ALICAN B.

KARIM - MAPHILO

PROF. WRENDOLF C. JUNTILLA

ADVANCED EPISTEMOLOGY

NIETZSCHE’S CONCEPT OF KNOWLEDGE

ON HUMAN EXISTENCE

Introduction

In the realm of sensibility, in the scheme of beings the animals head that diversity of

species. Of the animals, human beings occupy the first rank of their heirarchy the superior

position. As it is universally claimed their superiority is very much indebted to their own

rational faculty that is naturally designed to their being an imprint character in their nature

and thus they are called rational animals because of that instrinsic quality. Their ability to

reason fro certainly proper actions determines what they really are and ought to be ways of

being, orientations and valuations as superior in the animal species. As existent beings the

natural process proper to their inclination such as to be fully humans must always be their

striving as human. They can only possibly realize that desired fullness through the creativity

of rationality in humanization. Nevertheless, as it is believed that it must be they are held

responsible for the consequential effects in every way possible.

Contact with other beings within the scheme is inevitable, it is fundamental to existence,

to be with other beings. This interdependence is a proof of members’s finitude. Of all beings

only humans through their rationality are able to realize the richness of that encounter.

Realization is a process of knowing everyone’s significance in the circle of interrelationships

in Being. In the process of knowing what is sought by reason’s stern test and affirmation in

the search primarily for the fullness of human existence is claimed to be as knowldege.
Reason itself gives name to or authenticates knowledge as such. It is even claimed that when

the fullness of existence especially human existence is sought in knowldege, such pursuit is

no less than the truth, the truth of existence in Being.

 NIETZSCHE ON HUMAN EXISTENCE

Philosophy is an activity of man in his inexhaustible search for worldview that gives him

meaningful existence, fullness of being. This reality makes philosophy as the basic enterprise

of man. It is constitutive to the mode of his being , to be a man of fullness and authenticity.

Nietzsche’s Concept of Man

In all fields of thought, Nietzsche considers science as the only legitimate field for it can

indubitably justify its claims through its method but “Nietzsche was aroused from dogmatic

slumber by Darwin as Kant had been by Hume a century earlier and again it was a question

of creating a new picture of man in reply to the true but deadly nihilism from beyond the

channel”. when it comes to the concept of man science and Charles Darwin are inseparable

for the claim of Darwin is the paradigm of science. When Nietzsche was aroused from his

dogmatic slumber by science or Darwin’s picture of man he had to find ways to change

science’s picture of man. For him the claim is an insult or a scandal to the greatness of man in

relation to his essential dignity and worth. He wants to give man an empirically noble picture

not like what science gives him.

According to science theory of evolution, species are moving closer and closer to

perfection all the time. No less, all living things behave essentially the same in that process of

perfection. As part of that theory, what Nietzsche finds seriously problematic is science’s

doctrine concerning the distinction between man and the animals behavioral pattern.

Factually the animals are governed by the dictates of theor impulse thus they seek to satisfy

themeselves to the extent of struggling or competing with each other in order to survive to

preserve their life (survival of the fittest).

Man for Nietzsche, as tradition has always conceived him to be is a rational animal.

What distinguishes him from animals is not that he conclusively has rationalitybut on how we
will cultivate that potential its creativity and technicity in undertaking the task of raising

himself above the beasts. If man is to behave like the way which the animals do in view of

the theory of evolution, terrible destruction will surely to occur for he can use the greatness of

his intellectual ability in the great competition for self preservation. Man must use his

greatness constructively which gives him essential dignity and worth and not destructively

which is a character of the animals.

In his pursuit for an empirically noble picture of man by finding ways of rejecting

science’s claim, Nietzsche considers presenting the picture or status of what would man be in

the presence of God. According to Nietzsche “as soon as we imagine someone who is

responsible for our being…. and therefore attribute to him the intention that we should exist

and be happy or wretched, we corrupt for ourselves the innocence of becoming. We then

have someone who wants to achieve something through us and with us”.

Again, nietzsche faces another scandal when becomes the ground and final end of

everything especially with that of man. Man, in the presence of God, is a dependent man. He

cannot posit himself as an end he can only be a means. He does not beling to himslef he is

just used up. In other words, man is just a mere puppet. The puppet works through and for the

master. For Nietzsche, if man is limited to a mere puppet this idea is a rape or perversion of

what man can greatly make for himslef. In his regard of science’s justification process, not

only that God’s existence can not be scientifically demonstrated but also His presence loss

what man can greatly make for himself. For this reason, Nietzsche strenously proclaims the

death of God.

In sum, Nietzsche’s empirical picture of man is a rational man. The greatness of his

rationality is conclusively not what distinguishes him from the animals but rather he may use

it constructively in realizing the distinction between him and the animals that gives him

essential dignity and worth. His greatness, so to speak his essential dignity and worth must
be fully accounted to himself not to anybody else. He must be free in giving himself dignity

and worth through the best of his ability, thus, such pursuit is a personal task.

The Superman

According to science, though man is a rational animal he is still not different from the

animals in a behavioral pattern as an incontrovertable empirical fact. Without a doubt, basing

from Nietzsche’s concept of man he recognizes man’s animal nature. But to behave and act

without thought and control to the extent of destroying others is an animal characteristic.

Upon descovering the greatness of the will to power in man’s rationality as a necessary

condition of his existence in the ever changing world that greatness must not be dissolved to

his animal nature but he must use it in living not the way which the animals do that gives him

essential dignity and worth. Man must take a distinction between him and the animals. Man

must express the greatness of the will to power in his reason to overcome his animal nature.

Science thus, dissolves the greatness of man completely to his animal nature. For Nietzsche,

mun must live and pursue for perfection by exhausting the best in him in a dignified and

worthy process proper for himself, not animalistic.

 NIETZSCHE ON KNOWLEDGE

In the pursuit for knowldege, no knowledge can transcend the methodical knowledge of

the empirical science but, in Nietzsche’s examination about the legitimacy of science to claim

for the truth, he unmask science’s pretensions through the impossibility of self definition or

self reflection. In his further inquiry he ha sfound out reason’s dependency on the senses.

According to Nietzsche reason evolved on a sensualistic basis, on the prejudices of

science such as the belief in the truth of the judgements of the senses. Reason is dependent on

what our senses can perceive. It function solely to interpret the multiple sensations and

impressions. The value of the worl then lies on how we put order on these appearing and

changing things according to our interpretations of them for our practical purposes.

If reason is dependent on the senses, truth is really impossible in science but what

science can only have are its interpretations of all appearing and changing things. For

Nietzsche, what manifest reason in its pursuit for all appearing and changing things is not

truth but will to power such as man’s desire to be in power over these things for his practical

purposes as a necessary condition of his existence.

 NIETZSCHE’S CONCEPT OF KNOWLEDGE

ON HUMAN EXISTENCE

Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche abhors the traditional notion of knowledge. He still quite

skeptical about knowledge as such, thus, we are vain to suppose that we can know the truth.

Almost throughout history, men have been chained to knowing the truth wanting the world to

conform perfectly to their way of thinking in the belief that reason can exhaust the truth in its

entirety such as a world that is perfectly understandable and behaves in perfect ways. For

Nietzsche, no matter how much we want to exhaust the truth, it never will.

No less in the process of his pursuit, Nietzsche has discovered the will to power as the

basic principle of reason in it desire to master everything, and he then proceeds to extend this

principle of explanation to organic life in general and finally, to the world as a whole. All

appearing and changing things are no less than the manifestations of this primal force. The

constant struggle and change in the world is the activity of the will to power in overcoming.

Its self-overcoming in its manifestations. Of all its manifestations, reason is its highest form

of manifestation. But reason is dependent on the senses which are also will to power’s

manifestation. Though it is dependent on the sense reason interprets what the senses can

perceive and imposes order on the multiple sensations and impressions for man’s practical

purposes. Reason’s imposition of order on the ever changing world is no less than will to

power’s activity of self-overcoming because reason and th world are variants of this primal

force or man’s activity of overpowering all appearing and changing things for his practical

purposes is also will to power’s self-overcoming because man and all things are but

manifestatios of the will to power.

According to Nietzsche, the pursuit of science in all appearing and changing things is its

activity of interpretation in order to impose order on them as a necessary condition of man’s

existence thus, man’s abstarction and simplification of all things is man’s desire to overpower
the ever changing world for his practical purposes such as to make his life possible and to

realize whatever objective he has for his life. Though reason is the highest manifestation of

the will to power, it needs the senses for it to have an access to the world and to exhaust its

greatness fully to make man’s existence possible in the ever changing world.
Summary and Conclusion

The preciousness or greatness of Nietzsche’s intention regarding his pursuit for man in

relation to his essential dignity and worth is no less than his noble lie. If reason is only

capable of interpretation, it then follows that everything which comes out from Nietzsche’s

mouth is interpretaion. If he claims that reason is only capable of interpretaion, it must also

be his interpretation thus, whatever he claims is a defeat against him. As an honest avowal,

the researcher finds the necessity of branding Nietzsche’s pursuit as self-defeating. Though

this is the status of Nietzsche’s philosophy as the reseacher views it, its offer of a noble way

of life such as to live an essentially dignified and worthy life not animalistic is always

wanting.

Many readers abhors Nietzsche beacuse of the interpretations of his philosophy to them.

They picture Nietzsche’s superman as if a notoriously powerful man who has killed even God

such idea is terrifying.

Currently, many people suffer from impaired self-esteem they need tor work on being

proud of themeselves. Nietzsche might serve as a living reminder to the people of today.

Significantly, on this paper Nietzsche is remindingus once again that knowledge is power.

Life can be decadent if we live passively, we must challenge ourselve because true maturity

means discovering or creating an identity for ourselves such as wholesome identity not

animalistic, we must be true to ourselves. Life can be wonderfully great if we experience it as

intensely as we can or it is wasted. Obviously, Nietzsche’s philosophy affirms that the

fullness of human existence is a sought in the meaningful totality of beings. If the world is

viewed as the manifestation of the will to power the world and the individual then form a

continuum that cannot be set apart. If the overpowering or imposing of order on the ever

chaning world for man’s practical purposes as a necessary condition of his existence aims not

to be animalistic, Nietzsche’s superman is the great attendant for the preservation and
continuity of Being.

REFERENCES
Nietzsche, F. (1954). The Portable Nietzsche (W. Kaufman, Ed. & Trans.) New York: The

Viking Press

Nietzsche, F. (1999). Beyond good and evil (W. Kaufaman, Trans). In Curry, B., the

perspective of Nietzsche: Will to power. [on-line]. available:

http://www.pitt.edu/~wbcurry/nietzsche.html.