Friedrich Nietzsche on

Man and his Society

Dr. Lionel E. Buenaflor

Head—Batangas Heritage Center
University of Batangas
 Friedrich Nietzsche
(1844 – 1888)

He originated one of Prof. Friedrich Ritschl

the most masculine kindled in Nietzsche a
philosophies, i.e., the passion for philology, the
philosophy of the study of classical
SUPERMAN. philosophy and literature.
 It was from ARTHUR SCHOPENHAUER that he
was able to make a remark that the prudent man
strives not for pleasure but for freedom from pain.

“We should direct our aim not to what is pleasant and

agreeable in life, but to the avoidance, as far as possible, of
its numberless evils.”

The happiest lot is that of the man who has got through life
without any great pain, bodily or mental.”
 Schopenhauer’s philosophy is known as
PESSIMISM, the belief that life is disappointing.

For every satisfied desire, ten new unsatisfied ones

emerge; our only hope is detachment and withdrawal.

Life is nothing more than a constant will to survive.

 He learned from
Schopenhauer the
idea that fulfillment Fulfillment was to be
is an illusion. reached not by avoiding
pain, but by recognizing
its role as a natural,
inevitable step on the
Friedrich Nietzsche way to reaching
From
Schopenhauer, he (1844 – 1888) anything good.
developed the idea
that people should Because of his style of writing, he was
not expect that given the title the FATHER OF
there would be POSTMODERNISM. This is because he
happiness in life. brings into a total overhaul everything
that is considered as the greatest trend
in the modern philosophy.
 The Writings of Nietzsche
In THE BIRTH OF TRAGEDY, he expressed his
apprehension that in the culture of all humanity,
particularly the German culture, the whole of
humanity is headed for new barbarism, and some
ways had to be found in order to divert this culture
from the impending cataclysm.

Greek culture is the model of all cultures.

There were two elements that made the

Greek culture as the model: the
APOLLONIAN culture and the
DIONYSIAN culture.
 The Writings of Nietzsche

The APOLLINIAN, after the God Apollo,

was the formal element of a culture, which
gives measure, restraint, form, and
individuality to life, supplying the
opportunity to share in the ideal world.

The DIONYSIAN culture was the element of enthusiasm,

after the god Dionysius (the Roman god Bacchus). This
culture was the unplanned, unchartered insertion into the
stream of life without concern about where it might lead.

When either of these two elements gain the ascendancy

and override the other, the imbalance spells the doom
of culture and the life of the entire humanity.
The Writings of Nietzsche

In order to avoid the this doom, the

emergence of a savior will be greatly needed.
The said savior is the creative genius who
will give meaning to everyone’s existence.
Nietzsche called this savior the Übermensch
(Overman) or the SUPERMAN.
 The Will to Power
His philosophy is basically one of value theory—a
philosophy calling for a revaluation of all values.

In order to have a good society, there is a

need for a new system of values.

He rejected the traditional concept that sympathy and

humility is the proper foundation for moral values.
Instead, he upheld that every human being has the
inherent tendency to aspire the WILL TO POWER,
regardless of one’s race or culture.

Nietzsche rejected the concept of EQUALITY.

 The Will to Power
Superman represents the highest level of
development and expression of physical,
intellectual, and emotional strength.

The idea of a Superman is related to the concept that

any act of an individual that will enhance develop his
will to power is good; whereas any act that will hinder
its growth is evil and therefore, must be avoided.

Goodness is nothing but the expression of the will to power

and all other motives are not morally sound.
 The Will to Power
The truly free man is the SUPERMAN for whom
nothing is forbidden except that which obstructs
the will to power.

Although goodness is connected with the will to

power, Nietzsche believed that this superman
should not be a tyrant because this will be too
Dionysian.

The passion of the superman should be controlled and

his animal nature should be harmonized with his
intellect, thereby giving style to his behavior.
 The Will to Power
Real progress and real goodness can, therefore, be
achieved by means of the cultivation of the superior
race of human beings and not by raising the weak
and emancipating the masses.

The superior person must rise above the masses

instead of sympathizing with them.

The mark of a society is its power to exploit the

weaker members for the benefit and the interest of
the strong and the powerful few.

People should not focus on the universal morality.

Master Morality vs. Slave Morality

Aware of the Judeo-Christian values which focuses

on the teaching of humility, Nietzsche held that such
teaching makes the human person all the more
weak.
To Charles Darwin, life on earth is survival of the
fittest. Nietzsche added that the best-fitted
individuals desire not merely to survive but to
acquire power over others.

Instead of advocating community life as for

survival, Nietzsche advocated egoism and
individualism as the basis of morality.
 Master Morality vs. Slave Morality

Morality has to be divided into two: HERREN

MORAL or the master morality, and the HERDEN
MORAL or the slave morality.

Morality has to be transformed from the self-defeating,

absolute precepts of slave morality into the independence
of creative action characteristics of master morality.

The aristocrats have become rulers through the

exercise of their natural superior abilities and
aggressive instincts and drives.
 Master Morality vs. Slave Morality

Because they give full vent to their aggressive drives, it

becomes easier for the aristocrats to forgive their
enemies because they do not hold a grudge against
them.
The members of the inferiors have adopted a moral law
taken from their inability to fight the aristocratic class on
equal terms. Instead of fighting the superior class, which
they are incapable of, they just promote democracy and
equality in order to bring the naturally superior
aristocrat down to their own debased level.

Slave morality will end up praising the human

person who serves his fellow creatures with
meekness and self-sacrifice.
 Master Morality vs. Slave Morality

Human beings should subscribe to the master morality

and value courage, self-reliance, high-mindedness,
candor and creative leadership.

The greatest virtue would be RUTHLESSNESS,

EXPLOITATION and MASTERY OVER OTHERS,
especially the weak.

Exploitation is the consequence of the will to

power, which is actually the will to life.

Judeo-Christian religion had contributed so much

to the weakening of the aristocratic values and
character.
 Master Morality vs. Slave Morality

Because Christianity values meekness, humility, self-

denial, sympathy, kindness and charity, Christianity is
called a PERVERTED MORALITY. This is because
Christianity is based on suffering and weakness.

Christianity will lead the human person to self-

destruction and, therefore, human beings should get rid
of it if they wanted to survive in this world.
 The Death of God

Nietzsche believed that God is dead. He

did not mean that God existed before and
now no longer does.

All people with an ounce of intelligence would

no perceive that there is no intelligent plan to
the universal or rational order in it.

Belief in God destroys the humanity and denies them

their freedom.

Only atheism can encourage the human person to return to

his inner strength in order to search for the true moral
values.
 The Death of God

Man’s nourishment comes from this world.

Hence, people should not be thinking of the
life beyond this world.

The death of God is the opening of a new day,

a day when the essentially life-denying ethics
of Christianity could be replaced with a life-
affirming philosophy.

Christianity should be considered a RELIGION OF

PITY because it has a very depressing effect.

God committed two mistakes in his works of creation: THE

CREATION OF SCIENCE and the CREATION OF A
WOMAN.
 The Death of God

What makes some of our difficulties

fulfilled as well is the manner in which
pains have been met.

Every pain is an indistinct signal that

something is wrong, which may engender
either a good or bad result depending on the
sagacity and strength of mind of the sufferer.

Anxiety may precipitate panic, or an accurate analysis of

what is amiss.

A sense of justice may lead to murder, or to a ground-breaking

work of economic theory.
 The Death of God

Envy may lead to bitterness, or to a

decision to compete with a rival and the
production of a masterpiece.

The art of living lies in finding uses for our

adversities.

We must learn to suffer whatever we cannot avoid. Our

life is composed, like the harmony of the world, of
discords as well as of different tones, sweet and harsh,
sharp and flat, soft and loud.

So too must we live with good and ill, which are of one
substance with our life.