Individual Liberty vs. Societal Norms: Mill and Nietzsche
Individual Liberty vs. Societal Norms: John Stuart Mill
John Stuart Mill sought to efficiently legislate the boundaries between the interests of the individual and society. According to Mill, an individual is free to exercise their freedom, as long as it does not harm others. The liberty of a citizen is only limited by the freedom of their fellow citizens. Therefore, neither the state nor civil society has the right to impose tastes or opinions on those who do not share them, as long as they are not harming anyone with their difference. Even if someone decides to destroy themselves, society should not have the power to stop them. The only remedy Mill proposed to combat the destructive tendencies of the individual is education.
In the latter part of his work On Liberty, Mill raises the question of whether freedom is more important than equality, personally siding with the former. John Stuart Mill was a key figure in political liberalism, basing his theory on tolerance and respect for individual freedom. In Mill’s utilitarianism, a behavior can be considered positive if it promotes the happiness of the greatest possible number of individuals. He equated happiness with the pursuit of pleasure, clarifying that his concept of pleasure was not lawless frenzy, but rather the avoidance of pain, both physical and psychological.
Mill defended the idea that an individual’s freedom ends where another’s begins, stating: “It is better to be a dissatisfied Socrates than a satisfied fool.” Some might attribute selfish aspects to his utilitarian doctrine.
Nietzschean Vitalism
Nietzsche’s critique of European culture is rooted in its over-reliance on rationality. He characterized traditional morality as unnatural, imposing laws and imperatives that contradict the primary instincts of life. The moral logic of this leads to a personality change, where the powerful and strong are seen as superhuman, while weakness and vulgarity are considered inherently human. Nietzsche opposed religion, viewing it as born of fear and self-loathing. He saw Christianity as a vulgar moral destiny.
Nietzsche also highlighted the Dionysian and the Apollonian. Apollo represents serenity, clarity, and rationalism, the classic image of Greece. Dionysus is impulsive, excessive, overflowing, affirming life, eroticism, and the orgy as the culmination of the desire to live, saying yes to life despite all suffering. Nietzsche rejected positivism and metaphysics, acknowledging the loss of faith in God and the immortality of the soul.
He affirmed a life that always demands more, seeking eternity in pleasure, again and again. Nietzsche spoke of the superman, opposing egalitarian, humanitarian, and democratic currents. He was a powerful defender of individuality, believing that the greatest good is life itself, culminating in the “will to power.” Man must overcome himself and evolve into something superior. Just as man is above the monkey (theory of evolution), the superman is above man. The superman is superior, free from past values, autonomous, aggressive, and a legislator. He is his own rule because he is beyond good and evil, driven by the will to mastery and the creative will of new values. The superman represents the supreme goal of humanity and a life that will lead to a higher existence; anything apart from this will be unnatural and lead to decline.