Chapter 16 Handout

What is modernity and its accompanying “diseases?” ▪ Historical period of 19th and 20th century where belief ideas dominated by Enlightened ideals, including faith in science, objective truth, and rationality, mass media. ▪ Man thinks he’s all that, pride fatith humility

What is tragic optimism and how is it used to overcome the pessimism of Schopenhauer? ▪ The sense of joy and vitality that accompanies the superior individual’s clear-sighted imposition of his own freely chosen values on a meaningless world. ▪ The superior person overcomes pessimism without retreating into lies about ultimate meaning and purpose. ▪ Life is a disappointing and that for every satisfied desire, new desires emerge; our only hope is detachment and withdrawal ▪ Life is meaningless and pointless ▪ I can do whatever I want

Define will to power and how Nietzsche thinks it has worked throughout history and continues to work today. ▪ He thought it was a universal desire to control others and impose our values on them ▪ Life an expression of will

How is Nietzsche an anti-philosopher? What is nihilism and how does it fit into Nietzsche’s being an anti-philosopher. ▪ Anti-philosopher – is a radical critic of certain techniques and foundational doctrines of modern science and philosophy, in other words, rejects the possibility of a neutral stance or “perspective less perspective.” Wants them top have their own perspective ▪ Nihilism – belief the universe lacks meaning and purpose

What did Nietzsche mean when he said, “God is Dead?” ▪ The idea of God has lost its full creative force, its full power ▪ Our true faith is science and technological progress ▪ We can’t handle truth ▪

Describe an overman and an underman using Nietzsche’s concepts of slave morality and master morality? ▪ Overman - Is new “higher type,” a more than human being that will emerge only by overcoming the false idols of conventional morality and religion, no morals, whatever you say, live in face of absurdity, superman, they will to power ▪ Master morality – you decide the morality, no guilt, not “sick,” no shame ▪ Underman – term for the people who cannot face being alone in a Godless universe, an inferior individual seeking safety and identity in a group or from another, guilt shame ▪ Slave morality – a distortion of will to power in which the characteristics of the inferior type are praised as virtues, and the characteristics of the superior type are condemned as arrogance and cold-heartedness; a morality of inhibitions, equality, restrictive duties, and bad conscience. Full of guilt and shame.

Describe what Nietzsche means by amor fati? ▪ Amor Fati – Love of fate ▪ Blesses everyone exactly as it is, live!!! ▪ Cures us from corruption imposed by modernity and slave morality ▪ World is how it should be