Zarathustra presents the Ãœbermensch as the creator of new values. With the sole source of values no longer capable of providing those values, there is a real danger of nihilism. God is dead means that the idea of God can no longer provide values. While this God was the ultimate expression of other-worldly values and the instincts that gave birth to those values, belief in that God nevertheless did give life meaning for a time. Zarathustra ties the Ãœbermensch to the death of God. The death of God and the creation of new values The Ãœbermensch is also free from these failings. Truth and nature are inventions by means of which men escape from this world. Zarathustra further links the Ãœbermensch to the body and to interpreting the soul as simply an aspect of the body.Īs the drama of Thus Spoke Zarathustra progresses, the turn to metaphysics in philosophy and Platonism in general come to light as manifestations of other-worldliness, as well. Part of other-worldliness, then, was the denigration and mortification of the body, or asceticism. The Christian escape from this world also required the invention of an eternal soul which would be separate from the body and survive the body's death. The Ãœbermensch is not driven into other worlds away from this one. The turn away from the earth is prompted, he says, by a dissatisfaction with life, a dissatisfaction that causes one to create another world in which those who made one unhappy in this life are tormented. Nietzsche introduces the concept of the Ãœbermensch in contrast to the other-worldliness of Christianity: Zarathustra proclaims the Ãœbermensch to be the meaning of the earth and admonishes his audience to ignore those who promise other-worldly hopes in order to draw them away from the earth. These are some interesting tidbids from the Wikipedia article on the Overman (Ãœbermensch): The non-holistic, reductionist qualities of idealistic philosophies can lead to a sickness of the mind (insanity/introversion derived from being neglectful of the whole of being). It is readily apparent and does not need to be deconstructed. In the end, a human's nature is exactly what it is. Everything else will simply follow after this realization. Knowledge comes with the freeing of one's mind from the torments of idealization. The "belief in yourself" he warns against is that of idealizing yourself in an other-worldy sort of way, which is deceiving and misrepresentative of your true nature. The song is very much about the death of the idealized view we hold of ourselves in our mind's eye and not so much about an actual physical death. Believe it or not, the song is actually a positive, hopeful song.Įssentially, the song is about moving one's psyche away from that of god-infused egalitarianism, Platonic idealism, asceticism, or any other-worldly idealism or even nihilism and towards that of a purposed existence based on a love of this earth, a love of the world we share, a love for each other, and a love of life at this very moment. The song is influenced heavily by Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophy of the Overman/Superman (which is actually mentioned in the song "I'm not a prophet or a stone age man Just a mortal with the potential of a Superman"), as well as philosophy and ideas emanating from Buddhism. You can tell me all about it on the next Bardo If I don't explain what you ought to know Just a mortal with the potential of a supermanĬan't take my eyes from the great salvation I'm sinking in the quicksand of my thoughtĭon't believe in yourself, don't deceive with belief Where others see their targets, divine symmetry Living proof of Churchill's lies, I'm destiny
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |