Zarathustra and His Teachings of His Ubermensch - Essay Example

Argue that this ment is true: "All men should seek to become übermenchen in order to fill the void of a dead God by evolving beyond the herd through making new rules in a competitive framework that shows individual superiority over others." Zarathustra and his teachings of his ubermensch is part of Nietzsche’s yearning for a new humanity because, presently we are supposedly in a nihilistic society that must be overcome. The idea is that today, there is crisis of authority in the wake of the “death of God” and man seeks new idol who will command and provide a new metaphysical foundation for morals. The ubermensch is, for Nietzsche is the new ideal wherein man must overcome man in order to fill the void of a godless society. In arguing that this statement is true, two factors need to be covered: 1) whether God is indeed dead; and, 2) whether man could achieve the ideal ubermensch. God is Dead “God is dead” sums up Zarathustra’s conception that the world is meaningless and chaotic. This was the consequence of the supposed nihilism found in every aspect of human existence today. Here, modernity rendered God and the concept of his existence indefensible particularly in reference to man’s quest for the truth. In this argument, our world is considered to have lost the belief in God or in an absolute system of values. Instead, wrote Ofelia Schutte (1986), we are within a culture characterized by a crisis in values of the type where nothing is true but that everything is permitted. (2) No one could probably dispute this on the face of the emergence of the consumerist society where materialism takes precedence over religion or the values that it represents. This consumerist attitude in modern man is a result of the capitalistic system present in much of our world. The capitalist system and its consequences such as consumerism and materialism brought about a very significant phenomenon in the context of the Zarathustra proposition that God is dead: the “Me Generation” in America. Daniel Horowitz (2005) wrote that the modern American generation has turned increasingly inward and that a crisis of narcissism is emerging as highlighted by several symptoms: spending like there is no tomorrow; living for the present; taking on increasing debt, which had replaced the stable rock steady future planning; a decline in productivity and in work ethic; greed and selfishness predominate everywhere instead of sacrifice, among others. (228) The mass media, television especially, contribute much to this “Me Generation” phenomenon and the narcissistic society that we seemed to be drifting to. Because of it, the public forum has taken on the nature of a spectator sport wherein personalities and spectacle loomed larger than any other considerations. As a result, politics is failing and with it, the society is turning increasingly inward and, certainly, spiritual bonds dramatically weaken. So here, we are shown that man, himself, murdered God and, certainly, the vacuum left continues to exist because there is no longer an ordering principle available. Super Man In Zarathustra, Nietzsche, saw the death of God and the clutches of nihilism. In Zarathustra’s teaching, he was able to propose a solution, an opportunity or a redemption - the ubermensch. The concept of ubermensch, which literally means Superman in German, refers to Nietzsche’s transitional form – a life-form yet to come wherein he or she or it becomes free from anxiety and guilt, and reliant upon the values it has created for itself. (Nietzsche xi) To achieve the ubermensch, man should sacrifice himself in consideration with the proposition that man must be overcome. Crucially, the ubermensch is an “immanent ideal who gives the lie to the values derived from the belief in an extraterrestrial, metaphysical deity – happiness, reason, morality, justice, pity – which we must no longer prize but learn to dismiss with great contempt.” (Nietzsche, Ansel-Pearson and Large 250) The ideal of ubermensch is significant in a number of ways. First, when a number of positive human values are projected onto the essence of a divine and otherworldly being, a dualism is generated, one signifying the divine, the other, what is earthly. According to Schutte, the death of God signifies the end of one important manifestation of the dualism between the light and dark aspects of existence, emphasizing: If put in the right context – that is, if not replaced by some other form of dualism – it can be seen as a liberating experience since it establishes the possibility of human integration. (4) In addition, the nihilistic society, in general, poses a threat to human existence with the human deficiencies recognized by any philosopher worth his salt. Nihilism is not exclusively Nietzsche’s turf and that this has phenomenon is widely recognized by sociologists and philosophers today. In the absence of God, an ordering principle, there is a need a need for an idol or authority to fill the void. Otherwise, chaos might occur. It makes sense that men must evolve and transcend his deficiencies in order to be able to deal with the challenges that religion and the absolute values have taken cared of throughout the ages. And, it also makes sense that this ubermensch must aspire for greatness and in Zarathustra’s opinion, is continually experimental and willing to risk everything for the sake of the enhancement of humanity. It is in man’s nature to seek happiness and comfort but for Zarathustra, this kind of man must be sacrificed and even treated with contempt. Indeed, if one asks oneself, could this kind of being lead, much less, survive a godless world? Finally, the achievement of the ubermensch is analogous to the man surpassing the ape in the progression of human evolution. Here, ubermensch surpasses man and to do this, man must evolve beyond the herd – sacrifice himself – and create new rules. Zarathustra believed that these new rules constitute a new competitive framework wherein conflict and opposition is promoted in order for men to achieve greatness. This is particularly beneficial when taken in this context: Zarathustra is going to turn one element into two opposing elements, not in order to separate the two, but in order that they may be complementary to one another and seek unification. (Huskinson 29) Indeed, this is feasible when outright dominance in today’s society could be replaced by competitive opposition that seeks strength in growth and productivity over that which seeks strength in sheer magnitude. An important principle that must be understood from Zarathustra’s teaching is that the pronouncement that God is dead is not equated by the death of the earth. Here, the opportunity for evolution and/or redemption is highlighted. Man transcends himself because the “death of God” though tragic has its redeeming factors. With God’s death and the ensuing loss of absolute values, equally significant but negative values are vanquished – the dualism and alienation from the earth. Furthermore, Zarathustra sought to free man from the burdens of duality with his ubermensch. As has been stated earlier in this paper, God has become indefensible in the modern world. So it is only practical that since we have killed God, then we should stand by what we have done and face the consequences. In this regard, the ubermensch is preferred because he became free from the humanity of man – free from dreaming of the afterlife, free from the guilt, stemming from the idea that the body is a source of sin and error. With ubermensch, we would finally achieve our best potential by treating our body as the ground for all meaning and knowledge and that the quest for health and strength must be considered as virtues because what will emerge is a society with new competitive framework. Works Cited Horowitz, Daniel. The Anxieties of Affluence: Critiques of American Consumer Culture, 1939-1979. University of Massachusetts Press, 2005. Huskinson, Lucy. Nietzsche and Jung: the whole self in the union of opposites. Psychology Press, 2004. Nietzsche, Friedrich. Thus Spake Zarathustra. Thomas Common (trans.), Wordsworth Editions, 1997. Nietzsche, Friedrich, Ansell-Pearson, Keith and Large, Duncan. The Nietzsche reader, Volume 10. Wiley-Blackwell, 2006. Schutte, Ofelia. Beyond Nihilism: Nietzsche Without Masks. University of Chicago Press, 1986. Read More