Friedrich Nietzsche - Philosophy, Ethics and Success
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900)
German philosopher (pictured right), big fan of Arnold Schopenhauer, and a friend of the composer,
Richard Wagner.
Famous for his idea of “superman” (see below), which influenced many people
including:
- Adolf Hitler, pictured right
below (with his idea of the superior Aryan race)
- George Bernard Shaw (with his play Man and Superman).
His most famous book
is...
Thus Spoke Zarathustra (1885) which discusses his two most famous ideas:
- the superman (see point one below)
- the death of God and religion (see point 4).
What did he say about ethics and success?
1. Be a superman!
a) be like a “superman”
(confident, innovative and competitive - the values of “life-assertion”).
b) reject Christian values
(of self-sacrifice and humility). So:
- the first will be first and not last, as Jesus taught.
- the strong should overcome the weak.
Therefore, Nietzsche’s:
- philosophy appealed to dictators like Hitler and Italy's Benito
Mussolini (pictured right below).
But he:
- was not a Nazi.
- hated anti-Semitism (see point 2).
- believed in generosity and self-control.
2. The “eternal recurrence of time”
This means you should be willing to repeat any of your actions eternally because they are:
- vital to living life to the full.
3. Make the most of your life
You must live life to the full through:
- the “will to power” (which ruthlessly pursues your aims and beliefs and destroys your
weaknesses).
- taking all your opportunities (be a “yes-sayer” and “live
dangerously!”, he said ).
- daring to be great
- relishing whatever life has to throw at you (his motto was the “love of
fate”).
- honestly accepting your problems and weaknesses (and facing them with
courage).
Adversity is a great character builder.
“What does not destroy me makes me stronger”, he said.
But unfortunately most people live a living death (i.e. are “born posthumously”), because they
are never alive to (or aware of) life’s opportunities.
4. “God is dead”
He was an atheist who attacked Christianity for restricting people’s freedom by
telling them what to do.
Instead you must find your own principles based upon what you honestly believe and
feel.
But he strongly recommended:
- the survival of the fittest (see point 1).
5. Conflict is cool
Conflicts and disagreements with other people will:
Failure is just as inevitable as success, so learn from both.
6. Don’t follow the crowd
- hate “slave morality” (as in religion), when someone tells
you what’s right and you blindly follow it.
- examine your attitudes and ideas.
- reject bad and accept good attitudes and ideas.
But don’t let this self- examination stop you enjoying life.
7. Enjoy the arts
Art, literature and music all make you happy.
These will only flourish, when people’s feelings are freed from religion.
8. Use knowledge well
Knowledge should be used to solve the problems of people and society.
Accept that knowledge can be destructive as well as
constructive (like nuclear technology today).
Key quote on the past, present and
future
The future influences the present just as much as the past.
Key quotes on God and
religion
God is dead (this was expanded by New York graffiti into: God is dead – Nietzsche. Nietzsche is dead –
God!).
God is a thought that makes crooked all that is straight”.
Key quote on
education
The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those
who think differently.
Key quote on knowledge
management
There are no facts, only interpretations.
Key quote on human resource
management
Never make the unequal equal.
Key quote on
freedom
What is the seal of liberation? - No longer being ashamed in front of oneself.
Key quote on
communication
Every word is a prejudice.
Key quote on
creativity
You must have chaos in you, to give birth to a dancing star.
Key quote on stress and
pain
What does not destroy me makes me stronger.
Key quote on
objectives
He who has a why to live can bear with almost any how.
Key quote on
marriage
When marrying, ask yourself this question: Do you believe that you will be able to converse well with this
person into your old age? Everything else in marriage is transitory.
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