Nietzsche’s philosophy:

It can be said that Friedrich Nietzsche did not form any complete philosophical system for

himself like Socrates or Kant. His writings, basically, denied every other system of

philosophy that existed till then, including his intellectual mentor, Schopenhauer’s. Through

this denial he formed his own ideas, which is essentially the diametrical opposite of

Schopenhauer’s philosophy. His denial, however, is not the denial of the various answers

given by the ‘metaphysicians’ but the very questions they try to answer. He breaks the very

foundation on which these questions were based.

“What strange, wicked, questionable questions?”

-Beyond Good and Evil

According to him, there is no metaphysical realm outside of our actual, empirical reality. And

therefore there is no God, which he spectacularly and notoriously expressed as “Gott ist tod”

(God is dead). Morality and values, according to him, have been invented by the weak,

ungifted majority to support their interests. This only accomplishes the task of inhibiting the

natural instincts of the strong and clever, of ‘un-selfing’ them. Thus all our institutions

(including religion), our arts and sciences developed during the last 2000 years are

fundamentally based on false assertions. Our civilisation which aims at developing these

institutions and values is a decadent one. And so he calls for a ‘re-evaluation of all values’.

Human beings, who give free reign to their natural instincts, who do not hide away from what

they really are, are fully developed. They will be superior to all other human beings, being

unrepressed and uninhibited. Nietzsche coined the term “Ubermensch” (supermen), to

describe these men. The ‘Ubermensch’ would live their lives to the fullest, and would be well
aware of the idea that there is no greater reward to life than life itself. Nietzsche calls it the

aesthetic attitude towards life.

‘How much more valuable an actual man is compared with any sort of merely desired, dreamt

of, odious lie of an man? With any sort of ideal man?’

-Twilight of the Idols.

Nietzsche’s philosophy, with its denial of a metaphysical realm and of moral values, would

seem to be having a pessimistic view towards life, on the surface level. But it actually

attributes supreme value to life and Nietzsche describes this as saying ‘Yes to Life’. When

Schopenhauer talks about the ‘Will’, which is the fundamental drive that underlies

everything, he considers it to be essentially evil and the only way to liberate ourselves is to

deny it. But Nietzsche rejects this view of Schopenhauer and ascribes positive value to this

‘Will’; in fact, he calls it the only good there is.