On Nietzsche’s “Superman” Theory

董曉燁　吳曉意

【Abstract】Nietzsche， German philosopher， who has had a great influence on the transformation of western philosophy from the contemporary to the modern， is a non-rationalist. Since the birth of Nietzsche's philosophy， evaluation from the international academic circles on his thoughts has been mixed. The “Superman” philosophy is an important part of Nietzsches theory. He believes the spirit of strong will and that the development of man is endless， finally， we will have a “Superman”. This theory has broken the tradition of western rationalism， the moral tradition of Christianity and the cultural tradition of the enlightenment since Socrates. However， we should evaluate the “Superman” theory properly.

【Key words】Nietzsche； the will to power； the Superman

1. Introduction

1.1 Introduction of Nietzsche and “Superman” Philosophy

Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche was a German philosopher. He wrote several critical texts on morality， contemporary culture， and philosophy. Nietzsche's key ideas include perspectivism， the will to power， master-slave morality， the death of God and eternal recurrence. One of the key tenets of his philosophy is “l(fā)ife-affirmation”， which embraces the realities of the world in which we live over the idea of a world beyond. Nietzsche's ideas of individual overcoming and transcendence beyond structure and context have had a profound impact on late 20th and early 21st century thinkers. “Superman” theory is an important part of Nietzsche's thinking. It is formed in the early stages of Nietzsche's mature， and is mainly reflected in the key works of Nietzsche. Nietzsche claims that “God is dead” and people need to “re-evaluate all the value”， he thinks the world is dominated by the superior “superman” who are though in minority， having the superior power. Power will is so known as strong will， it is a kind of expansion. In his view， the essence of man is also the will of power， people should try to become the strong “Superman”.

2. Proper Understanding and Evaluation of the “Superman” theory

2.1 Proper Understanding of Nietzsche's Will to Power

Nietzsche's whole ideology system is starting from the personal power will， he stressed the need to cultivate outstanding， creative and energetic people. He proposed to evaluate all values， and opposed the worldly views which oppressed peoples personality. He emphasized that everyone should become what he should be — an unique person， an incomparable person and a whole new person， a person who set rules for himself， and create himself. Only in this way， can a man develop himself. However， when he talked about the will to power， he advocated that the “superman” is the one superior to ordinary people， and it was the minority group of “superman” who take charge of the world.

Nietzsche's individualism impacts young peoples values greatly， he repels the society and scorns the common people， he puts society as the opposite of individual. He pursues the development of individuality and ignores the society. However， the fact is that the society is an important basis for personal choice and development. What worries us is that some young people can not properly understand Nietzsche's idea of will to power， they blindly pursue their individuality. It is always shown in todays young peoples thoughts and actions. For example， some young people only think about themselves and are usually selfish， they harm others interest for their own profits. They surely confused the 2 different concepts： individualism and individuality. Nietzsche emphasized the importance of developing ones individuality， but it doesnt mean that we can get away from the society， since the society and the individual is closely linked with each other. No one can live without a society and a society without individuals does not exist at all. One should take the responsibility for both himself as an individual and the society as a collective. In Nietzsches theory， he cares more about the development and creation of individuality， and ignores the collective. We should be vigilant about it and also try to clarify it from a theoretical point.

2.2 Proper Evaluation of Nietzsche's “Superman” theory

In the shackles of European Christian， Nietzsche tried to put “Superman” as the highest goal of human， he wish to find an ideal personality for human， and provides a new meaning for human survival and development， this is his strong criticism to Christian personality. It is indeed valuable and worth paying attention to. However， whether in theory or in reality， such theory has its disadvantages and must be criticized.

First， Nietzsche's “Superman” refers to only a small group of person， thus he just advocates the importance of the minority， and care little about the rest majority of people. In this way， most people can not play their own initiative， and also fail to achieve the self creation. Secondly， Nietzsche puts people into upper and lower classes， the upper is the “Superman”， the “Superman” is the “genius”， who are the real priority of man， the born-rulers. However， the lower is described as “stupid”， “ridiculous” and “funny” people. Nietzsche's “Superman” theory obviously showed his hierarchy thinking， he praises the few talented and belittles the masses， treating the masses as the victim and tools of the great figures.

The negative influence of Nietzsches “Superman” theory should not be ignored. For example， Moral Emptiness lashes the young peoples moral values. Nietzsches Moral Emptiness disregard the existence and power of morality， it denies the existence and the necessity of any morality. He also said： “I believe that morality is a symbol of the decadent”. This kind of moral emptiness is also revealed in the thought of some young people， they also blindly promote reform and creation， they deny all good Chinese traditional moralities and old traditional culture. They even oppose the reasonable values in reality， and when such opposing is in conflict with the dominant values， they will feel disappointed or frustrated. For example， the emergence of “business hot”， “desk culture” and other phenomena at university in recent years is the reflection of university students morality emptiness. A young scholar once said that this is the external reflection of students “nothingness”， which results from the disillusion of ideal and lack of faith.

3. Conclusion

Nietzsches “Superman” theory has its important social significance， but it also has some unreasonable points. We should learn to doubt the authority and even challenge them as long as our doubt or challenge is of some value in certain ways.

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