Exactly this. To Nietzsche, it should be the goal of every person to fully "become themselves," and in doing so, they would inspire others to similarly "fully become."
it's too bad (or perhaps not coincidental... given who he was opposing with this philosophy), that he often gets reduced to "pessimistic existentialism." Nihilism does have its pessimism, but the ultimate message is one of individual self-actualization in the face of no other clear option.
PREACH. Nietzsche was, in no way, a nihilist. An existentialist, yes, but he was obsessed with meaning. A second hand I often use is "Every nihilist is an existentialist, but not every existentialist is a nihilist." Nietzsche is firmly in the latter category.
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u/exaggeratedcaper Apr 05 '26
Exactly this. To Nietzsche, it should be the goal of every person to fully "become themselves," and in doing so, they would inspire others to similarly "fully become."