Tiffany Lubahn
PSC 341
Assn. #5
Nietzsche begins his Third Essay with the aphorism, “Unconcerned, mocking, violent—thus wisdom wants us: she is a woman and always loves only a warrior” to express the idea that mankind must not shy away from its primal instincts, lest the success of the world’s future suffer. Nietzsche’s writings in On the Genealogy of Morals suggest that mankind must follow or give in to his “will to power”, which is man’s instinctual motivation to attain one’s desires and achieve one’s goals, including when that means dominating others if necessary.
The portion of the statement “unconcerned, mocking, violent” reflects the sentiment that if man is to achieve greatness he must be willing to do whatever it takes. When man is brave and bold, as a warrior is, he shall be rewarded. This will to power is the real motivator of all mankind. In fact, Nietzsche says all life and all organisms are characterized and motivated by a will to power (Nietzsche II: 12;78). Those few elite men that pursue their will to power will give the world purpose and will control and make change in the world. The people will look to these men and their actions to consider what is virtue or morality. Nietzsche’s writings suggest that values are simply man’s expression of his will to power.
Nietzsche’s writings are open to much interpretation, especially his use of aphorisms. Nietzsche himself says, “An aphorism, properly stamped and molded, has not been “deciphered” when it has simply been read; rather, one has then to begin its exegesis, for which is required an art of exegesis” (Nietzsche Preface: 8;23). The aphorism at the beginning of the Third Essay implies that Nietzsche views the will to power as the source of man’s true nature, and therefore his morals and values. He believes that there is no truth in the world’s current morality, which is democratic morality or Christian morality. His disdain is evident for those he calls the “spiritually flatfooted” (i.e. those who follow Christian morality) when he says, “…how many comedians of the Christian-moral ideal would have to be exported from Europe today before its air would begin to smell fresh again” (Nietzsche III: 26;159). He believes that the morals and values of Christianity are causing the demise of the religion and are harmful to society at large.
Nietzsche also discusses how master morality was a means of the nobles, or blond beasts as he sometimes refers to them, manifesting power over others. Nietzsche says all noble races and those who were victorious throughout history were bold and followed their will to power (Nietzsche I: 11;40-42). In doing so, the nobles determined what was good or bad (master morality). Slave morality is the inversion of those values, wherein the weak are actually the strong, the nobles were evil and the slaves were good, etc. Only upon the force of religion was the dichotomy created between good and evil. Nietzsche suggests that this idea of good and evil was perpetuated by Christianity and it damages mankind by preserving the weakness in man.
Nietzsche suggests that there is a will to everything, including religion and science. He does not seem to prefer science over faith. Science searches for the truth to explain life and mankind’s existence, rather than justification coming from god. But, science does not create values, it searches all things and questions all beliefs in search of the absolute truth. Further, faith in an absolute truth is no different than faith in an absolute God. Morality, whether it is resulting from science or religion, will hinder man following his will to power. Nietzsche says, “So that precisely morality would be to blame if the highest power and splendor actually possible to the type man was never in fact attained? So that precisely morality was the danger of dangers?” (Nietzsche Preface: 6;20).
Nietzsche talks about the state beginning as tyranny and opposed the notion of a state beginning with a social contract. Nietzsche discusses the beginning of a state being “some pack of blond beasts of prey, a conqueror and master race…” which conquers, sometimes violently, the people who then become slaves of the state (Nietzsche II: 17;86). In man giving up the state of nature for the security of society, all animalistic instincts were devalued and had to be repressed to allow them to think and act appropriate for society. Those primal instincts did not just disappear, though. Instead they were internalized which later created the “internalization of man”, which could be explained as a man’s soul or innermost desires. Nietzsche’s writings suggest that values are simply man’s expression of his will to power. Nietzsche uses the term ressentiment to describe slave values. Slave values seek justice by responding to injury, but that is not really justice it is merely spite and resentment.
Nietzsche discusses how all progress in the world results from some will to power and that some things must be sacrificed for mankind to advance (Nietzsche II: 12;78). He says there is always a will to power operating and that it is necessary for the world to adapt and change. The will to power is the essence of life, and so much that Nietzsche several times says that man would “rather will nothingness than not will” (Nietzsche III: 1;97). Nietzsche refers to man’s declaring war against his old instincts which had brought “his strength, joy and terribleness…” as an illness of man and a cause for ressentiment (Nietzsche II: 16;84-85). Nietzsche says that this will to nothingness is nihilism (Nietzsche III: 14;121-122).
I would tend to agree with Nietzsche’s views. History has shown that it is the strongest of man who prosper. Considering modern politics, only those with significant money and power (i.e. strength in modern society) can attain any real political power. Only when one considers morality in the religious sense does it come to mind that the simple, feeble, or poor should be cared for and carried by the strong and even then, it is not common to believe that those weakest of men should be placed in positions of power or authority. For the modern world to prosper, those in power must be strong and willing to do what is necessary despite what may be morally right according to religion.