Übermensch
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The '''' ( , ; ) is a concept in the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche. In his 1883 book, Thus Spoke Zarathustra'' (), Nietzsche has his character Zarathustra posit the as a goal for humanity to set for itself. The represents a shift from otherworldly Christian values and manifests the grounded human ideal. Zarathustra proclaims the will of the to give meaning to life on planet Earth, and admonishes his audience to ignore those who promise other-worldly fulfillment.
The Übermensch is a concept from Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophy, introduced in his 1883 book *Thus Spoke Zarathustra*, that represents a human ideal focused on creating meaning through earthly values rather than otherworldly religious promises. Nietzsche presents it as a goal for humanity to pursue by rejecting Christian-based values and instead channeling human will toward meaningful life on Earth.
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- native label
- Übermensch
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~9 min read
Article
11 sectionsContents
- In English
- This-worldliness
- Death of God and the creation of new values
- As a goal
- Re-embodiment of amoral aristocratic values
- Relation to the eternal recurrence
- Use by the Nazis
- Anarchism
- See also
- References
- External links
The '''' ( , ; ) is a concept in the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche. In his 1883 book, Thus Spoke Zarathustra'' (), Nietzsche has his character Zarathustra posit the as a goal for humanity to set for itself. The represents a shift from otherworldly Christian values and manifests the grounded human ideal. Zarathustra proclaims the will of the to give meaning to life on planet Earth, and admonishes his audience to ignore those who promise other-worldly fulfillment.
In 1909, Thomas Common translated the term to English as "Superman", following the terminology of George Bernard Shaw's 1903 stage play Man and Superman. Walter Kaufmann blamed this translation for the widespread misidentification of Nietzsche's concept with the comic-book character Superman. Kaufmann and others preferred to translate as "overman". A translation like "superior humans" might better fit the concept of Nietzsche as he unfolds his narrative. Scholars continue to employ both terms, with some simply opting the German word.