...Phil 1010 – 930a Prof. Michele C. Evans Final Exam Essay Barry Bishop II Nietzsche's assertion that 'God is dead' is not simply a theological statement. Nietzsche hasn't come up with the definitive argument to prove beyond all reasonable doubt that God could not possibly exist-except in the minds of men. This statement, although it certainly does have its theological aspect, is essentially a statement proclaiming the plight of modern Western culture. Succinctly stated, the 'Death of God' refers to the complete loss of belief in the accepted religious and metaphysical world-view along with the system of values it upholds, in particular its moral values. The 'Death of God' announces the advent of the age of nihilism, an age of cultural barrenness arising from this loss of belief, and which may well end in catastrophe as far as any truly human existence is concerned. Yet, to Nietzsche, this demise of God, this loss of belief in all that we esteemed as the highest and most valuable, is simply the natural and logical outcome, within the history of Western culture, of the accepted religious and metaphysical world-view. It all begins with the original premise of the framework of Platonism, which, according to Nietzsche, became the ground of all subsequent metaphysical, religious, moral, historical and political views on man and his place in the universe. Broadly, that original Platonic or Socratic premise claimed that existence is bifurcated into two separate asymmetrical...
Words: 3019 - Pages: 13
...Nietzsche declared that God was dead and believed that people would be completely lost after this realization. He also proposed the two major aspects of human nature, the Apollonian and the Dionysian. Jung proposed that the collective unconscious, information reflective of human experience as a whole, was the most important component of personality. Kierkegaard stressed faith and having a personal relationship with God. Batson formed the three-dimensional model of religion, which characterized how people view and use their own religion. Nihilism is the belief that any search for the truth will fail because what is considered true will always vary. Nietzsche made the statement that “God is dead”. This was not meant to be taken literally, and...
Words: 674 - Pages: 3
...THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY “A Select Issue in Contemporary Theology: God-Is-Dead Theology” Submitted to Dr. Eunice Abogunrin In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of THEO 510-B05 Survey of Theology By John Kohler Whitley October 5, 2014 Introduction Friedrich Nietzsche believed God is dead, and he has based his theology around these three words. Why does he believe God is dead? Friedrich Nietzsche could have called his theology God does not exist and easily conveyed his message. Nietzsche purposefully chose these three words to send a message to the Christian faith. Since the beginning of time the existence of God has been questioned. Science has attempted to provide humanity with an explanation for human origin and has failed. Atheists argue that God does not exist and do not really offer any strong counter argument to the contrary. Muslims, Jews, and Christians each claim they serve the one supreme Creator of the universe. Who is right and who is wrong? If God is dead, why is religion alive and well? This paper will attempt to answer these questions by providing examples and counter examples. By taking a closer look at the life of Friedrich Nietzsche, his beliefs, morals and values, one will find that he does not possess any evidence that God is dead. Friedrich Nietzsche The life of Friedrich Nietzsche started out rather sadly. Nietzsche’s father, Karl Ludwig Nietzsche, developed a problem in the brain that caused him to die at the...
Words: 3041 - Pages: 13
...Is God Dead and Have We Killed Him? An Argument in Defense of Nietzsche's “Madman.” “Incipit tragoedia,” Nietzsche exclaims at the closing of The Gay Science, but what stands before this tragedy? What has happened to usher in such a fatal turn to the “goat song”? The answer lies in Nietzsche's claim that, “God is dead! God remains dead! And we have killed him!” (Nietzsche 141-142). There can be little argument that these enraged words of Nietzsche are reveled by atheists and agnostic alike. On the other hand, theists acquainted with his writings revile them. Are there grounds to be correspondingly joyous and offended? Does the announcement carry any concern? Can the proclamation carry both joy and offense? What if the passage is being taken too literally? This is what needs to be investigated! The real question then is what exactly Nietzsche means when he asserts, “God is Dead...And we have killed him!” (Nietzsche 141-142). In order to answer these questions, I intend to argue, through a critical exposition of Nietzsche’s claim, that God - that is the “cause” of Him - although not completely...
Words: 1661 - Pages: 7
...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...
Words: 1563 - Pages: 7
...God Is Dead: Evidence Concerning the Human Condition on Behalf of Friedrich Nietzsche The phrase “God is dead,” when heard outside of context, can fall on the ears of the religious as something strikingly blasphemous. It may fall on the ears of the secular as something quite nihilistic and pessimistic. When taken out of context, a very rich and thought-provoking idea can be completely lost to the emotional hostility provoked in the mind of anyone with staunchly held preconceived notions. “God is dead,” however dark the phrase may sound, is a call to self-reflection. It is a phrase that will, when read with a set of evidences, force the reader to reflect on the milestones that humanity has achieved, both socially and physically, in the small and largely unfettered existence which humanity has possessed. When pondered within context, it is an idea that will force any reader to realize that, since the beginning, mankind has been a creative and impeccably persevering lot that has existed for hundreds of thousands of years, largely due to an exceptional ability to adapt and change prevailing attitudes based on what is needed for survival....
Words: 1546 - Pages: 7
...Nietzsche: Life-Affirmation and Nihilism In Nietzsche’s writings, he attributes some of the blame for Western culture’s decline on nihilism through a pessimistic outlook on society’s ability to cope without a Judeo-Christian God. Nietzsche views nihilism as a deteriorating disability of one’s mentality and physicality, yet there appear to be moments where he leaves hints of being a nihilist himself. This is an interesting aspect in his writings that deserves attention: Nietzsche wishes only to be a Yes-sayer, with a life-affirming philosophy including Eternal Recurrence and Amor fati; yet, a pessimistic side also exists, who exhibits nihilistic tendencies in his writing. And here lies the contradiction. While criticizing nihilism as a disease in Western culture, he appears to possess nihilistic characteristics. I will analyze Nietzsche’s role as both a Yes-sayer and a possible nihilist in order to shed light on this possible contradiction. Through specific evidence in his works, I will attempt to show...
Words: 1316 - Pages: 6
...Payte The Mad Man What Nietzsche is concerned about in the mad man is that god is dead in the hearts and minds of his own generation of modern men. God was killed by an indifference that was itself directly related to a pronounced cultural shift away from faith and towards rationalism and science. But even before Nietzsche came in to the picture humanity had indeed killed God or the notion of God. With the renaissance, gifted individuals recovered something of the ancient Greek way of thingking, which focuses on what the person could learn for himself. How man can use his brain and his senses to decide what is true and what is false. So recognizing that God is dead in each individuals generation ought to come as a joyous wisdom allowing individuals to lead less guilt-ridden lives in a world that was no longer to be seen as being inherently sinful. Because the existence of God had provided the foundation of a Christian moral defining and uniting approach to life as a shared cultural set of beliefs that had defined a social and cultural outlook within which people had lived their lives. So, without God, each individual would consider earthly lives could become more joyful, meaningful and healthy when not lived within narrow limits set by faith related concerns for the state of an individual’s soul. Faith in God had been replaced with faith in science. But Nietzsche, although an atheist, insists that a person cannot live a faith free life. God is dead, so what must we do to find...
Words: 304 - Pages: 2
... 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...
Words: 2176 - Pages: 9
...individual freedom absolute and unbounded. Sartre, although an atheist, stated the meaning that God is the full existential realization of every perfect, ideal or essential attribute of God. Sartre described that as an impossibility, but it is also a good description of what a believer believes God to be. 2. The first principle of existentialism is humanism. Atheistic existentialism declares with greater consistency that if God does not exist there is at least one being whose existence comes before its essence, a being which exists before it can be defined by any conception of it. That being is man or the human reality. In addition, this is what people call its “subjectivity,” using the word as a reproach against us. For we mean to say that man primarily exists – that man is, before all else, something which propels itself towards a future and is aware that it is doing so. Man is, indeed, a project which possesses a subjective life, instead of being a kind of moss, or a fungus or a cauliflower. Before that projection of the self nothing exists; not even in the heaven of intelligence: man will only attain existence when he is what he purposes to be. 3. For anguish, anguish is felt by a person who involves himself and who realizes that he is not only the person he chooses to be, but also a ruler, choosing all mankind as well as himself. For example, Abraham believing that an angel of God has ordered him to sacrifice his beloved son, Isaac, this shows the anguish of trying to act...
Words: 946 - Pages: 4
...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...
Words: 2004 - Pages: 9
...Nietzsche critique on Christianity Nietzsche speaks immensely upon the idea of God/super natural being. At the time of Nietzsche's writings Christianity was widely practiced in Eastern Europe. Hence it was the main religion practiced by those reading who were reading Nietzsche. Before we can approach his critique of Christianity we need to understand the man himself a little. Nietzsche was born into a family who was extremely Christian, his uncle and grandfather were both Lutheran ministers and a majority of his family were devoted Christians. At a young age Nietzsche was exposed to life's greatest tragedy, his father died from a brain ailment and shortly after his younger brother passed away too. Fast-forward a little Nietzsche enters the University of Bonn as a theology and philology student. He later leans towards the study of philology, as his academic study progresses; this would later be the main tool for him as he uses it in his interpretation of the biblical text. Now that we have a better understanding of some of the more important events in Nietzsche life we can start evaluating his criticism on Christianity and God. One of the most famous quotes from Nietzsche's “God is dead”. Nietzsche states that there is no need for God in the world that we live in; God is not relevant anymore to anyone. For Nietzsche there is no need for a God, and while he understands the draw to the wanting of a God and an afterlife Nietzsche forces us to question everything we hold...
Words: 1614 - Pages: 7
... THE GOD-IS-DEAD THEOLOGY A RESEARCH PAPER SUBMITTED TO DOCTOR RICHARD ELLIGSON PROFESSOR OF THEOLOGY IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF CHURCH MINISTRY BY EL-FATIH J. AJALA (25927535) THEO 510 LUO LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA JULY 21, 2013 Introduction Paul Enns in his book The Moody Handbook of Theology states of theologians who profess this theology, “deny all forms of traditional ontology and allow for no sovereign and unconditioned Being but only a ‘God’ who at some point in the dialectic wills His own self-annihilation” and that, “man must learn to live without God.”[1] The lack of universal truth in our lives in this 21st century can be directly attributed to the lack of morals and moral values begun in the 19th century; and which took root in the 20th century; and might be the death of man in the 22nd century. In stating that God is dead, it has to be shown that: * Is God dead? * Science and technology can solve the world’s problems * God died as a transcendent God when Christ died * The Bible is narrative (i.e. myth) This review of the God-Is-Dead theology focuses on these four questions. Is God Dead? In an article written in the Chicago Tribune in 1963 it is stated that two men (Thomas Altizer and William Hamilton) experienced the death of God. Upon this statement...
Words: 3468 - Pages: 14
...power in the lives of individuals. His most “dangerous idea” he expresses a proclamation “God is dead.” He was convinced these new customary values presented in the Christian religions represented a slave morality (Class Notes). This was a morality which was created by weak and resentful individuals who encouraged such behavior as gentleness and kindness because the behavior served their interests in the afterlife. I do not believe that Nietzsche's bold ideas and provocative language were not meant to please the aristocratic elite but to free individuals from the solitude of their pathetic lives. When Nietzsche spoke of slavish morality or of contemporary Europe in general, he gave an offensive outlet to his abhorrence at what culture has done in the name of morality. He rejects society's repugnance of the self-contained peoples who point out its hypocrisies of class, ranks, and morals. The solitary is he who challenges society's desire to turn the human being into an animal. Nietzsche’s viewpoint, to fully understand the concepts of Good and Evil vs. Good and Bad, one must first understand certain how moral systems developed and how culture played a role in its development. Nietzsche felt that moral systems were not created by exterior beings. He feels that moral systems are developed from within a society. This claim was one of the reasons his works were so provocative during his era. Nietzsche had a tendency to make outrageous claims and he used an evocative style. As a result,...
Words: 1760 - Pages: 8
...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...
Words: 718 - Pages: 3
