Ideas
Contempt for People
Inspiration from Friedrich Nietzsche’s aphorisms
Philosophers who lived more than 150 years ago do not necessarily have to be perceived as outdated today. One of them is Friedrich Nietzsche, whose 55-page thin book Aphorisms on Love and Hate is a real treasure trove.
The dark cover reflects what I knew from earlier and what ideas I have on this German philosopher, who lived from 1844 to 1900.
Friedrich Nietzsche held a pessimistic view on modern society and culture, and his thoughts on “Übermensch” have falsely been taken as arguments for the Nazi ideology.
I’ve not been a big fan of Nietzsche, but I admit I felt little attracted by his philosophy at the time when I studied the French existentialists.
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) was a German philosopher who wrote a large number of philosophical works. The human will is a key element in Nietzsche’s philosophy, but he also became known for his fierce critique of Christianity and its worldview.
The will to power From Nietzsche’s view of humanity, the successful and meaningful life is characterized by a person expressing the will to power to the highest possible degree. The will to power is, according to Nietzsche, a fundamental drive of all living beings, which gives them the urge to unfold and shape the world they live in to suit their needs. This applies in particular to man, who has both a particularly great urge to shape the world, and at the same time the abilities needed to do so. The good life is thus about taking full control of one’s existence, and shaping the outside world so that it suits one’s wishes and needs. (Source: https://www.studienett.no/eksistensialisme/friedrich-nietzsche)
I think that Nietzsche in many ways formulates provoqing truths about human behaviour, and in today’s world I find in particular this quote interesting and appropriate:
As one of many aphorisms that relates well to our time, I found this one inpirational.
The least ambiguous sign of a disdain for people is this: that one tolerates everyone else only as a means to his end, or not at all. (Friedrich Nietzsche: Aphorisms on Love and Hate)
I am not surprised to see how this way of manipulating people many times turns out to be successful.
Speaking truth instead of lies and practising honesty in the political discurse is today very often absent.
We are in times like these suffering from and struggling with the moral deficiency on the highest political level.
Can we accept all these lies, all this manipulation by political leaders who show too many signs of resemblance with the Führer of Nietzsche’s country of birth, a single man who through lies and mass manipulation led the world to the holocaust and to a world-wide disaster we still have to recover from?