Übermensch Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
In Thus spake Zarathustra (in German, Also sprach Zarathustra), the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche explains the three steps through which man can become an Übermensch (literally, "overman"):
- By his will to destruction
- By re-evaluating or destroying old ideals
- By overcoming nihilism
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2 Re-evaluating or destroying old ideals 3 Overcoming nihilism 4 Common misconceptions 5 External links |
Nietzsche's motivation for the claim "God is dead" is the destruction of the Christian conscience, i.e., a God-centered way of thinking, and the fateful will to break out. His symbols for this are flame and thunder. Only by breaking out of the idealistic norms one can become Übermensch. The initial point of destruction is the church which is, according to Nietzsche, the exact opposite of what Jesus preached. The reason for this is a process initiated by the apostle Paul, which caused a transfiguration of Jesus' teachings to a remedy-punishment doctrine.
Furthermore, Judaism, asceticism, and especially the teachings of Plato point towards a nihilistic beyond, which places the belief in God in opposition to reality. While this does not disprove God's existence, it does mark the belief in God as running counter to Nietzsche's semi-ethical valuing of the immediate world.
Once man has undergone the hurtful but essential process of denying God ("Omnis determinatio est negatio"), he begins a journey towards becoming Übermensch. He is on his own and has to create his own, new, moral ideals.
In establishing new ideals, man now does not rank them according to transcendental aspects ("Where from" and "What for") because this would again aim towards beyond.
Instead, there are no absolute ideals any more but only an interpretation of them in which moral ideals are the most important ones.
The most difficult step according to Nietzsche is basing one’s entire life into this world. Placing belief or faith in anything transcendental is nihilistic and would lead to the failure of man’s attempt to become Übermensch. The idea of God is a quiet temptation. In overcoming nihilism, man undergoes three phases:
The most common misconception about the Übermensch is that it is equivalent to the ideals of Nazism, and that it is related or equal to the concept of Herrenvolk. It is often suggested that Nietzsche's sister contributed greatly to this idea, and the Nazis themselves reinterpreted and incorporated hodgepodge elements of many philosophical and religious texts, including Nietzsche's.
The translation of Übermensch as superman may compound the misconception. Über can have a variety of meanings, as in Überwindung (overcoming). Some scholars therefore prefer the translation as Overman, since the point of the Übermensch is that man needs to overcome himself.
Nietzsche's writings are spiritual and philosophical in character, and do not state that the central ideas are biological, psychological, sociological, or sociobiological. His ideas have no firm connection to the idea that any given biological race is or would necessarily be superior and thus they are not racist.
The will to destruction
Re-evaluating or destroying old ideals
Overcoming nihilism
Common misconceptions