dualism, saying people create imaginary souls as a means to attack what is earthly, namely, their bodies. he attacks the idea of living for the 'next life'. of being against 'the earth', of being against living this life for this life and creating values based on this life. he attacks contentment and security and being happy as complacent non-dynamic ideals. attacks education as something that just leads to conformity. he plays on the idea that the wise man will not be understood by his community. does a pseudo sermon on the mount bit and makes a lot of jokes.