Nietzsche

Friedrich Nietzsche
• German philosopher and died in 1900
• Before he was a philosopher, he was a philologist  study of words associated with ancient cultures – he was a specialist in ancient Greek culture
• He wrote “Twilight of the Idols”; “On the Geneology of Morals”; “Thus Spake Zarathustra”  this is the one where he says God is dead.
• Nietzsche claimed he was on a Campaign Against Morality. The things he was against:
1. Christianity and the moral teaching of Jesus Christ and the sermon on the mount – weak/slave mentality
• He rejected Jesus’ moral teachings and thought they were a sign of weakness (turning the other cheek)
2. Nietzsche rejected Kantianism & the Categorical Imperative – he said we are not logical when it comes to ethics.
3. He also rejected Utilitarianism – “Greatest good for the greatest many” – Nice way of saying majority rules (democracy) – He says this is a bad idea because the masses get to choose what is right or wrong…he’s thinking is what do they know?
• Human dilemma: He says, as humans, we want to do the right thing; however, we don’t know for certain right from wrong. Why are we in this dilemma? He would say it’s because God is dead. THIS IS NOT ATHEISM. He means that people act like God is dead. Why do people act that way? Because God is absent from everyday human life. The absence of God is the theme that runs through Nietzsche’s philosophy. He is saying God may exist, but he’s not here.
• His critique of religion rests on the absence of God.
• Because God is not here to tell us right from wrong & punish wrong doing…I’m all alone when it comes to morality. Nietzsche would say my dilemma only leaves me with 2 choices:
1. I can take somebody else’s word for it (God isn’t here so God has representatives so we need to take their word for it) – (faith)
2. I can make it up myself as I go along
• He says 99.9% of the worlds’ population does #1
• He is going to suppose that the entire Bible is true and he will use it as the best evidence against God.
• He talks about the Old Testament first:
1. Exodus from Egypt – Israelites escape Egypt; The Israelites show up at Mt. Sinai (10 commandments); but when Moses comes back, all the Israelites are partying and worshiping a golden calf – they violated the first 3 commandments and opened up the Earth and swallowed up a third of Israelites.
• Nietzsche says these are story after story after story of God taking an active role in human life – God is the law giver & punishes wrong doing (policeman) so there was no human dilemma because they knew for certain what the right thing was.
• Because of God’s activity, there was no human dilemma; no one had to wonder what was right from wrong…everyone knew.
• Nietzsche said that this all would have been nice. No one would have to wonder what was right or wrong…back then, God would say to read the 10 commandments. Morality was very clear cut.
• Nietzsche would say some time after Jesus died (1st CE), God seemed to have lost interest because it’s not like it was in the Old Testament anymore. And, there is no explanation of God not being there anymore.
• Everything changes after the Old Testament because of Jesus; however the advent of Jesus Christ doesn’t actually change anything.
• God does exist and Im all along or God exists and Im all alone? Which is worst?
• Do you feel like Nietzsche has accurately described the world that we live in?
• Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa – clouds start to form at the mountaintop and at the stroke of midnight a loud voice boomed and said “I’m back” and said “I am the God of the old testament” & “The ten commandments are my law” – would everybody start behaving themselves? Yes!
• Faith is substance of things hoped for and evidence of things not seen
• Extenstentialist say that this is very empowering and you get to be a real person.
• There are 2 groups of people that do either #1 or #2.

May 4, 2011
Slave Morality
o They get their morals from somebody else (They take somebody else’s word for it) For Nietzsche, you can dress it up as ‘faith’, but ultimately, you are taking somebody’s word for it.
o They are inspired to follow
o They may be people of action, but what distinguishes them is that the things that they do (their behavior) are simply emulating somebody else
o Unoriginal thinkers and simply do what they are told and borrow somebody else’s thoughts
o They may be rebels (might be) but usually go with the flow; they are only being a rebel to emulate somebody else, not originally or for their own reasons.
o Nietzsche says 99.9% of humans fall into this category
o Acquire power through association with master mentality
o Not virtuous
o Odysseus’ shipmates
o Christians, Buddhists, Muslims, Nazis, etc.

Master Morality
o They make morality up themselves
o They are leaders and they inspire others to follow them
o Nietzsche says not only do they inspire, but it is never by fear or intimidation; people simply follow because they want to
o They are people of action; they are doers
o They are also as an original a thinker as possible
o They are also rebels; they usually reject their society that they live in…the society’s morals, laws, values, or traditions.
o .01% of people fall into this category
o Acquires power by being followed
o Virtuous
o Nietzsche  Odysseus
o Jay  Jesus

Nietzsche has a concept called Will to Power to go along with this.
- Hitler used and changed a lot of this, but Nietzsche wouldn’t have thought highly of Nazis
- This suggested that everyone, all human beings…the most basic human drive…everyone desires power/significance
- Nietzsche says slaves and master get their power differently
- Master mentality acquires power by being followed and having followers who obey every command
- Slave acquire power through association with the master mentality
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Paradigmatic (best example) Example of MM:
- According to Nietzsche, there was a guy named Odysseus who was a Greek hero
- Iliad – Trojan War – Greeks win b/c Odysseus comes up with idea of Trojan horse; Greeks won the war by deception
- Odysseus was considered a hero because he was the best liar and best at deception
- Odyssey – Follows Trojan War; journey around the Mediterranean; Cyclops who kept sheep – captures Odysseus and his shipmates and eats one everyday – Odysseus tricks Cyclops and hides under the sheep as they go out of the cave – Cyclops gets his eye poked by and Odysseus says his name is ‘nobody’/ Sirens – sing the seductive songs to sailors and Odysseus puts wax in his sailors ears but him so he can be the only one to hear the sirens.
- Odysseus was Master mentality – shipmates follow him
- Odysseus asks at each stop, who’s the king – kills him, beds the queen, and treasure
- According to Nietzsche, Odysseus was the best example – best liar, thief, murderer, cheater, etc.
- Why would Nietzsche call Odysseus virtuous if he lies, cheat, etc… Nietzsche doesn’t think the moral qualities are what make you virtuous, it’s the master mentality qualities that makes you virtuous

Jay Arnold’s #1 Master Mentality of all time:
- Jesus Christ
- He was a leader and inspired people to follow him without threatening them
- He was a doer and person of action; he wasn’t a cross legged wise-man just sitting all day; preaching, healing and walking amongst the people
- He was revising Old Testament law; and he was just downright changing it (original thinker)
- He was a rebel, although he never broke any civil laws, but he broke all religious traditions – he did the exact opposite of what he was supposed to do
- He was virtuous and opposite of Odysseus – he was honest, and did not kill, steal, lie, etc.
- Nietzsche would agree that Jesus belongs on the list.

Let’s continue the list:
Master Mentality List – do their own thinking
- Jesus Christ
- Odysseus
- Buddha
- [Mohammed]
- Zoroasteri (founded Hinduism)
- Joseph Smith (Mormons – Book of Mormon)
- L. Ron Hubbard (Scientology)
- Gandhi
- Dr. King/Malcolm X
- Hitler – he was elected in a free election – didn’t rule by fear/ man of action – speaking, preaching, organization party
- Oprah
- Socrates
Almost (Slave Mentality) – takes someone else’s word for it
- Religious leaders who follow (disciples – St. Paul, Pope)  Unoriginal
- Cult leaders because very unoriginal
- Philosophers – original thinkers but they rarely do shit
- Kings, Generals, politicians, dictators – people with power and inspire and people of actions, but they ruled by fear

Nietzsche’s Eternal Recurrence
- If you knew that when you died, you were going to have to live the exact same life over and over again the exact same way, what would you change now?