Nietzsche's Most Dangerous Idea | The Übermensch

I want to teach men the sense of their existence which is the Uber mench the lightning out of the Dark Cloud are the Uber mench the domain of philosophers revolutionaries and edgy teenagers this has got to be one of n's most famous ideas but perhaps also his most misunderstood one the Uber mench is often characterized as just a very strong guy or a kind of alpha type who sits at the top of our current societal hierarchy but as we will see these descriptions of the Uber mench are at best incomplete and at worst deeply misleading

the truth is that n had far far greater plans for what he saw was the next evolution of mankind the Uber mench is a happy creative and powerful character whose ultimate aim is to move us from a world of religious values to a strong original and joyful philosophy here we'll learn some of the characteristics of the Uber mench that n describes dispel some common myths and ultimately show just how this radical conception of what Humanity can aspire to can help us in our own lives as always I encourage you to read nature for yourself to

get your own interpretation of this concept the key text to bear in mind here is thus spake zarathustra this video is just my understanding which will be colored by my own cognitive biases and will inevitably leave something else the Uber mench even more so than most of n's philosophy is described in Flowery and poetic language which makes it open to many different interpretations it's worth reading n for yourself to get your own insights unblemished by my understanding but first why should we even think the Uber mench is possible well for that we need to look

into some background on the death of God one God is dead but we are not perhaps ne's most famous quote is God is dead and we have killed him but what most people don't know is the significance of this idea to n's wider philosophy and especially his conception of the Uber mench for n until the 19th century the for sustaining our moral values was religion if you had a moral quandry you asked your local priest you did not Dain to answer these questions for yourself or attempt to create your own values and in Europe the

dominant moral system was Christianity with its primary values being loving your neighbor and loving the powerless and this Reliance of morality on religion made sense the whole of humanity was submitting to a higher being and understandably following their orders but there was change on the wind the rise of atheism and modern science in the wake of the Enlightenment meant that the very existence of God was being questioned people were no longer making theological Arguments for their moral values but secular philosophical ones Jeremy benam did not argue that what was good was what made the most

people happy because he thought it was some God's will he argued it because he thought that it was philosophically correct and this is what nature means by God is dead it means religion can no longer support our moral values mankind will have to make them for itself this situation presents a whole host of problems from nihilism to existential despair nature says it can lead to Humanity's degradation into a character he calls the last man the last man is the epitome of mediocre they do not strive for anything great they are robbed of their natural human

courage and tenacity instead they pursue Comfort avoid danger and trudge from day to day in a me meaningless existence they are nihilists who despise action they find no meaning in their lives and they let this Rob them of their internal drive they were totally dependent on the existence of a higher being to give them the motivation to do anything and with that removed they can't see further than the next day they hate discomfort and this traps them in a cycle of mediocrity and despair n views this almost like a doomsday scenario he thinks it will

be the ultimate waste of Mankind's potential for him there needs to be an alternative NE sees in the death of God a potential fantastic opportunity for the first time in thousands of years mankind has the power to craft its own definitions of right and wrong good and evil or move past the concepts entirely we can create our own values and this is where the Uber mench walks onto the scene the purpose of the Uber mench is to move Beyond Humanity as it currently exists they have the boldness to reshape the world as they see fit

and Forge brand new morals brand new values in the fires of the old ones fich many of these values will be centered around one great a the affirmation of material life one of the aspects of religion that N Found endlessly irritating was its tendency to make the material world secondary to some higher spiritual plane in Christianity this is primarily done by making the world a precursor to either Heaven or Hell the significance of the temporary physical world pales in comparison to the Eternal metaphysical world just on the horizon nature thought that philosophies like this encouraged

us to waste the great gift of life it told people to hold it at a distance as something that will be gone soon and is just a prologue to a much greater existence the Uber mench would do the opposite they would conduct their entire life with a great love for material reality they would love their fate and love their lives and take each moment with great gratitude in their hearts this is an aspect of the Uber mench that's often lost in analyses of nature they are not necessarily hungry for wealth or to be at the

top of our current hierarchy according to n present day hierarchies aren't even worth ascending Instead The Uber mench and those that would assist them want to change the values of society to fit a new world they're not just hungry for power they have a definite end in mind nature does not spell out in perfect detail what these values will be he largely sees himself as setting the stage for a new generation of philosophers who will do the job of making these values but then the question on a lot of people's lips is how does the

Uber mench come about and that is exactly our next point if you want more on philosophy and the art of learning subscribe to my email list the link is in the description two the Metamorphoses of the Uber mench the word Uber mench is commonly translated as Superman and this Cur up a whole host of images on our head some of which are deeply misleading and some of which I probably used on my thumbnail the characteristic most people emphasize is strength and N definitely thought the Uber mench must be strong but it is not just a

matter of strength it is also important what somebody does with that strength there were plenty of strong people in n's age but he said the Uber mench did not yet exist so what else is needed in the recipe for this next evolution of humanity in thus spake zarathustra n says the transformation from man to Uber mench comes in three stages he calls the first stage the camel this is probably what most people think of when they conceive of the Uber mench the camel is strong enough to Bear all the challenges of the world they are

powerful in the most straightforward sense of the word they seek out the hardest things to do and then do them all in the name of overcoming obstacles developing their strength and rejoicing in their own power they're like the David goggin of 19th century philosophy but importantly the camel is not yet challenging our value system as far as they're concerned our current values might be absolutely correct they have strength but they don't yet have creativity they seek to conquer the world but they don't yet seek to change it they want to be at the top of

the current tree but they have no desire to cut it down and start a new the second stage is where the purpose of n's Uber mench comes a little bit more into Focus he calls this stage the lion and it is where the power that the fledgling Uber mench has gained comes into full force in n's words the lion replaces Thou shalt with I will this is the point at which the old values are being deconstructed and destroyed the lion is feasting on the corpse of our current moral values and is carving out space for

new ones to be created they reject the values of others and instead prioritize their own Wills the Lion in n's view is essentially a destructive force they are like a whirlwind tearing down moral values wherever they find them if we were to meet the lion we'd probably call them a psychopath or at the very least a rebellious nihilist but to n they seem an essential stage that the Uber mench must pass through to reach their final destination the one thing the lion cannot do is create brand new values and that is where the final transformation

comes into play the final stage that n lays out for the Uber mench is perhaps the most interesting whereas the previous two stages have been characterized by Beast a nashing of teeth the final stage is called the child the child is very different from the last two stages in that their essential properties are creativity and innocence with the lion having carved out space for the creation of new values the child actually gets to create them they forget the morals and doctrines of the old world and construct philosophy a new with all of the joyful playfulness

of a toddler here we see some of the values that nature cherished but are often ignored by analyses of his work Joy innocence playfulness creativity and a deep love of life these are all characteristics that n attributes to the Uber mench and they are most emphasized in this idea of the child it is sometimes difficult to see exactly what nature means by these stages are these Metamorphoses we must go through to become the Uber mench ourselves or can we merely hope to prepare the world for a generation which will themselves be Uber mention this is

a point that nature seems to skip back and forth on in thus SP zarathustra and different people have very different interpretations of what these stages mean but I'd be very interested to know what you think but what is the Uber mench actually like well I'm glad you asked three the characteristics of the Uber mench one of the things that makes the Uber mench so difficult to talk about is the way n presents them as a mishmash of different qualities sometimes these qualities contradict sometimes they align sometimes it is not clear whether the ner is talking

about the Uber mench themselves or some other form of higher being all this means it's a struggle to get a clear picture of the Uber men's qualities without obscuring what n actually said which is rich in meaning but light on specificity and this is almost certainly by Design throughout n's writings he is constantly talking about about how he is merely clearing the way for a different and possibly better type of philosopher his great work Beyond Good and Evil is subtitled a Prelude to the philosophy of the future and this is reflected in his descriptions of

the Uber mench there is no step-by-step guide on how to become one nature is not a philosophical self-help Guru instead there are qualities that present a blurry picture of what nature thought the next evolution of mankind might be first as is clear from the previous section n thinks the Uber mench must be powerful sometimes he means physical or material strength by this but just as often he means spiritual toughness this power is not simply for its own sake though it is so the Uber mench has the tenacity and the drive to tear down the values

of the old world attempting to destroy the dominant moral system of Europe is no small feat and it's fair to say that there will be some backlash so to be fit for this Grand task the Uber mench must be able to Bear all this torment they must hold fast in the face of pressure from others and carve out A New Path for themselves and all Humanity their power extends to overcoming themselves and seizing control control of their own will so that it will not deviate from their intended path next there is an inherently rebellious nature

to the Uber mench they reject the dominant moral system and its teachings so it's hardly surprising that they have a bit of a problem with authority this manifests most readily as refusing to submit their will to others they do not bow to the authority of a church or state and recognize no higher power than their own will this ties closely in with the creativity of the Uber MCH the source of the new values they create will be their own will uncorrupted by external influence if they submited their will to others they would have nothing with

which they could conjure up these new values the Uber mench is essentially taking on the role of a God in that they will decide for themselves what is right what is wrong and what is valuable NE thinks they cannot do this from a position of submission they may not require a position of domination either but they must have freedom and Independence so they can at the very least be master of their own Wills this may make them seem evil to everyone else but for nich it's an integral step in the creative process lastly and perhaps

most surprisingly the Uber mench has a deep love in their hearts for the world and for mankind itself often n is painted as a crude egoist recommending that we pursue our own selfish Desires in any situation and saying that the rest of humanity can go to hell but I disagree with this interpretation niches Uber mench does not construct new values out of hate or a wish to be cruel or spiteful though it may seem that way from the outside they do it out of love they believe that their will is the best will the one

with the strength and fortitude to rescue Humanity from nihilism and bring us into a new age of Greater philosophy greater art greater work and greater people some may call this simple delusion but nature says that in the right hands this unabashed confidence is exactly what we need in the wake of the death of God this idea of love for the world is reflected most of all in the character of zarathustra who is constantly talking about his love for people how he wants to Shepherd them into a better way of living a way of living free

from the crude constraints of religious morality he wants to release the greatness he believes is inside Mankind and which he thinks has been strangled by our current values he is not unkind though he may act that way at times he is more like a Stern but loving parent who gets the best out of us through the occasional use of harsh words but through the prodigious use of affectionate encouragement there are many more qualities that n assigns to the Uber mench he says they are to be free from pity and resentment and free from disgust and

have a great love for the material world but there is one more quality of the Uber bench that I think is applicable to all of us and that is how they approach Joy four the joyful philosopher Nature has been called many things a radical itical thinker an essential existentialist and a complete madman but there is one label that is just as appropriate as any of these and that is a philosopher of Joy despite how he may seem n is genuinely one of the most upbeat philosophers I've ever read he is constantly talking about new ways

we can find happiness new sources of laughter and new methods of loving Our Fate one of my favorite of his books is literally called the gay science or the joyful science if you're teaching about it in a secondary school his works are littered with enthusiastic aspirations and thus zarathustra he gives one of his most insightful pieces of wisdom if you want to be happy don't aim for happiness at first this seems really counterintuitive why would we not aim to be happy after all a miserable life that is barely worth living is hardly something to Aspire

to but Nature's Uber mench demonstrates why this piece of advice works and how each of us can apply it in our own lives the Uber mench does not seek out happiness directly they instead seek out suffering and pain but importantly they don't do this out of some masochistic desire to hurt themselves or out of self-hate instead they do it to as nature puts it Rejoice at their own strength and to reach higher and higher levels of understanding to really get to grips with what nature means here we need to realize that he doesn't view suffering

as a bad thing he thinks it is entirely necessary for our development as people if we never suffered we wouldn't have the urge to question anything we would never properly interact with the world as thinkers we would be turned into cattle being fed Pleasant Sensations day after day until one day we Keel over for nature this is no way for a person to live and certainly no way to evolve beyond our current state in his more grandiose moments n speaks of how we should love our suffering embracing it like a friend we should grab the

worst experiences in our lives and kiss them passionately showing our appreciation of their vital contributions to our characters and this attitude makes a certain sense if you want to get the most Joy possible out of life it is very easy to enjoy things that are sensually pleasurable you will very rarely hear somebody complain about the pain of a delicious meal or time spent with their best friends so we can consider such experiences occup IED ground as far as our happiness goes what remains are all the awful experiences in life the tragedies the pains the endless

irritations this is the land we must conquer if we want it too to bring us joy and nature allows us to do this by setting our course directly for suffering then when we suffer it is no bad thing we've achieved what we wanted to do and by highlighting all of Pain's developmental aspects n is making this redirection a little bit easier the idea is that Joy will then not need finding at all it will catch us entirely unawares we will be sitting by ourselves when happiness will Bubble Up Inside us we will find a naturally

carefree and joyful attitude to life as innocently as a child does but nature thinks this can only happen if we let go of our wish to be happy altogether NE says it is just at this moment where we stop aiming for joy and instead set out for pay that peace will fall Upon Us seeking happiness is a bit like flirting it only works if you don't mind getting rejected secure joy for nature can only be obtained when we no longer desire to avoid suffering and all the better if we actively run towards it there are

certainly in parallels with Buddhist philosophy to be made here and this is what allows the Uber mench to be so joyful and creative they don't mind the slings and arrows of the world and this grants them immense Freedom they don't care about being condemned by others so they can craft their own values they're not bothered by hardship so they can secure their independence from the people around them they don't directly wish to be happy so they are all the more effective in exercising their will and in the process they secure happiness almost as an afterthought

again this is a really really difficult thing to get your head round or at least it was for me but there is an awful lot of insight here and if we can embrace it it is the closest we can realistically come to attaining the freedom and creativity of Nature's Uber mench five what next sometimes reading nature is like Consulting A very wise but ever so slightly imprecise Oracle there is definite wisdom in here but sometimes it's hard to bring out specific recommendations but here are some key takeaways I think we can gain from n's concept

of the Uber match the first is simply his warning about the last man this pitiful figure who shies away from Challenge and seeks only comfort who lives dayto day and never strives for anything greater who becomes a sluggish nihilist nature identifies that we're in danger of becoming such creatures if we're not careful in situations where meaning is hard to come by but Comfort abounds it is easy to give over to a form of subtle misery where each day is pleasant but our lives as a whole seem deeply unfulfilling where we eat donuts with a frown

on our face and Chase whatever will give us our next fix of pleasure before we retire back into our soft despair nature warns us to avoid becoming this person at all costs secondly his idea of the Uber mench overcoming themselves is not limited to those with grand designs on reshaping our moral values we might apply this idea of dominating ourselves to gaining back our self-respect and wrenching control of Our Lives we might use it to push our limits and force ourselves to strive for greatness in whatever way best suits us it encourages us to grasp

our minds with both hands and gain power over the one thing we always have access to ourselves this is a useful ambition to struggle after whether you want to forge new values in the fires of God's funeral or just attempt to make the best of the material reality that you've been given lastly Nature's Uber mench teaches us how to find joy in difficult places it encourages us to be creative as well as destructive above all it allows us to reclaim a time when we were constantly original when every day we had a new magnumopus where

we did not feel ashamed of failure or insufficiency but embraced our creative Wills whole heartedly he teaches us to recreate a little part of the magic spark we had as children and guard it carefully from anyone who seeks to crush or constrain it and I want to finish on this point for all his reputation as a vicious and cruel thinker who encouraged the Nobles to crush the slaves and thought the idea that all men were created equal is complete nonsense nature would ultimately bow his head in acknowledgement of the wisdom of a child and I

think that's rather beautiful as always I encourage you to read n for yourself to get your own interpretation of these fascinating ideas the key text to bear in mind here is thus spake zarra and click here to learn more about his devastating critique of morality perhaps his most controversial philosophical idea and stick around for more on thinking to improve your life