We all know Friedrich Nietzsche. The infamous philosopher who suggested that girls most likely envy boys for their penis and boys probably want to have sex with their mothers. His work drew widely on art, philology, history, religion & science. Besides studying human sexual behaviour a lot of his work focuses on the higher ideal of human philosophy.
Superman
In comics the idea of a Superhero plays with the concept of being physically and mentally superior to all human beings. He is the one that sticks out of the crowd being smarter, faster and stronger (in hollywood sometimes also cuter) than anyone else. In Nietzsche’s late years he created the concept of an “Übermensch” - the more advanced person of tomorrow - who is often characterised as courageous, powerful, creative and unique. In “Thus Spoke Zarathustra”(1883) said main character sets the “Übermensch” as a goal for humanity. Man evolved from ape. That means man is capable to evolve into something far greater. In order to set characteristics Nietzsche looked for people on earth and found Goethe worthy as being closest to anyone being a superman. He pointed out that those wonder kids often have similar skills and behaviour such as:
1. Make your own values
The Übermensch is a very individualistic person who sets their own standard for what is right and wrong. He is independent in his thinking and often disagrees with popular beliefs.
2. Be selfish in strategic way
The Übermensch tries to become the best version of himself. This can sometimes mean that he hurts himself or other people in the name of great things and spends a lot of time alone. He is highly interested in the practice of raising societies standards (by their own definition).
3. Never be resentful of other peoples success
The Übermensch never takes offence in other peoples achievements. He accepts that suffering is a crucial part in our life that we need as part of feedback to make our life’s better. He acts caring to the weak out of consciousness of their own great strengths.
Nietzsche often thought that the absolute human would be more resentful towards conflicts, humble and calm. Surprisingly his list pointed out that a superior man practices habits the are considered anarchistic, rude, aggressive and hurtful among others - that maybe being great involves qualities that are disturbing towards others. In his theory studying the Superman helps us decide who we want to become in future and what set of skills and values we’d like to acquire.
I don't recall Nietzsche claiming this. Are you maybe mistaking him for Freud here?
Here's the million dollar question for you. Do you know why the superman is supposed to be the way you describe, and not some other way? For example the exact opposite? Or he is a meek Christian who turns the other cheek? Why and why not?
In other words, what makes Nietzsche's particular fantasies about the superman so interesting and not just "some guy's fantasy nobody cares about"? If you can explain this to yourself without degenerating into "because school says so" or "because he influenced X, Y, Z", but really look at the concepts - then I bet you will find great insights in the process.
Insights that will be 100% your own!
I'm not sure I fully understand the question. But I guess it's the mystery of "the grass is always greener on the other side". There is always a version of us that is better, smarter, stronger, etc. The longing for the superman in us is helping us to become the best version of ourselves.
I really enjoyed reading this :) fun post .
I never envied men for their penises but for sure believe that boys fantasize about sleeping with their Mami's ....and there is one question I have
Is there any truth behind Nietzsche saying that religion is the opium of the masses? or was it Karl Marx . hmmm .
I believe there are religious addicted junkies , indeed and I have to mention that I live on the island of Bali and saw how it feels in a family if there is no money for offerings :(
The full quote by K. Marx may surprise you greatly, compared to the sound-bite version everyone knows. It goes like this:
"Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people".
(from the introduction of " A Contribution to the Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right" by Karl Marx).
The Nietzschean Superman is whatever is the best version of You that is possible. Nietzsche's version was his version and if you read his works carefully, you will realize that if you follow Nietzsche in his version of the Superman, you are not the Superman but rather the sheep that he warns for. You have to be your own self. Being "uber" is all about being free and without constraint to be what you are; it is about willpower and unwillingness to be restrained. What this exactly means varies from person to person. For one person it may mean being dominant and powerful, whereas for another it may mean excelling in kindness and love. If you are letting your perception of uber be determined by what Nietzsche says, you are only making Nietzsche spin in his grave because what he is really advocating is for you to makep up your own mind. Nietzsche doesn't want followers, but equals.
Coming back to the post, I think it's perfectly fine to be resentful as an ubermensch! Nietzsche is all about experiencing your feelings and emotions. I don't think an Ubermensch needs to be selfish per se, although this could be a side-effect rather of being unconstrained of what other people think. A true ubermensch would, however, be above petty feelings like greed or material gain. I do not think an ubermensch would care about societal standards at all.