...Daybreak and The Gay Science Nietzsche, in both Daybreak and The Gay Science, seems to be interested in the examination of society. Society is a very vague notion; in an attempt to define, or at least reduce the area of examination, I will make the claim Nietzsche is particularly interested in the evolution of morals, customs and cultures, and the “purpose” of advancing and preserving the human race. Even more specifically, Nietzsche is examining the way in which the evolution of these different concepts has unintentionally affected the progression of the human race as a whole. Nietzsche accuses religion, Christianity in particular, of creating a sense of pride in suffering. “Cruelty is one of the oldest festive joys of mankind. Consequently it is imagined that the gods to are refreshed and in festive mood when they are offered the spectacle of cruelty – and thus there creeps into the world the idea that voluntary suffering, self-chosen torture, is meaningful and valuable.”[1] The story of Job from the Bible is a great example of how religion has helped to ingrain this notion in the human experience. This idea that suffering, and voluntary suffering at that, is a necessary part of the moral human experience is sick. Nietzsche goes onto state that once this sort of notion or custom, any custom for that matter, is accepted and followed by members of a society it tends to be passed on to the next generation; this new generation typically accepts the custom without questioning...
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...Friedrich Nietzsche is a famous philosopher whose works have made him one of Germanys most profound scholars to-date as well as an interesting character in the history of philosophical thought. Nietzsche was well known for challenging Christianity as well other monotheistic religions for their apparent suppression of the poor and the working classes. In the context of the 1800’s, the philosophical movement of the enlightenment was helping Europeans move away from structural monarchy and the Roman Catholic Church by use of reasoning. (Anderson, 2007, p510). Being raised in a Catholic household, his Grandfather and father were both pastors who encouraged a young Friedrich down a religious route. However, at the age of 14 he surprised them all after he decided he was not going to confirm as a catholic (Hill, 2007, p6). One major contribution of work by Nietzsche is his concept of the death of God. This came as a reaction to the Enlightenment era- understanding reason to reject the Church in favour of liberty. Probably his most famous contribution to philosophy (Nietzsche, 1882/2006, p90) ‘God is dead’ uses a parable of a madman accusing the atheists of killing God without realising. He calls this...
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...Friedrich Nietzsche’s “Thus Spake Zarathustra,” is often considered his magnum opus, exploring many of the ideas that Nietzsche had earlier mentioned in works like “The Gay Science,” and “Beyond Good and Evil.” Nietzsche reveals his thoughts on many matters through the character of Zarathustra, a philosopher beyond mankind. One of the most famous parables that Zarathustra utters is “God is dead,” and through these words, Nietzsche exposes the historical context in which he lived, the idea of mankind superseding God as a supreme being, and the resulting fear of nihilism that derives from that trend (Nietzsche, 1999, p. 3). Ultimately, these words do not reveal Nietzsche to be an atheist but rather reflect the position of the author in regards...
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...Friedrich Nietzsche is one of the most well-known German philosophers and influential thinkers of the 19th century. He is considered one of the first existentialist philosophers and his work influenced many future philosophers. He undoubtedly had an impact on 19th century philosophy and that impact continues on even today. However, most of Nietzsche’s views went against the popular and conventional beliefs of his time. His ideas challenged Christianity, contemporary German culture and traditional morality, which as a result, created a great deal of controversy. Nietzsche is also one of the most misunderstood philosophers and his work is often misconstrued, never more than with the Nazis. The Nazis claimed that Nietzsche was one of their biggest inspirations. They had an attraction to Nietzsche's ideas, such as his attacks against Democracy, Christianity, and Parliamentary Governments. They took a lot their like-mindedness towards Nietzsche from his work The Will to Power. The controversy comes from whether or not this was Nietzsche’s intention or if his work was taken out of context by the Nazis for their own interpretation. Although Nietzsche may have had a similar attitude towards concepts such as religion, the will to power, and the idea of an Übermensch (Superhuman) that the Nazis coincided with, his work was not intended to be used in reference to, or in support of, Nazism and/or Fascism. The Nazis misused Nietzsche's philosophy, misinterpreted his views and distorted...
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...Friedrich Nietzsche conveys his view on freedom in short, provocative statements dispersed throughout his writings. In this essay, I will discuss Nietzsche’s conception of freedom as presented in two of his works: The Genealogy of Morals and The Gay Science. To begin, in Section 12 from The Genealogy of Morals, Nietzsche introduces to us the term, “will to power” (GM, pg 78) with which he uses synonymously with the term, “instinct for freedom” in latter sections of the essay. Although Nietzsche never clearly defines what he means when he says, “will to power,” he provides the reader a depiction of this concept through the origin of punishment. According to Nietzsche, the concept of punishment contains an aspect that is enduring and an aspect that is fluid (GM, pg 79). In other words, the act of punishing remains the same, but the meaning of the act changes radically over time. For example, while the barbarians of ancient time may have used punishment as a “festival, namely as the rape and mockery of a finally defeated enemy,” modern morality uses punishment as “a means of rendering harmless, or preventing further harm” or even “as the isolation of a disturbance of equilibrium (GM, pg 80). Thus, Nietzsche shows that the significance of punishment is not the act itself, but the meaning that we attach to it. Because the meaning of punishment is independent of the act itself, we can essentially understand...
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...Nietzsche v. Bowden In this paper I will analyze the ethical theories of Nietzsche and Bowden and apply them to the recent case involving Volkswagen and its use of “defeat” devices to cheat diesel emissions tests. In order to effectively analyze whether or not the actions of Volkswagen were ethical, I will first discuss Nietzsche’s view of morality, followed by Bowden’s application of care ethics. In Beyond Good and Evil Friedrich Nietzsche presents his critique of morality, as well as the concept of “Master and Slave Morality.” He rejects the idea that the morality of an action is determined based on the consequences of the action because he claims that it is impossible for man to know the true consequences of an action. Although one might be able to predict the immediate consequences of an action, it is impossible to know how that action will cause other consequences further into the future. For example, if I were to steal some medicine for my sick mother, this action might seem ethical or “good” considering the immediate consequences. However, what else might happen as a result of this action further into the future? What if in the process of my theft, I accidentally left the back door to the pharmacy unlocked and the pharmacy was cleaned out, and as a result the insurance company was refusing to cover the pharmacy’s losses. To make matters even worse imagine that the family that owned the pharmacy had to declare bankruptcy which led to the family being unable to pay for...
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...Philosophy Exegesis Essay “Thus the man who is responsive to artistic stimuli reacts to the reality of dreams as does the philosopher to the reality of existence; he observes closely, and enjoys his observation; for it is out of those images that he interprets life, out of these processes that he trains himself for life” (The Birth of Tragedy, 15) ADDIN EN.CITE <EndNote><Cite><Author>F. Nietzsche</Author><Year>2008</Year><DisplayText>(Nietzsche)</DisplayText><record><ref-type name="Journal Article">17</ref-type><contributors><authors><author>F. Nietzsche</author></authors></contributors><titles/><title>The Birth of Tragedy</title><periodical/><dates><year>2008</year><pub-dates/></dates></record></Cite></EndNote>(Nietzsche). This passage was extracted from one of Friedrich Nietzsche’s works, particularly the one entitled, the Birth of Tragedy. In order to have a clearer understanding of the Nietzsche meant when he mentioned these exact words in his work, it would be important to be familiarized with the context in which he said it. Part of that includes knowing what the work in which the phrase was a part of was all about. The Birth of Tragedy is a highly philosophical work that is divided into a total of twenty six chapters which includes the last one that was dedicated for the foreword. The first half...
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... Friedrich Nietzsche Life in Germany during 1840s is hard for someone growing up in the 21st century to relate to. Germany was a country of villages and farms. Jobs outside agriculture were rare. The price of food was extremely high and many people starved to death. Private organizations and churches were trying to help the starving people whereas the government did very little. The telegraph was gaining popularity and news was traveling much faster than ever before (Crisis Page). During this time thousands of Germans were immigrating to the United States (“Irish” 25f). There was a lot going on in Germany during the 1840s and on October 15th 1844 Friedrich Nietzsche was born. Nietzsche grew up in the small town of Röcken, in the Prussian province of Saxony. Nietzsche’s parents, Carl Ludwig, a Lutheran pastor and former teacher, and Franziska Oehler, married in 1843 and had two children. In 1849 Nietzsche’s father died from a brain ailment. The following year his younger brother, Ludwig Joseph also passed away. Nietzsche then moved to Naumburg. He lived with his grandmother there until she died in 1856 (“Friedrich” Page). In 1853 he enrolled in Knaben-bergenschule. He didn’t do very well in this school so he transfers to a private school. This prepared him for his time at Domgymnasium. He spent many hours studying in order to keep up with Greek. After graduation in 1864, Nietzsche commenced studies in theology, classical philology...
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...Final Philosophy Paper. The end of an Era. Nietzsche and morals, the two are thoroughly intertwined in philosophical concepts, and regardless of whether or not you agree with Mr. Friedrich, he will undoubtedly make you think. Nietzsche isn’t critical of morality as a whole; in fact he’s welcoming to the concept of a higher morality, which would in turn entertain the lives of higher men, so to speak. He criticizes morality, but he does so fairly, he never favors a single ideology or religion, he is consistent across the board. His perspective on morality focuses on a duality, something he calls “master-slave morality”, where both master and slave morality are two differing sets of values. Slave morality focuses more on kindness and sympathy, whereas master morality focuses more on pride and strength. The core difference being that the “master” set of values was more for the strong willed than it’s “slave” counterpart, in fact he goes so far to say that slave morality is simple a re-valuation of what the master values, which yet again stresses that “intention” aspect of slave morality, whereas master morality focuses more on the consequences of our actions. There’s such a beauty in Nietzsche’s simplicity on the duality of the moralities (and my inadvertent poetry skills), and he reinforces his perceptions with connotations of the two value systems, where slave is viewed, well, as a slave, as a dependent, and where master is viewed as noble and self-empowered. And it’s...
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...Kierkegaard vs. Nietzsche Soren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche are known to be two of the greatest nineteenth century existentialists of all time. Existentialism is a philosophy that emphasizes the uniqueness and isolation of the individual experience in a hostile or indifferent universe. It regards human existence as unexplainable, and stresses freedom of choice and responsibility for the consequences of one's acts. Soren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche both felt that life is irrational. They were problem thinkers who chose not to follow the systematic approach to philosophy as their predecessors did. In this regard, they stood on common ground. Both realized that no system of philosophy operates in isolation of its creators inherent prejudices. Any subjective viewpoint is biased; therefore, objectivity is impossible in any moral example. They both recognized that God no longer exists in religion in present-day expression. Men and women go about their daily lives in a manner irreverent of the possibility that there is an all-powerful God governing their affairs. Surprisingly, they proclaim their devotion to God when questioned about it. However, in their attempts to resolve this moral affliction Nietzsche and Kierkegaard are different in their quest for a cure. The very foundations of their moral constitutions were built upon conflicting ideologies: Kierkegaard put his in Christianity, while Nietzsche’s in individualism and self-determination. Kierkegaard...
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...Friedrich Nietzsche has left quite a profound impact on the Philosophy community and communities associated with critical thinking. His works tackled the ideas of Morality, Individuality, Existentialism, and Nihilism, which melded together to form his perspective of the world. In his perspective, Nietzsche had come to some conversational conclusions such as: good and evil are subjective, the world is meaningless and individuals only apply their own meanings, and that the “will to power” mixed with a creative drive is what drives humans to strive for perfection that does not exist. Sometime after his death, his sister, Elisabeth Förster-Nietzsche, outfitted some of his works to fit her own German Nationalistic views which were often anti-Semitic. However, dedicated scholars have intercepted and corrected his works into his original viewpoints, inspiring many in the fields of Psychology, Philosophy, and writers....
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...Journal Entry 11.Chapter 5: The teacher and his teachings, Pages: 108-109. Monday 24, 2014 A New Kind of Teacher Socrates a different kind of teacher, he was not paid to be a teacher and his teaching method was different. He believed that people could not think clearly if they are not clear on what they are analyzing or talking about. Therefore, in his teaching sessions he would ask questions and answer them the best he could. So I wondered, how different would the education system be if we had follow Socrates way of teaching? Socrates is one of the most important people in western philosophy. I found it interesting that we have no writings from his own hand, from his two students Plato and Xenophon. I agreed with Socrates claim that appearance of the body is less important than how it functions and true beauty comes from spirit and character. I questioned if spirit and character is more important than the physical appearance, why do modern society judge an individual based on their physical appearance? Journal Entry 12. Chapter 6: the Theory of forms. Pages 144. Thursday, February 20, 2014. Knowledge Vs. Opinion Plato is one of the philosophers that interest me the most because of his search for knowledge outside his “comfort zone.” Plato left the Athens and wandered for twelve years and during that time he studied mathematics and mysticism. For me, as a math minor, it was interesting to see how mathematics influenced Plato’s philosophy and I wondered, does an individual’s...
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...(A) 1.On the Genealogy of Morality is a philosophical treatise by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, first published in 1887, and is also a follow-up to Beyond Good and Evil. , a book previously written by Nietzsche. 2. This book is composed of a preface and three additional sections which discuss the ways in which our views of morality have changed. He goes through history and gives a timeline of how morality has changed up until the time of when the book was written. One major point of Nietzsche is that there is a difference between a thing and its meaning. He argues that things don’t have an inherent meaning, and that the meaning of those things have changed over time. In the books he connects this concept with or view of morality, and in particular to good and evil. Thus he arrives at a conclusion that there isn’t any objective and inherent truth to morality. He concludes the one can only have a true understanding of things only when we realize that the meaning of certain things has changed overtime. In this book he explains this in further detail with his “will to power” perspective. (3) Outline- Prologue 1) Good and Evil, Good and Bad A) Faulty Explanations of Morality B) Meaning of Good C) Change in language - Change in power D) Jews as Priestly class - Revaluation of values E) Lambs and Birds of Prey F) Slave Morality - Justice -Christian Hatred2 Guilt, Bad Conscience, and Related Matters A) Promises -human predictability B) Guilt C) Suffering ...
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...Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (/ˈniːtʃə/[2] German: [ˈfʁiːdʁɪç ˈvɪlhɛlm ˈniːt͡sʃə]; 15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philologist, philosopher,cultural critic, poet and composer. He wrote several critical texts on religion, morality, contemporary culture, philosophy and science, displaying a fondness for metaphor, irony and aphorism. Nietzsche's key ideas include the Apollonian/Dionysian dichotomy, perspectivism, the Will to Power, the "death of God", the Übermensch and eternal recurrence. One of the key tenets of his philosophy is the concept of "life-affirmation," which embraces the realities of the world in which we live over the idea of a world beyond. It further champions the creative powers of the individual to strive beyond social, cultural, and moral contexts.[3]Nietzsche's attitude towards religion and morality was marked with atheism, psychologism and historism; he considered them to be human creations loaded with the error of confusing cause and effect.[4] His radical questioning of the value and objectivity of truth has been the focus of extensive commentary, and his influence remains substantial, particularly in the continental philosophical schools of existentialism, postmodernism, and post-structuralism. His ideas of individual overcoming and transcendence beyond structure and context have had a profound impact on late-twentieth and early-twenty-first century thinkers, who have used these concepts as points of departure in the development of their philosophies...
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...In this paper I'm going to compare Friedrich Nietzsche’s writing in Beyond Good and Evil to Martin Luther King Jr’s Letter from Birmingham Jail. Friedrich Nietzsche was born in Rocken, Prussia in 1844 and graduated from the Lutheran Boarding School at Pforta in 1864. He then later went to the University of Bonn and studied Theology. He began to lose faith in Christianity and in 1865 he transferred to the University of Leipzig where he studied Classical Philology and music. Before earning his Doctorate he was offered the Chair of Classical Philology at the University of Basel in Switzerland. He took the Professorship in 1869 and then resigned ten years later due to bad health. He died in Weimar in the year of 1900. Friedrich Nietzsche is well...
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