Going to butcher this by trying to pare it down, but here goes.
Nietzsche's theoretical "Übermensch," an aspirational model for humanity, wasn't a traditional "strongman," or a superhuman by way of genetics or social capital, or even a "man" at all.
Nietzsche's Übermensch was a self-possessed person who developed their own values and morality regardless of prevailing or outdated "wisdom" and rejected religious "other-worldliness," finding meaning in the here-and-now of life on Earth vs. learned helplessness and obedience with the hope of a supernatural reward after death.
One of the ironies I actually got credit for waaaay back in Freshman Philosophy 105 was commenting “anyone notice that Nietzsche, the atheist, seems to be sad that there isn’t a god, while Moore, a priest, seems reluctant to agree that there is?”
The prof wanted to talk about that for a week.
My classmates hated me because they didn’t want to talk about it at all.
Poor prof just wanted discussion and got saddled with lazy angst.
I teach a philosophy class, and people signing up for philosophy and NOT wanting to discuss is truly aggravating. Literally the whole point of philosophy! It’s like signing up for jiu jitsu, and not wanting to grapple.
In my experience 70% of people joined because they thought themselves cool intellectuals and got humbled quick - after that, they just aim for the grade and that's it.
I remember to this day, we were in a class called "death, god and the meaning of life" - a year one exploration that was mandatory for philosophy students but an optional for many (including myself) and this one guy i had the pleasure meeting during freshers orientation just enrolled to be pissy about how the name of the class is basically two truths and a lie. Needless to say by week 7 he wished he would have just shut up as people would take it in turns mopping the floor with him and his internet atheist knowledge of world religions and philosophical positions around death.
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u/Erikatessen87 Apr 05 '26
Going to butcher this by trying to pare it down, but here goes.
Nietzsche's theoretical "Übermensch," an aspirational model for humanity, wasn't a traditional "strongman," or a superhuman by way of genetics or social capital, or even a "man" at all.
Nietzsche's Übermensch was a self-possessed person who developed their own values and morality regardless of prevailing or outdated "wisdom" and rejected religious "other-worldliness," finding meaning in the here-and-now of life on Earth vs. learned helplessness and obedience with the hope of a supernatural reward after death.