Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) was a German philosopher and cultural critic who frequently initiated controversy with his unorthodox views on many topics. He believed existence to be cyclical, with no beginning and no end; as a result of this cyclical worldview (also known as “eternal recurrence”; Hatab, 2005), he dismissed the idea of morality and suggested that we are all the masters of our own destinies. He was of the opinion that metaphysical explanations of human origin should be dismissed and that humanity began as part of nature (as opposed to humans being created by a god or other supernatural force); as a result of this worldview, Nietzsche believed that humans were long overdue for an evolutionary change by the time he undertook his writings. The reasoning that can be divined from Nietzsche’s work is: If we evolved from lower lifeforms (such as apes), should we not evolve further into improved humans? Nietzsche believed that the only things that held humans back from taking the third evolutionary step were the development of morality and societal standards; anyone who would reject said rules would risk appearing insane to the general public. Nietzsche persisted in this idea, however; he identified the “will to power” as an instinct that lives inside of our souls – a “primal” force that drives us to make decisions in order to survive (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, n.d.). To initiate the next step in the evolutionary process, Nietzsche claimed, everyone must embrace their own “will to power” and become their own masters. The problem Nietzsche saw with widely-held moral codes was the relativity of the perceived morality, based on perspective; for example, in a relationship between a slave and master, each thinks they are good and the other is bad. Nietzsche proclaimed this scenario to be an illustration of the downfall of traditional morality, and proof that modern morals were contrived by humans. The concept of the Übermensch (sometimes translated as the Superman), introduced in Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra (1883), was the ultimate result of Nietzsche’s rejection of traditional moral codes and his embrace of creating new truths and ethical standards based on personal necessity.

The Übermensch, or Superman, was Nietzsche’s ideal of the perfect human who transcends both traditional views of morality and animalistic impulses to live according to their self-created values. Nietzsche conceived this idea in order to combat the increased nihilism in the Western world; he saw traditional morals to be arbitrary and limiting, and so proposed the Übermensch as a model figure for all of humanity. The Übermensch has been interpreted in several different ways since Nietzsche’s introduction of it; some saw it as the next step in the physical human evolution, others saw it as a philosophical stance and nothing more, and still others took it literally and saw it as a lifestyle one must take on. Regardless of personal interpretation, the characteristics and motives of the Übermensch remain clear; the Übermensch breaks free of societal norms and general moral implications in order to live out their true potential, which is only expressed through the realization and fulfillment of their true self. According to Nietzsche, the Übermensch is superior to other humans, but the path to becoming an Übermensch is not easy; to become one, the individual must reject all expectations of the world, forget moral standards, and simply live in accordance with one’s base instincts. The Übermensch must accept both joys and pains in life without resentment and take full responsibility for their actions. This, Nietzsche said, was the essence of the Übermensch: not a rigid framework for an individual to live up to, but a set of guidelines intended for individuals to discover who their Übermensch was. In Nietzsche’s famous work Thus Spoke Zarathustra, the prophet Zarathustra happens upon a crowd gathered to watch a performer walk a tightrope, and Zarathustra uses the opportunity to educate the crowd: “Man is a rope stretched between the animal and the Superman [Übermensch]—a rope over an abyss” (Nietzsche, 1883). Becoming the Übermensch involves intense concentration on personal instincts in order to constructively live a “good” life. In The Gay Science (1882), Nietzsche discusses the idea of amor fati (love of one’s fate), and the relationship loving life has to do with living a good life (Nietzsche, 2001). To embrace life fully, as Nietzsche suggests, one must love their life as it happens; this connects to the Übermensch concept in that both ideas consist of an uninitiated lifestyle. The Übermensch connects to many of Nietzsche’s other philosophical ideas, as well; his idea of the death of God sets the stage for the Übermensch, in that Nietzsche saw morality as “outdated,” in a sense, due to humanity’s general separation from any sense of universal morals.

Throughout history, Nietzsche’s Übermensch has faced significant criticism and misinterpretation. After Nietzsche’s death in 1900, his sister, Elisabeth Förster-Nietzsche, compiled his writings into volumes and made additions to his ideas in his name, which significantly complicated the issue of how much of Nietzsche’s posthumously-published books were written by Friedrich or Elisabeth (Wicks, 2022). Elisabeth was a staunch supporter of the Nazi movement in the early twentieth century, and she promoted her brother as a German nationalist and philosopher whose ideas correlated with Nazi ideology, although Nietzsche himself did not support Germany or (later in life) the idea of anti-Semitism, which was one of the Nazis’ main tenets. The Nazis utilized Nietzsche’s Übermensch concept to justify their homicidal attempts, acting under the guise that the Nazis were becoming Übermenschen: higher forms of human life. Aside from this oft-misunderstood blight on Nietzsche’s reputation, there have been other attempts to discredit the Übermensch idea over the years since its conception. Nietzsche’s frequent use of metaphorical language and nuanced explanations complicate interpretations of his work; as a result of this potential for confusion, there have been many debates over the years since Nietzsche’s death concerning what Nietzsche’s intent was with the Übermensch. As Sheposh points out in his 2022 essay of the Übermensch, diverging interpretations have stemmed from the term simply due to specific translations of the German word; the word Übermensch is comprised of the German words Über (above or super, depending on the translation) and Mensch (man). Because of the ambiguity of the term, there has been considerable debate over what Nietzsche originally meant by the phrase, including whether he meant Übermensch as a physical transformation of the human, or if he meant the idea as a shift in mindset only (Sheposh, 2022). Along with being criticized for its differences in translations, the Übermensch concept has faced controversy for its ideologies; from feminists criticizing the concept for seeming exclusively masculine to uneducated individuals judging Nietzsche’s ideas negatively simply due to his posthumous alignment with the Nazis, the Übermensch has stood against many attempts to dismantle it. To address the feminist attempts to tear down the Übermensch, there is a simple explanation: just because the idea of a transcendent human being was given an inherently masculine title does not mean the idea excludes women. Rather, the idea, in its essence, includes all of humanity in its implementation. For those who align Nietzsche with the infamous Nazi movement, another simple clarification suffices to explain this issue: as mentioned, Nietzsche was posthumously promoted by his sister to be a philosophical figurehead for the Nazi movement. This does not mean Nietzsche was himself a Nazi; for the same reason that the Christmas carol “Silent Night” should not be frowned upon simply because Adolf Hitler liked it, Nietzsche should not be villainized for his association with the Nazi movement.

Nietzsche’s Übermensch strikes me as an intriguing idea conceived by an intriguing man; the notion that we, as humans, can live a better life through the reevaluation of traditional moral codes and guidelines is an unorthodox but interesting concept. My perspective of the structure behind societal norms has been expanded, and I have come to a better realization of many details of our society today that are arbitrary and seem natural to rebel against. Additionally, I was able to come to a better understanding of how we, as humans, should strive to become the best versions of ourselves in order to have a good life. The idea of individual success directly resulting from personal dedication and self-discipline resonated deeply with me, as I believe self-control to be beneficial, no matter what viewpoint or perspective someone has on life. However, for the idea’s many fascinating intricacies, there are some aspects of the Übermensch that do not align with a Christian worldview. The main conflict between the Übermensch and the Bible that stood out to me was the Übermensch’s focus on success only being obtainable through an individual’s dedication to acquiring their goals and pursuing knowledge and truth, where the Bible promotes trust in God for our future; while we must work hard to be successful in life, Christians should not assume that God does not play a part in personal success. Another major distinction that I identified between the Übermensch and the Bible was the differing moral belief systems; while morals are seen as unnecessary and human-contrived by the Übermensch, Christians recognize that morality is not a manmade construct, but rather sets of rules given to humanity directly from God, as detailed in the biblical books of Exodus and Leviticus. Along the same vein, the Übermensch essentially replaces God in Nietzsche’s ideology, while Christians believe that God is the ultimate and all-powerful authority. Furthermore, if the idea of the Übermensch being an almighty figure wasn’t controversial enough from a Christian point of view, Nietzsche claimed that the transformation from human to “above human” was only securable through self-effort, and the Übermensch exclusively seeks self-realization and power; the tyrannical image that forms is far removed from the loving, just God in the Bible. Our goal on Earth is not to become “overmen,” but to glorify God through our actions; only through humbling ourselves before God and offering ourselves to Him through worship can we share in His eternal reward after our Earthly death. I think it is important to understand that human ideas, such as Nietzsche’s Übermensch, should never be taken as ultimate authority by Christians; God is our only King, and because of the extensive rules He provided us, we should not attempt to reinvent morality or anything similar. However, I believe it is beneficial to understand other perspectives on different topics, so researching the Übermensch has been eye-opening for me because of its stark opposition to biblical values; in discovering the many flaws in Nietzsche’s concept, I can be reassured of the solid foundation I stand on as a Christian.

Nietzsche’s concept of the Übermensch remains a topic of much discussion among philosophers even over 150 years after his death; the allure behind the idea of becoming a “super human” is an instinct within all of us. As a Christian, I see parallels between Nietzsche’s Übermensch and Satan’s lie in Genesis 3:5; the Übermensch seeks to transcend human nature and become an “over human,” which is reminiscent of Satan’s claim that humans have the power to become gods themselves. If we strive to elevate ourselves through our own efforts and reject traditional views of morality, we will, consequentially, spend eternity apart from God. It is important to maintain an openminded perspective when approaching philosophical matters, but there are some philosophical principles, such as the Übermensch, that directly oppose biblical truths. God is the highest authority, and it is folly for humans to strive to be gods themselves; we are God’s creations, and we should offer Him worship through living humble, submissive lives that glorify Him.

References

Barnett, D. (2023). Friedrich Nietzsche. Salem Press Biographical Encyclopedia.

Hatab, L. (2005). Nietzsche’s life sentence : Coming to terms with eternal recurrence. Taylor & Francis Group.

Holy Bible, New International Version. (1996). Zondervan. (Original work published 1973)

Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (n.d.). Friedrich Nietzsche (1844—1900). Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. https://iep.utm.edu/nietzsch/

Nietzsche, F. (2001). The gay science : with a prelude in German rhymes and an appendix of songs. Cambridge University Press.

Nietzsche, F. (1883). Thus Spake Zarathustra: A Book for All and None. The Gutenberg Project. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1998/1998-h/1998-h.htm

Sheposh, R. (2022). Übermensch. Salem Press Encyclopedia.

Wicks, R. (2022). Nietzsche’s Life and Works. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2022/entries/nietzsche-life-works