UNIT 3: FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE (1844-1900)

Contents

3.0 Objectives
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Life
3.3 Main Works
3.4 Nietzsche’s Philosophy
3.5 Nihilism
3.6 Will to Power
3.7 The Death of God
3.8 The Overman or Superman
3.9 Let Us Sum Up
3.10 Key Words
3.11 Further Readings and References
3.12 Answers to Check Your Progress

3.0 OBJECTIVES
The main objective of this Unit is to understand the philosophy of Nietzsche. Though we will not
be doing a detailed study of the philosophy of Nietzsche, we will be getting familiar with the
salient features of his philosophy. We begin with his life and works and proceed directly to his
philosophy. The first section explains his notion of Nihilism, wherein we will explain the general
understanding of active nihilism and passive nihilism. The second section elucidates the ‘will to
power.’ We shall analyze how it is understood as ‘life’ itself and how it is the essence of every
willing being. The third section delineates the ‘death of God.’ We shall see how the
announcement of ‘death of God’ was used against Christianity and against the traditional
morality. The fourth section enumerates characteristics of the Overman and explains about the
concept of Eternal Recurrence. Thus by the end of this Unit you should be able to:
• Have a basic understanding about the life, works and the personality of Nietzsche
• Figure out the notion of nihilism (active and passive)

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 • Know what is ‘will to power’
• Comprehend the announcement of ‘death of God’
• Specify the characteristics of Overman or Superman and the necessary points regarding
Eternal Recurrence.

3.1 INTRODUCTION
Nietzsche became a legend even before he died in 1900. He was an extremely complex
personality; he possessed great artistic talent and was one of the best of the modern German
writers. His style, in prose as well as in verse, is passionate, inspiring and of great literary beauty.
His knowledge and interest in Greek culture played an eminent role in his philosophy. However,
the central theme of his thought was man, human life, and therefore, he was completely
preoccupied with history and ethics. Undoubtedly, there is in Nietzsche much more than what the
dilettantism which took possession of his work and personality at the end of the 19th century and
the beginning of the 20th century.

3.2 LIFE
Nietzsche was born on October 15, 1844, at Röcken, Prussian Saxony. His father, Ludwig
Nietzsche, a Lutheran minister christened him Friedrich Wilhelm after King Friedrich Wilhelm
IV of Prussia, on whose birthday he was born. Ludwig died in 1849 and the boy was brought up
at Naumburg by his mother, sister, a grandmother and two aunts. In 1858, he entered Pforta, a
famous boarding school near Naumberg. He was often at the head of the class and acquired an
excellent education. His admiration for the Greek philosophy was awakened during his school
days. He studied theology and classical philology at the University of Bonn and he graduated in
1864. But in 1865 he gave up theology and went to Leipzig. As a student at Leipzig, Nietzsche
discovered Arthur Schopenhauer (known for his pessimism) and Richard Wagner (a great
musician of that time), the two greatest influences on his early thought. After reviewing his
papers which were published in Rheinisches Museum, in 1869, the University of Basel appointed
him as the chair of philosophy even before he had even taken the doctorate.
He never married though he proposed to two women, one Dutch and the other Russian. Both
refused to marry him. He was for a period of time in conflict with his sister Elizabeth because
she married a fascist and went to live with him in Argentina. But she returned later after the
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death of their mother and looked after Nietzsche. She was very possessive of her brother, built a
myth around him and it is understood that she falsified many of his manuscripts to suit her own
fascist ideology. Throughout his life Nietzsche’s health was poor. His doctors kept warning him
to preserve his very bad eyesight by reading and writing less. He disregarded this advice, fought
severe migraine and gastric pains with long walks and much writing and took pills and potions to
purchase a little sleep. In 1889, the mental tension became too much for Nietzsche. However, he
carried on writing and publishing many books. His books became his life. In January 1889,
Nietzsche collapsed in a street in Turin while embracing a horse that had been flogged by its
coachman. He never recovered and he vegetated until his death. On August 25, 1900, Nietzsche
died as he approached his 56th year, apparently of pneumonia in combination with a stroke. His
body was then transported to the family graveyard directly beside the church in Röcken, where
his mother and sister also rest.

3.3 MAIN WORKS

The principal works of Nietzsche are named here. The Birth of Tragedy / from the Spirit of
Tragedy was written in 1872. In the period 1873-76 he published 4 essays with the common title
Untimely Meditations or Considerations which is rendered as Thoughts out of Season. They are:
i) David Strauss, the Confessor and Writer ii) The Use and Abuse of History iii) Schopenhauer
as Educator and iv) Richard Wagner in Bayreuth. In 1878-79 he wrote Human, All Too Human
which was published originally in three parts. In 1881 Nietzsche published The Dawn of Day and
this was followed in 1882 by Joyful Wisdom. In 1883-85 Nietzsche came out with his famous
work, Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Beyond Good and Evil in 1886 and A Genealogy of Morals, one
of the exceptional works on morality, in 1887, which together with Zarathustra, are probably
Nietzsche’s most important writings. In 1888 along with The Will to Power he had written The
Twilight of the Idols, The Anti-Christ and Ecce Homo, a kind of autobiography (these works have
been published after the death of Nietzsche). These latest works show signs of his extreme
tension and mental instability.

3.4 NIETZSCHE’S PHILOSOPHY

Nietzsche was not content with the traditional mode of philosophizing and conceptualizing.
Nietzsche argued and presented his views quite differently from the traditional way. First of all,

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his writings do not present a systematic account of his philosophical endeavor. His dislike for a
systematic presentation is symbolized in his writings. He had not written his ideas in a systematic
way so as to establish a system of his own. Nietzsche himself makes this clear by saying that, “I
mistrust all systems and avoid them. The will to system is a lack of integrity.” So, it is not easy
to present his philosophy systematically; his philosophy cannot be readily segregated into
metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, aesthetics and the like. In any case, we make an attempt, for
our practical purpose, to categorize his philosophy under the following titles.

3.5 NIHILISM
Nietzsche sees reality, the cosmos as valueless. Everything organic and inorganic is reduced to
be merely the product of matter, which has deterministic laws. The advancement of science and
technology, the renaissance thinkers, revolution against Christianity, Darwinian Theory of
evolution and many other reasons could be pointed out why the world was looked at as valueless.
A view that the world is nothing but a big machine was dominant and, Nietzsche thinks that
people do not realize the catastrophe. Nietzsche identifies this catastrophe with nihilism. Western
society was seen by him to have been captured by this horror.
Nietzsche describes nihilism as ‘ambiguous’ in that it can be symptomatic of either strength or
weakness. Nietzsche claims that nihilism is a necessary step in the transition to a revaluation of
all values. It is the most extreme form of pessimism. In simple terms, it is the belief that
everything is meaningless. It arises from weariness. Nihilism is a transitional stage that
accompanies human development, cleaning and clearing away outdated value systems so that
something new can arise in their place. Nietzsche speaks of two kinds of nihilism: passive
nihilism or incomplete nihilism and active nihilism or perfect nihilism. Passive nihilism is
characterized by a weak will and active nihilism by a strong will.

Passive Nihilism
Passive nihilism is more the traditional belief that ‘all is meaningless.’ It is the result of what
happened in our thinking. According to Nietzsche, “the highest values devaluate themselves.”
The aim is lacking; ‘the why’ finds no answer. The highest values so far had been God and other
metaphysical or otherworldly realities. The other world was considered the real world while this
world was considered only an apparent one. The role of God is now put in question and

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‘experience’ turns out to be the sole basis of acquiring knowledge. Hence, what happens is the
fact that anything, which is considered holy and unquestionable, is under skepticism. The result
is nihilism. We are confronted with the naked reality as something aimless and valueless. The
world looks valueless because those things that oriented in giving meanings are taken off. One of
the main reasons could be the end of Christian thinking, we mean from the point of view of
keeping God as the lawgiver, as the source of life, as the source of value and as the source of
meaning of our existence. Now everything is related to positivistic or scientific approach, which
is devoid of any value attached to the world and thus we are confronted with nihilism. This kind
of nihilism is said to be incomplete or the passive.
It is incomplete or passive because even after denouncing the existence of other worldly virtues,
the human being still finds meaning in something else. This something is viewed as giving value
and purpose to our existence even in the midst of valuelessness. That is nothing but morality.
The denial of God does not necessarily lead to the denial of morality, which played a dominant
role in the justification of the world. The human being posits the meaning of existence in the
acceptance of the existing moral system. Therefore, what we need to do is even to go beyond this
status of justifying our existence with the existing moral system.

Active Nihilism

Nietzsche tries to be a perfect or active nihilist. He understands very well that morality serves as
the great ‘antidote’ for the nihilism that one is faced with. Nietzsche argues that “every purely
moral value system ends in nihilism. One still hopes to get along with a moralism without
religious background but that necessarily leads to nihilism.” Hence, it is not enough that we try
to be non-metaphysicians but it is necessary to be also active nihilists. If we are confronted with
nihilism, we should face it actively and affirmatively. One should not try to valuate something
that is not there as passive nihilists do. Rather we need to face actively the baseless, valueless
world. This would indicate active or perfect nihilism.

To sum up, while most of his contemporaries looked on the late nineteenth century with
unbridled optimism, confident in the progress of science and the rise of the German state,
Nietzsche saw his age facing a fundamental crisis in values. He ends up with identifying nihilism

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which others have failed to realize and respond to it actively. “Nihilism literally has only one
truth to declare, namely, that ultimately nothingness prevails and the world is meaningless.”
Check Your Progress I
Note: a) Use the space provided for your answer
b) Check your answers with those provided at the end of the unit
1) How does Nietzsche view nihilism?
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2) What are the two kinds of nihilism? Enumerate their features.
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3.6 WILL TO POWER

To understand the will to power, one must first of all take into account Nietzsche's background
and criticism of Arthur Schopenhauer. Schopenhauer posited a ‘will to live,’ in which living
things were motivated by sustaining and developing their own lives. Nietzsche instead posited a
‘will to power,’ a significant point of contrast to Schopenhauer’s idea, in which living things are
not just driven by the mere need to stay alive, but in fact by a greater need to use power, to grow,
to expand their strength, and, possibly, to subsume other ‘wills’ in the process. Thus, Nietzsche
regarded such a ‘will to live’ as meaningless while ‘will to power’ alone as primary.

Will To Power as Drive

Nietzsche claims that “A living being seeks above all to discharge its strength – life is will to
power.” In Nietzsche’s writings, the ‘will to power’ is consistently associated with being the
essence of a willing being’s nature. In his writings, he makes the ‘will to power’ as the
fundamental drive to explain life’s activities. The ‘will to power’ is treated as the drive of a being
to ‘overcome’ itself, or in simple terms, to better oneself or to become more than what it is at
present. To better oneself, one must be able to overcome both the limitations of oneself and

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external things; “That it must be a struggle and a becoming.” In overcoming these, one can guess
what a being feels: satisfaction and pleasure. In striving to better oneself, one certainly has a will
that causes them to face the limitations. In facing and triumphing over those things one gains
pleasure. But of course, if one does not succeed, then they certainly will feel dissatisfied, but
does not one also notice the strengthening of a will thereafter, perhaps to even say a will
becoming more ‘determined’ and the cycle continues.

Obeying the Will to Power

As said above, the ‘will to power’ is closely associated with the fundamental drive of willing
beings, we shall look at how Nietzsche characterizes several aspects of human doings as actions
that can be viewed as obeying the ‘will to power’ as characterized above. First, there is the
pursuit of knowledge or the “will to truth” as Nietzsche calls it. In Human, All Too Human, he
gives three effects of seeking knowledge that are tied to a gain in the sense of power. One effect
is that by gaining knowledge, one gains an awareness of one’s power, analogous to “gymnastic
exercises are pleasurable even without spectators.” The second effect is that by bettering our
knowledge, we also gain the ability to ‘defeat’ and become ‘victors’ over older ideas (or at least
we believe so), thus a sense of power over other’s ideas. Lastly, in finding new ‘truths’ one can
become affected with a sense of superiority and uniqueness since one feels they understand
something better than others which can feed a sense of power over others. Nietzsche claims
“Their ‘knowing’ is creating, their creating is a legislation, their will to truth is – will to power.”

Will to Power Between Nobles and Slaves

Nietzsche saw the ‘will to power’ as that which drove the priests to moralize upon the world and
recreate the concepts of ‘good’ and ‘evil.’ This is seen best in the work The Genealogy of Morals
in which Nietzsche discusses his idea of an interplay based on the philological analysis of words
between the ‘noble’ class Romans and the ‘slave’ class Jews. While the Romans were painted as
strong, rich, and powerful, the Jews were weak, poor, and lacking in power. However, this
dichotomy of power caused deep seated hatred to brew within the Jewish class, led by the
priests; “It is their impotence which makes their hate so violent and sinister, so cerebral and
poisonous.”

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The Romans were powerful in a superficial manner relying on money and weapons. The priests
were the “most intelligent haters.” Driven by hatred and keen intellects, the Jews came to
overpower the Romans not with weapons and money, but with morality. Whatever the Romans
were, termed ‘evil’ or sinful and anything that was Jewish was made ‘good.’ The masses, or the
“herd” as Nietzsche refers to them, fell in sway with this morality and thus the Jews came to
dominate the Romans. For, to be Jewish was to be good, and to be otherwise made one into “the
‘evil enemy,’ the Evil One.” This will to dominate, spurred by hatred, and led by priests, strong
with a ‘will to power,’ allowed the Jews to triumph over Rome. We should not be misled by this
conclusion because this (of the Jews, of the slaves) is not the will to power that Nietzsche aims
at. The example is to show the force or the power of the will to power. He stands with the will to
power of the masters.

To sum up, let us attempt to congeal the above to state what ‘will to power’ is according to
Nietzsche. ‘Will to power’ is that which explains the fundamental will of living beings which
makes beings strive for growth, overcoming subjective and objective obstacles, and the
satisfaction of gaining a sense of volition. It is important to note that in Nietzsche’s writings,
there is no other will besides the ‘will to power.’ The ‘will to power empowers one and makes
the weak stronger than ever. Though, there is always a discussion whether there are ‘wills to
power’ (several wills that empower) or just ‘will to power,’ we are content with ‘will to power.’

Check Your Progress II

Note: a) Use the space provided for your answer
b) Check your answers with those provided at the end of the unit
1) What is ‘will to power’ according to Nietzsche?
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2) How does the ‘will to power’ play a role between Nobles and Slaves?
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3.7. THE ‘DEATH OF GOD’

The announcement of the ‘death of God’ by the madman occurs in The Gay Science. Let us have
an extract from the passage that we might be able to draw some important conclusions to show
how this announcement serves as the devaluation of all morality, including Christian, Kantian
and utilitarian.

The madman jumped into their midst and pierced them with his eyes. “Whither is God?” he
cried; “I will tell you. We have killed him – you and I. all of us are his murderers… Are we not
straying as through an infinite nothing? Do we not feel the breath of empty space…? God is
dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. (The Gay Science, 125)

The message of the ‘death of God’ is not merely an announcement for the extinction of religion.
It includes the non-believers too to have a broader understanding going beyond mere
announcement of the decline of religion which bases itself on God. Let us analyze.

Death of God and Nihilism

As we have seen earlier, the first moment of evaluation of the 19th century Europe shows us to be
confronted with nihilism. The announcement of ‘death of God’ shows us the emptiness and the
nihilistic elements of the society. Walter Kaufmann says that Nietzsche represents himself to be
the madman in the text. He says, ‘to have lost God means madness; and when mankind will
discover that it has lost God, universal madness will break out.” The madman accuses the
audience saying, “We have killed him”. That means now the whole world looks baseless again.
There is nothing beyond to ensure us comfort. Through this announcement Nietzsche confronts
us with the naked reality again trying to show how we feel now without God. Kaufmann says,
“That is an attempt at a diagnosis of contemporary civilization, not a metaphysical speculation
about the ultimate reality.” Martin Heidegger explains that “The statement ‘God is dead’
contains the realization that nothing is spreading. Nothing means here: absence of Supersensory,
binding world.”

DEATH OF GOD AND MORALITY

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The announcement of the ‘death of God’ devalues religion and everything connected with
religion. It is here we situate Nietzsche’s critique of religion as essentially linked to morality. As
‘death of God’ contains three structural moments: an arrow shot to devalue the Christian,
Kantian and other foundations of morality. Christian morality has its foundation in God. The
Kantian foundation of morality is different at the start but at the end with the postulation of God
it becomes essentially related to Christianity. The utilitarian principles keeping the morality of
the community have a direct link with the herd (Christian morality): the norm of altruism is
nothing but the ‘love of neighbor’ – the central theme of Christianity. Hence Nietzsche sees all
morality to be related to Christian morality. Now the proclamation of ‘death of God’ shakes the
foundation of morality itself.

From 1880, Nietzsche begins his vehement attack on Christianity. The announcement of the
‘death of God’ is to insist that the morality of Christianity can no more base itself on God. In the
text where the announcement is made, the madman says, “What after all are these churches now
if they are not the tombs and sepulchers of God?” This reference is related to the death of a
Christian God. And thus the foundation of morality is shaken. R.J. Hollingdale’s explanation is
the following: the ‘death of God’ is intended to imply all that ever has been or ever could be
subsumed on the name of ‘God’ including all the substitutes of God, other worlds, ultimate
realities, things-in-themselves, nominal planes and the wills to live – the entire ‘metaphysical
need.’” That leads then to a world purposeless and hence morality has nothing to offer – a future
happiness or redemption or salvation. Hence Kantian morality too is doomed to be valueless.

We shall move to the utilitarianism. The same attitude of Christianity is seen to be present
outside of religion too. Nietzsche says, “Utilitarianism (socialism and democracy) criticizes the
origin of moral evaluations, but it believes them just as the Christian does.” The utilitarian
principle is nihilistic, because it has the conception of ‘good and evil’ of the priestly class, of
Christianity. By destroying the Christian values Nietzsche destroys that of the utilitarian too.
Hence the ‘death of God’ is not mere evaluation but it is the announcement of the denial of God.
For Nietzsche regards God “not as a mere error, but a ‘crime’ against life. We deny that God is
God. By denying God Nietzsche wants to ‘unearth’ the theological instincts wherever they are
present. So we conclude, by destroying the basis of the herd morality he destroys that of the
other foundations too. The ‘death of God,’ according to Nietzsche, urges us to be ‘true to earth’

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and revaluate the whole of values. The ‘death of God’ breaks off with all that are illusory and
other worldly. It brings an end to the dualities.

Check Your Progress III

Note: a) Use the space provided for your answer
b) Check your answers with those provided at the end of the unit
1) Describe the announcement of ‘death of God.
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2) How does the ‘death of God’ devalue religion and morality?
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3. 8. THE OVERMAN OR SUPERMAN

The term ‘Overman’ (Übermensch) carries two meanings crucial to Nietzsche’s revaluation of
values. ‘Über’ signifies ‘over’ in the sense of height and self-transformation. It suggests the
elevation of mankind’s highest self into an experience of being that has no trace of moralism or
the fiction of free will. It can also suggest ‘across’ or ‘beyond’ and Nietzsche employs this
second resonance to characterize ‘man’ as a bridge we must pass across toward a life free of
resentment and negativity. The term is never applied to an individual, and Nietzsche plainly
considered neither himself nor Zarathustra, whom he often ridiculed, an Overman. The
transformation of man into Overman cannot take place without a ‘going-down’ or the destruction
of man’s reactive beliefs. The Overman is not the ‘end’ of mankind but a process that transforms
reactive values into the active affirmation of power.

MAN AND OVERMAN

Nietzsche’s Zarathustra preaches the advent of the Overman. Nietzsche proposes this word “As
the designation of a type of supreme achievement, as opposed to ‘modern’ man, to ‘good’ man,
to Christians and other nihilists.” This means that the Overman is the possibility of a powerful

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human being of the future. In fact he is the goal of man. The present man of decadence needs to
be overcome. Nietzsche explains: “What is the ape to man? A laughing stock or a painful
embarrassment.” And just so shall man be to the superman: a laughing stock or painful
embarrassment. It means that the man is an animal to be overcome by the Overman as man has
overcome the ape. The present man is expected to pave way for the Overman, be like a bridge
between animal and Superman.

CHARACTERISTICS OF OVERMAN

If the Overman is the goal what are his characteristics? How does he differ from present man?
To answer these questions we shall use an image that Nietzsche describes. One of the images
that he uses to explain about the Overman is the image of the sea. The present man is like a river
that is contaminated. He is corrupt to the core. The Overman is like a ‘sea’ to receive polluted
water and not be defiled. The image shows that man is nothing compared to the Overman and
explains that any happenings or occurrences of life do not defile the Overman. Whatever comes
on his way, be it suffering, or pleasant occurrences, he is not affected by the situation rather he
affirms himself and establishes himself. He will be beyond ‘good and evil.’ Overman is not only
the embodiment of all the ardent affirmations of life, but the fusion of all that is macho and
beautiful. He will cast aside all aspirations towards other worldliness and immerse himself
joyfully in the creative task of here and now. Society will and must produce superman, and
production of genius is the aim of culture to which, all races will contribute their blood and the
body.

Nietzsche concludes that there is no meaning in life except that which a man gives and the aims
of most men have no surpassing dignity. To raise ourselves above the senseless flux, we must
cease being merely human, all-too human. We must be hard against ourselves and overcome
ourselves; we must become creators instead of remaining mere creatures. This dimension of
Overman takes us to the next concept, namely, ‘Eternal Recurrence.’ Though we do not discuss
it in a detailed manner, it has its own importance to be explained briefly.

ETERNAL RECURRENCE

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The notion of eternal recurrence can be viewed in two ways: cosmological or non-cosmological,
but both the ways involve a supreme affirmation of life. On one level, it expresses the view that
time is cyclical and that we will live every moment of our lives over and over, infinite times,
each time exactly the same. It simply means that each passing moment is not fleeting but rather
echoes for all eternity. Nietzsche's ideal is to be able to embrace the eternal recurrence and live in
affirmation of this idea. In other words, we should aim to live conscious of the fact that each
moment will be repeated infinitely, and we should feel only supreme joy at the prospect.
On another level, the doctrine of the eternal recurrence involves Nietzsche's distinctive
metaphysical notions. Nietzsche contends that there is no such thing as being: everything is
always changing, always in a state of becoming. Because nothing is fixed, there are no ‘things’
that we can distinguish and set apart from other ‘things.’ All of reality is intertwined, such that
we cannot pass judgment on one aspect of reality without passing judgment on all of reality. To
put it differently, we cannot feel regret for one aspect of our lives and joy for another because
these two aspects of our lives cannot properly be distinguished from one another. In recognizing
that all of life is one indistinguishable swirl of becoming, we are faced with the simple choice of
saying yes to all life or no to all life. Naturally, Nietzsche argues that the yes-saying attitude is
preferable.

Check Your Progress IV

Note: a) Use the space provided for your answer
b) Check your answers with those provided at the end of the unit
1) Explain the term ‘Overman.’
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2) Pen down how the image of sea is compared to that of the Overman.
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3.9 LET US SUM UP
One who knows only the suffering life of Nietzsche will tend to think that he is a sickly being
and his philosophy is too sickly and pessimistic. But he learnt from his sickness. He learnt to
affirm life in spite of his sickness. He saw the religions, especially Christianity and the
traditional morality to be hostile to the dignity and development of human beings. Thus, he
started as a nihilist, but confronted the nihilism actively by affirming the self. He came out with
the notion called ‘will to power,’ which is understood as the drive, a drive which makes the
human beings strive for growth, overcoming all the obstacles. ‘Will to power’ is nothing but life
itself. Against the morality, Nietzsche becomes prophetic in demanding to devalue the existing
morality (Christian, Kantian and Utilitarian), which is nihilistic so that he can present a renewed
moral ground or to be specific, a renewed amoral ground. On his way he proclaimed the ‘death
of God.’ Then, follows his Superman or Overman, who overcomes every single difficulty and
who is beyond ‘good and evil.’ He is far superior to man who is merely a human, all-too human.
The notions ‘will to power’ and the Eternal Recurrence paves the platform for the Overman.
Though we would be able to criticize every notion of Nietzsche, we just ask a few questions, was
he right? Would we be able to revaluate morality completely? No God, no morality, no religion.
Then, what will be the standard to base ourselves on? The ‘death of God’ would become a slogan
when it does not serve the purpose! Who creates Overman? When? Overman or Overmen? What
about the rest? Should they be considered as not worthy to live? Does the ‘will to power’
consider the life as just physiological? Is the will just a drive? If the world is valueless and
nihilistic, are the above said notions necessary at all, because the ideal he has shown seems to
lead us to perfect nihilism? Are his revalued notions meaningful, because the affirmation of
power, however sublimated, seems to lead to subjugation?

3.10 KEY WORDS

Nihilism: ‘Nihil’ signifies ‘primarily a value of nil.’ It means nothingness.
Will to Power: The fundamental drive to explain life’s doings. The life, the world is nothing but
the ‘will to power.’
Death of God: It is an attempt at a diagnosis of contemporary civilization, not a metaphysical
speculation about the ultimate reality.

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Overman (Übermensch): ‘Über’ signifies over, across or beyond. Superman is over the man
who is too human.
Eternal Recurrence: It is the view that time is cyclical and that we will live every moment of
our lives over and over an infinite number of times.

3.11 FURTHER READINGS AND REFERENCE

Allison, David B. Reading the New Nietzsche. New York: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers,
2001.
Deleuze, Gilles. Nietzsche and Philosophy. New York: Columbia University Press, 1983.
Havas, Randall. Nietzsche’s Genealogy: Nihilism and the Will to Knowledge. Ithaca: Cornell
University Press, 1995.
Heidegger, Martin. Off the Beaten Track. Translated & Edited by Julian Young and Kenneth
Haynes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002.
Kathleen M. Higgins. What Nietzsche Really Said. New York: Schocken Books, 2000.
Kaufmann, Walter. Nietzsche: Philosopher, Psychologist, Antichrist. 4th ed. Princeton: Princeton
University Press, 1974.
Murphy, Tim. Nietzsche, Metaphor, Religion. Albany: State University of New York Press,
2001.
Susaimanickam, Peter. Nietzsche’s Revaluation of Values: Revisiting His Project from His Moral
Types. Leuven: Thesis, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 2005.
Vattimo, Gianni. Nietzsche: An Introduction. Translated by Nicolas Martin. Stanford: Stanford
University Press, 2002.
Zeitlin, Irving M. Nietzsche: A Re-Examination. Cambridge: Polity Press, 1994.

3.12 ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

Check Your Progress I

1. Nietzsche describes nihilism as ‘ambiguous’ in that it can be symptomatic of either strength or
weakness. Nietzsche claims that nihilism is a necessary step in the transition to a revaluation of
all values. It is the most extreme form of pessimism. In simple terms, it is the belief that
everything is meaningless. It arises from weariness. Nihilism is a transitional stage that

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accompanies human development, cleaning and clearing away outdated value systems so that
something new can arise in their place. Nietzsche speaks of two kinds of nihilism: passive
nihilism or incomplete nihilism and active nihilism or perfect nihilism. Passive nihilism is
characterized by a weak will and active nihilism by a strong will.

2. Nietzsche speaks of two kinds of nihilism: passive nihilism or incomplete nihilism and active
nihilism or perfect nihilism. Passive nihilism is characterized by a weak will and active nihilism
by a strong will. Passive nihilism is more the traditional belief that ‘all is meaningless.’ God and
the morality were the highest values but they do not have any meaning or value anymore. At the
same time it is not enough that we try to be non-metaphysicians but it is necessary to be also
active nihilists. If we are confronted with nihilism, we should face it actively and affirmatively.
One should not try to valuate something that is not there as passive nihilists do. Rather we need
to face actively of the baseless, valueless world. This would indicate active or perfect nihilism.

Check Your Progress II

1. The ‘will to power’ is considered as being the essence of a willing being’s nature. Nietzsche
makes the ‘will to power’ as the fundamental drive to explain life’s doings. The ‘will to power’
is treated as the drive of a being to ‘overcome’ itself or in simple terms, to make better or to
become more than what it is at present.

2. Nietzsche’s famous work, The Genealogy of Morals discusses his idea of interplay between
the ‘noble’ class, Romans and the ‘slave’ class, Jews. While the Romans were painted as strong,
rich, and powerful, the Jews were weak, poor, and lacking in power. However, this dichotomy of
power caused deep seated hatred to brew within the Jewish class. Driven by hatred and keen
intellects, the Jews came to overpower the Romans not with weapons and money, but with
morality. Whatever the Romans were deemed ‘evil’ or sinful, thus anything that was Jewish was
made ‘good.’

Check Your Progress III

1. The announcement of the ‘death of God’ by the madman occurs in The Gay Science. The
madman shouts, “Where is God?” and he continues, “We have killed him, thus we are
murderers.” The whole world now looks again baseless. There is nothing beyond to ensure us
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comfort. And, the message of the ‘death of God’ is not merely an announcement for the
extinction of religion. It includes the non-believers too to have a broader understanding going
beyond mere announcement of the decline of religion which bases itself on God.

2. The announcement of the ‘death of God’ is an arrow shot to devalue the Christian, Kantian
and other foundations of morality. Christian morality has its foundation in God. The Kantian
foundation of morality is different at the start; but at the end with the postulation of God it
becomes essentially related to Christianity. The utilitarian principles keeping the morality of the
community have a direct link with the herd (Christian morality): the norm of altruism is nothing
but the ‘love of neighbor’ – the central theme of Christianity. Hence Nietzsche sees all morality
to be related to Christian morality. Now the proclamation of ‘death of God’ shakes the
foundation of morality itself.

Check your Answers IV

1. The term ‘Overman’ (Übermensch) carries two meanings. ‘Über’ signifies ‘over’ in the sense
of height and self-transformation: it suggests the elevation of mankind’s highest self into an
experience of being that has no trace of moralism or the fiction of free will. It can also suggest
‘across’ or ‘beyond’ and Nietzsche employs this second resonance to characterize ‘man’ as a
bridge we must pass across toward a life free of resentment and negativity. The term is never
applied to an individual, and Nietzsche plainly considered neither himself nor Zarathustra, whom
he often ridiculed, an Overman.

2. One of the images that Nietzsche uses to explain about the Overman is the image of the sea.
The present man is like a river that is contaminated. He is corrupt to the core. The Overman is
like a ‘sea’ to receive polluted water and not be defiled. The image shows that man is nothing
compared to the Overman and explains that any happenings or occurrences of life do not defile
the Overman. Whatever comes on his way, be it suffering, or pleasant occurrences, he is not
affected by the situation, rather he affirms himself and establishes himself.

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