Nietzsche’s Philosophy: Reality, Knowledge, and the Superman
The Problem of Reality: The Will to Power
For Nietzsche, Western culture is founded on the idea established by Plato of the existence of two worlds: the sensible world and the world of ideas. The sensible world is considered an apparent reality, while the world of ideas is considered the authentic reality. This implies a negative assessment of the sensible world and a positive assessment of the intelligible world, which has led to a disregard for life in this world and its values.
Metaphysics is a false split. Only the sensible world exists, which is the world we live in. Inventing another world is the great lie of the Platonic-Christian tradition. For Nietzsche, it is necessary to appreciate life as it was before Platonic idealism.
Western metaphysics leads to nihilism. It leads to the goal of human existence being an afterlife, that is, nothing. When man realizes this, disappointment comes over the loss of meaning. One must escape this metaphysical denial of philosophy to affirm a new philosophy that will give a positive sense.
The Vital
For Nietzsche, the only reality that exists is that of the sensible world. It is what is real, together with life. These realities are contained in the will to power, something different from the mere will to exist, which is conservative and reactive. The will to power is a desire for expansion, a development of life. It is a manifestation of power. Its pretense is the satisfaction of impulses and instincts. Nietzsche distinguishes two types of forces: active forces, which represent the life that arises and wants to appear, and reactive forces, which represent a decadent life that wants to fade away, tired of living, that wants the afterlife, which is nothing more than nothingness.
Life and humans are constantly changing, ever-changing and dynamic. This struggle of reality prevents a static explanation of the change of any reality. The will to power is not an ideal to achieve, but simply the momentum to prevail.
Nietzschean Proposal
The moral identity of Nietzsche’s ethical subject is not in memory but in the will to power. This is the willingness to affirm, to decide over and even against all reason, in trying to be original and always behave individually.
Nietzsche exalts the will to power of the nobles, the great, which affirms itself, and despises the behavior of the mass.
The Problem of Knowledge: Perspectivism
Reality is pure becoming and cannot be captured by metaphysical conceptualization. Intending to capture different and changing realities in concepts distorts reality and offers a false version of reality itself. No reality is equal to another, nor is it the imperfect realization of an ideal model. For Nietzsche, there are no such ideal models. Each changing reality is different and cannot be explained with concepts. Metaphysics only considers the truth of the idea, which is the model of any reality.
Criticism of Science
Science seeks to establish laws and achieve a true explanation of reality, forgetting reality itself. It pretends to quantify the qualitative aspects of things. Science is presented as the only true knowledge, replacing religion as a source of beliefs, becoming a new god for modern man.
Perspectivism
Nietzsche sees no single and only true interpretation of reality, but different perspectives. The one who interprets reality is the human being for the satisfaction of instincts. Reality is seen by each human being from their own perspective. Nietzsche supports philosophical pluralism, where each philosopher dares to invent their own vision of reality.
The Problem of Human Nature: The Idea of the Superman
Western philosophy has understood the human being as a rational animal. Rationality had been considered the most significant feature of humans. Reason is opposed to instincts and passions. Nietzsche believes that human reason is at the service of instincts, which are those that govern us, the will to power, and the desire to assert and impose oneself. The only law of our conduct is the life instinct and the satisfaction of all our passions.
The Idea of the Superman
The human being is a manifestation of the will to power. Their ideal must be to reach the Superman, the situation in which man gets rid of old beliefs and the only law is their own will. The post-Christian believes in nothing that is above them, obeys no moral, is free and individualistic, and dares to live their own life according to their wishes. They own themselves. Such a state of the human being is spiritual. The Superman is not rational or moral. They do not believe in the afterlife or God, for that belief is nothing more than a belief in nothingness, in death. The Superman must believe in the eternal return, that life must be lived intensely, as it is the only life we will live again and again. The way of the Superman goes through three stages:
- The Camel: This is the situation of Western man, burdened unquestioningly.
- The Lion: The status of the man tired of the burden of the old morality. He rebels against his master and begins to impose his own will.
- The Child: The status of the liberated man, just looking for affirmation of themselves. From this point, they begin to be Superman, eager to live and not subject to any moral. They no longer believe in God and seek to satisfy all their instincts.
Will of the Superman
This is not a race of Supermen, but a lifestyle, a new way of being human.
The Superman Against God
Nietzsche is convinced that man is called to replace God. The Superman also goes against the “infrahuman”, the defeated, the humbled, the mass, the poor, etc.
The Problem of Morality: Master Morality vs. Slave Morality
Criticism of Platonic-Christian Morality
The principal error of Western morality is its unnaturalness. Its division of reality into two worlds implies an underestimation of life in this world. The Platonic-Christian morality proposes to rule the body and restrict vital instincts. This unnatural morality promises a prize in a spiritual world that does not exist. It is the promise of restraint in the face of nothingness, moderation in the face of excess, life under rules against free life, and the repression of instincts in the face of the frenzy of vital impulses.
The Morality of the Gentlemen
- Slave Morality: The morality of the weak, who consider as good the values of resignation, obedience, control of instincts, pain, patience, etc. This morality is reinforced by Christianity. Finding no comfort in this life, they expect another. It expresses resentment against those who enjoy life, to whom it promises punishment in the afterlife. It considers as bad the values of the enjoyment of life, health, the realization of instinct, freedom, etc.
- Master Morality: The morality of the strong, not subjected to any will other than their own. It is the morality of those who love life, power, grandeur, and pleasure. Reason is directed by instincts. This morality existed before the advent of Platonism and is the one to which the Superman must return.
For Nietzsche, a new transmutation of values should be shown where the morality of the strongest will prevail against that of the weak.
The Problem of Society: The Destruction of the State
Nietzsche’s philosophy remained with its back to the political and social issues. He overlooked the importance of democracy as a political system and socialism as an ideology. The state is seen by Nietzsche as a new imposition of the Western intellectual tradition to organize human life and subject it to restrictions, rules that stifle freedom, above all, of stronger individuals who are limited by the weaker ones. These weaker ones want the state to crush free spirits and obtain protection against them. For Nietzsche, the state will be seen as the new God, the source of new mandates and obligations to follow.
Socialism is the new ideology to replace Christianity. They are beliefs for gregarious minds and put equality before freedom, promising an egalitarian society that is the end of all progress. Socialism arises from the envy of the weak who cannot live the life they want, so they want to chain their freedom and avoid any difference.
Democracy, for Nietzsche, is the government of the weak, who join together to crush free spirits, seeking equality for all.
Influence and Importance of Nietzsche’s Philosophy
Nietzsche’s thought caused a commotion in Western philosophy. Philosophies of life arose that saw life as the new principal problem, for example, Dilthey’s biographical vitalism, Bergson’s metaphysical vitalism, and Ortega y Gasset’s “ratiovitalism”.
Nietzsche’s philosophy has become very important in our day in postmodern philosophy. In this line of thought, consisting of Baudrillard and G. Vattimo, the following consequences are extracted from Nietzsche’s thought:
- Perspectivism: Postmodern philosophers are satisfied that there is no great truth that is the ultimate source of meaning. Neither Christianity nor Marxism are the instigators of Western culture. The consequence of this neglect is the emergence of plural perspectives about reality; none can claim to be true.
- Antidogmatism: Having different perspectives of reality, there is no single universal truth. No perspective can claim to be the truth; each one represents the truth of each perspective.
- Multiculturalism: There is no culture that we can consider higher or better than another. All are real results of the perspectives of life and are respected. None of them is entitled to be imposed on others.
- Evaluative Pluralism: Valuation depends on the perspective of each culture.
- Nihilistic Atheism: The old idea of the existence of God no longer applies. Now fit new appreciations of life; new meanings are created by humans.
- “Thisness”: Since this life is actually the only sure and certain one, it must be lived with intensity, heedless of the future.
Nietzsche’s philosophy has been criticized. It has been noted that freedom to do what everyone wants, if not controlled, can destroy or harm others. From socialism, it is understood that Nietzsche’s proposals would lead to moral anarchy and the dominance of the strongest over the weakest, making a kind of unjust society. Individual freedom must have its boundaries to enable coexistence and social peace. Nietzsche’s radical proposals must be tempered; otherwise, our social life is in danger of dissolving.