[pictured: artist's rendition of an Übermensch, or "Superman"]
Although widely derided at the time for his radical opinions, Friedrich Nietzsche catalyzed a revolution of Western philosophy with his embrace of an irrational worldview and harsh criticism of established institutions.
Some context: it's hard to pinpointii one inspiration for Nietzsche. Many point to Spinoza, but Nietzsche himself called the Spaniard "
a masquerade of a sickly recluse."
Key tenets of Nietzsche's philosophy:
The condition of mankind is inherently irrational
Man's advancement is motivated by a Will to Power (Wille zur Macht), i.e. achievement and ambition, not some inner morality
Suffering is endemic to this existence -- it will always exist and be present
Certain men are better (i.e. more talented or capable) than others-- perhaps rooted in the evolutionary model
Thus, these
institutions are INVALID!!!!:
Platonic idealism: There is no dichotomy between the "ideal" and the "real": it's just one unified world
Christianity: for the same reasons as above. The idea that there is a higher power that will "redeem" all men abhors Nietzsche-- there is only one world, in which suffering is endemic. Christianity subsidizes mediocrity by promising fake redemption. GOD IS DEAD!!!!!
Democracy and socialism: these governments let the masses rule themselves. The masses are BAD. No good.
So what should we do?
Contrary to popular belief, FN is NOT nihilistic...there is a purpose in a purposeless world
The purpose of life should be to protect the strong, not to help out the weak.
We should cultivate SUPERMEN (Übermensch) in our society
(another modern interpretation shown)
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