Introduction to Nietzsche

In this lecture, we will provide an introduction to some of Frederick Nietzsche's main philosophical ideas We will investigate his views on morality nihilism suffering truth the over man Amor fati and the eternal recurrence Before we proceed we must note that perhaps more than any other philosopher Nietzsche's ideas are open to multiple interpretations In this video, we will provide one such interpretation For Nietzsche Philosophy was not as he put it a critique of words by means of other words Instead for Nietzsche philosophy had a definite practical purpose that being to facilitate the emergence of the great Individual who dedicates their life to growth and self-overcoming? Nietzsche believed that such a pursuit would provide one with the ability [to] completely affirm life in the face of suffering pain and tragedy There are heights of the soul from which even tragedy ceases to look tragic Wrote Nietzsche and Beyond good and evil the great individual attains these heights Nietzsche viewed himself as the educator of such a great individual whom he called the higher man for this reason He saw himself as writing not for the masses but for the potential higher man alone These alone are my readers, my rightful readers, my predestined readers. What do the rest matter the rest are merely mankind The higher man Nietzsche maintained is separated from the rest of mankind by the constitution of his internal being within the higher man exists an array of powerful and potent drives engaged in a continual battle with each other the higher man, in other words, is a chaotic being who is that constant war with himself and Therefore one who suffers deeply and is always in danger of self-destructing in Order to attain greatness in the ability to affirm life Nietzsche believed that the higher man must impose order on his internal Chaos This is his life's mission To become master of the Chaos one is.. that is the grand ambition here? because he suffers so deeply from the Chaos that he is there exists the possibility that the higher man will evade his life's mission and instead, seek out the comforts of mediocrity Via conformity Nietzsche postulated that within every individual exists a herd instinct that is an innate need to obey and conform to the masses Individuals satiate this need by obeying the accepted morality that is the designation of what is good and what is evil of one's culture? Morality is the best of all devices for leading mankind by the nose proclaimed Nietzsche in the antichrist Such a morality since it is accepted by the masses Nietzsche called herd morality Nietzsche maintained that herd morality serves a clear purpose, it instills in mediocre individuals the conviction that their weakness is not a fault but instead strength Verily I have often laughed at the weaklings who thought themselves good because they had no claws Nietzsche wrote and Thus spoke zarathustra on The other hand herd morality maintains that those qualities which the herd lack are evil as Nietzsche put it Therefore with herd morality as Nietzsche amusingly quipped the sheep gains in respect Since sheep-like qualities are championed by herd morality as being good herd Morality pressures individuals into becoming good that is weak and obedient the higher man If he is to achieve greatness must escape the clutches of herd morality and renounce it in favor of his own self created and life-affirming morality In order to escape from the herd and live according to his own life-affirming morality Nietzsche thought it was essential for the higher man to separate himself physically from the herd and live a life of solitude Nietzsche believed that out of fear and laziness the masses structure their lives who has to blind themselves to the deep questions of human existence If he is to achieve greatness in life must contemplate questions Which the herd is too weak and scared to ponder and to do this. He needs his solitude According to Nietzsche the deepest questions one can ask in life are why do I live and why do I suffer in fact? Nietzsche believed that these two questions are really one in the same man needs to believe life has a meaning or purpose because of the fact that he suffers so deeply and Thus wants to be assured that he suffers for a reason with his proclamation, God is dead Nietzsche prophesied the coming of an age when the Interpretations of Life's purpose which had been dominant up to that point most prominently the belief in a God Would be unveiled for what they are mere myths or stories without the conviction that life has a purpose or goal Nietzsche understood that many individuals would fall into despair under the suspicion that we are nothing, but meaningless animals in a meaningless universe Nietzsche discerned that this dark suspicion would usher in a state of Nihilism Which is the belief that everything lacks meaning? without a goal Or purpose to impose meaning on one suffering one is left with the despair ridden conviction that one suffers for no reason at all Although Nietzsche himself struggled with Nihilism throughout his life. He didn't believe life was devoid of meaning instead He came to realize that nihilism is a consequence of the misguided attempt to acquire Objective knowledge or in other words the desire for there to be an object of meaning to life that an individual can come to know Nietzsche believed that not only was there no object of meaning to life But he claimed that truth does not exist and therefore objective knowledge about anything including the meaning of life is an impossibility Instead, according to Nietzsche an individual is always confined to know the world through ones own personal interpretation of it Since one cannot escape from one's own personal interpretation or perspective of Life Nietzsche understood that one should give up trying to search for the truth as there is no truth and Instead paint a picture or in other words, interpret existence in a way that is life-promoting For in doing, so one will be able to escape nihilism by creating meaning in one's own life Since Nature realized that the deepest question which confronts man is why do I suffer? He understood the desperate need to first and foremost interpret suffering in a manner which would be life-promoting Through his analysis of his own suffering Nietzsche came to understand that pain is not considered an objection to life Instead, Nietzsche believed that a life without suffering and pain would be a miserable life for he believes suffering to be a precondition of greatness With the knowledge that with great suffering comes great advancement Nietzsche understood that the higher man would be in need of an ideal or a vision of perfection To keep him motivated in his quest for greatness even in his darkest hours Nietzsche invented the overman as such an ideal the overman as an ideal and Thus one who Soars above the rest of and kind Since ideals can be approached but never realized on this Earth Nietzsche maintained that The best one can hope for is to attain the perfection and power of the over man in Rapturous moments? Yet It is impossible to maintain this perfection and after these ecstatic moments, His state as human all too human Nietzsche understood that the higher man would become aware of his deficiencies and weaknesses and Would subsequently feel ashamed at the vast gulf which separates him from the perfection of the over man Craving the unattainable perfection of the overman the higher man would begin to hate his imperfect self This self hate Nietzsche paradoxically held would be the beginning of the higher man's great love for himself For the higher man would soon come to realize that without his inner deficiencies and his hatred of them He would have no motivation to grow and overcome himself and thus would remain forever stagnant the section titled on the vision and the Riddle in Nietzsche's Masterpiece vas spoke zarathustra Nietzsche tells a parable which is a story with an inherent Spiritual lesson which conveys how the higher man's deficiencies are necessary for growth and the Movement towards greatness? Nietzsche begins the Parable by conveying a striking image a This parable the shepherd represents the higher man And the black snake the higher man's great despair and Fears which slither in his being With a snake in his throat, the shepherd is the higher man in one of his darkest moments but as he bites off the snake's head he overcomes his great despair in Dark Demons and Emerges for a rapturous moment as the over man himself and he laughs a laugh which signifies his power perfection and his complete affirmation of life Nietzsche thought that the complete affirmation of life was the highest state a human being could attain He put Forth two intertwined concepts to represent the affirmation of life Amor fati or love of fate and the eternal recurrence Amor Fati Or love of fate is the culmination of the higher man's greatness my formula for greatness in a human being is amor fati wrote [Nietzsche] To love fate means to completely affirm life and is thus the most difficult task there is the difficulty lies in the fact that existence contains so much evil pain suffering and tragedy how can one completely affirm life in the presence of so much ugliness As we have seen Nietzsche believed that one must experience great amounts of suffering and pain if one is to achieve greatness or as he put With this knowledge, he believed the higher man would understand that evil and pain suffering and tragedy are not ugly But actually have an inherent beauty to them for latent within these aspects of existence is the potential for growth and self-overcoming Only if the black snake is crawling down one's throat can one bite off its head and laugh a laugh that is no human laughter but the laughter of the overman In order to determine whether one is in a state of yes saying meaning a state of complete life affirmation Nietzsche constructed the eternal recurrence as a psychological test In the gay science need to put forth the content of such a test The higher man in affirming life realizes that his tremendous moments were born from his darkest experiences and therefore Apprehend the Inherent beauty and suffering tragedy and evil with this understanding He does not condemn life as a pessimist despite the profuse suffering he has endured But instead Celebrates tragedy as a joyous Yes sayer As he nears his death the higher man wishes not for the peace of non-existence But instead wishes the eternal recurrence were true so that he could repeat the struggle of life over and over for eternity In thus spoke zarathustra need to conveyed this by saying

Channel: Academy of Ideas

Views: 491,707

Rating: 4.9416003 out of 5

Keywords: academy of ideas, nietzsche, introduction to nietzsche, morality, herd morality, truth, perspectivism, suffering, nihilism, god is dead, amor fati, eternal recurrence, the overman, Friedrich Nietzsche (Author), Philosophy (Field Of Study)

Id: vzRbCrIWURY

Length: 14min 35sec (875 seconds)

Published: Sat Jun 29 2013

Reddit Comments

[u/[deleted]]

This is extremely well done! Thank you.

[u/Pike09]

This is magnificent!

[u/[deleted]]

This is excellent and I think it explains very well to the lamen Nietzsche's core beliefs. For me, the Ubermensch is mankind's destiny, embracing it will save us from the pending technological nihilism of the future. It is such a shame no one as great as Nietzsche was around at the same time and that this great man felt so alone in his understanding.

P.S I look very much forward to viewing the other series

[u/dolyms]

Canadian?