Unit 4: Friedrich Nietzsche
An unapologetic critic of culture, society, religion, and philosophical dogma (philosophical beliefs that his predecessors and contemporaries accepted without question), Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) is arguably one of the most important thinkers of the past two centuries. Like all existentialists, Nietzsche denounced the universalistic tendencies displayed throughout the history of Western philosophy; that is, the tendencies of philosophers to assert that what they knew or believed or discovered should be considered true for everyone and for all time. According to Nietzsche, there is no such thing as a universal truth that is true for everyone and for all time. Instead, Nietzsche argued that what was true from one person's perspective might not be true from another person's perspective (a philosophical idea known as perspectivism). For Nietzsche, all human perspectives are valid in the quest for truth. This emphasis on the significance of individual points of view underscores Nietzsche's belief in the priority of individuality, the value of suspicion and skepticism, and a rejection of rationalism in the quest for truth. These values are existentialist themes shared by Nietzsche's predecessors and successors alike. In this unit, you will explore Nietzsche's version of existentialism and analyze his theory of values and morality.
Completing this unit should take you approximately 12 hours.
Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- explain Nietzsche's critique of metaphysics;
- define Nietzsche's contribution to the philosophical concept of perspectivism;
- describe Nietzsche's critique of philosophical dogma;
- summarize Nietzsche's idea of power;
- describe Nietzsche's theory of morality;
- explain Nietzsche's theory of eternal recurrence; and
- analyze the main existentialist themes in Nietzsche's philosophy.
4.1: Nietzsche's Critique of Metaphysics
Listen to "Nietzsche Part One" and then "Nietzsche Part Two". As you listen to Dr. Kaufmann, list the attributes of Nietzsche's Superman (or Overman). Consider answering the following questions as the lecture plays: What is the "crisis" to which Kaufmann refers? In what way is Nietzsche's critique of traditional philosophy also a critique of religion? Be sure to pay close attention to Kaufmann's description of Nietzsche's critique of traditional theories of knowledge. Is knowledge of rationalist philosophy's "thing-in-itself" possible, according to Nietzsche?
4.2: Nietzsche's Idea of Perspectivism
Read this article on Nietzsche's perspectivism. As you read, consider the following questions: What is perspectivism? How is perspectivism a critique of scientific objectivity and the philosophical demand for universality? Are all perspectives valid, or are some perspectives true while others are not? What does it mean to say that there are no facts, only interpretations? What is an interpretation? Reflect on the notion that language mediates our interactions with the world and with other human beings. Then, consider the following question that Maier puts forth in his article: "Why then does Nietzsche suggest that using more perspectives makes our 'objectivity' more 'complete'?"
Read this article. Consider the following questions: What is the apparent contradiction referred to by Olson? Do you think Olson is correct and/or justified in this argument?
4.3: Nietzsche's Critique of Dogma
4.3.1: Nietzsche's Critique of Socrates
Read this article. Pay special attention to section 3, titled "Socrates, the Disavowed Hero". As you read, consider the following question: How is Nietzsche's critique of traditional philosophy a critique of Socrates and the Socratic tradition?
4.3.2: The Death of God
Read this passage from Nietzsche's book The Gay Science. As you read, pay special attention to how Nietzsche uses the phrase "God is dead" and what this statement refers to specifically. Pay attention to the ways in which Nietzsche's remark about the death of God is not a theological statement – that is, it is not about religion. How exactly is Nietzsche's pronouncement that God is dead not a religious statement? How is Nietzsche's proclamation that "we have killed [God]" a condemnation of religion, and particularly a critique of those Western values passed down from Christianity? In other words, is God really dead, or are the values and commitments we derived from God's existence dead?
4.3.3: Nietzsche's Liberal Nihilism
Listen to the first and second parts of Bloom's lecture. As you listen to the lecture, consider the following questions: What is Nietzsche's nihilism? What does Dr. Bloom mean by the phrase liberal nihilism?
4.4: Nietzsche's Idea of Morality
4.4.1: The Social Construction of Morality
Listen to the interview. Play close attention to the discussion of what Nietzsche means when he says that there has been a slave revolt of morality. How is Nietzsche's argument a condemnation of Christianity? What does this argument say about some of our most important moral concepts, such as good and bad, or good and evil? Also, make a list of the differences between slave morality and master morality, as suggested by Nietzsche. How does society suppress our instincts, according to Nietzsche? What does guilt have to do with our morality?
4.4.2: The Social Construction of Values
Read Nietzsche's 1873 essay On Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral Sense. As you read, consider the following questions: How are values socially constructed, according to Nietzsche? And, more importantly, why are they constructed in this way?
4.4.3: On Power
Listen to this interview. As you listen, consider the following questions: What are the specific myths regarding Nietzsche that are discussed here? Pay close attention to Dr. Leiter's explanation as to why these Nietzsche myths took hold during the first decades of the twentieth century. Consider Dr. Leiter's deconstruction of the Nietzsche myths, noting in particular Nietzsche's characterization of the Overman, or Superman. What is the will to power, according to Nietzsche? Write a short description of Nietzsche's notion of the will to power as it is described in the interview with Dr. Leiter.
4.4.4: Resentment as the Ground for Morality
Read the book's first essay, titled "Good and Evil, Good and Bad", beginning on page 6, followed by the second essay, titled "Guilt, Bad Conscience, and Related Manners", beginning on page 27. As you read, pay particular attention to Nietzsche's account of how values and morals are created. Then, consider the following questions: According Nietzsche, what is the origin of the concept "good"? What is the origin of the concept "evil"? How have these concepts changed through history? What precipitated that change? Finally, how does resentment become creative? How have the terms bad, evil, and good evolved, according to Nietzsche? And how does Nietzsche predict the restoration of these terms to their original meaning? In other words, what must happen in order for this restoration to take place?
Listen to this discussion of The Genealogy of Morals. As you listen to the lecture, reflect on how morality and perspectivism intersect. Consider the following questions: Are there absolute moral imperatives that we must all adhere to, according to Nietzsche? How does the Bible's moral imperative "thou shall not kill" fit in with Nietzsche's idea of morality?
4.5: Nietzsche's Idea of Eternal Recurrence
Read the section titled "Aph. 341: The Greatest Weight". As you read, consider the following questions: If you were confronted with the question of eternal recurrence, what would you do? How is the aphorism in this reading intended to place the reader in a position to say "yes" to life?
Unit 4 Assessment
- Receive a grade
Take this assessment to see how well you understood this unit.
- This assessment does not count towards your grade. It is just for practice!
- You will see the correct answers when you submit your answers. Use this to help you study for the final exam!
- You can take this assessment as many times as you want, whenever you want.