Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844-1900) was a German philologist and philosopher but it was as a philosopher that he achieved world renown. His work on morality, religion and philosophy were regarded with no great significance in his own lifetime but he was to achieve posthumously great fame or infamy depending on your point of view and his work was to prove a great influence on many. In his youth she showed great talent in both music and language. Following graduation studied theology and classical philology but soon abandoned theology in favor of philology.
He was encouraged by the famous philosopher Schopenhauer to broaden his studies. He moved on to become professor of classic philology at Basel. He then renounced his Prussian citizenship and for the rest of his lifetime was actually stateless. He observed Prussian politics and the creation of the German Empire dispassionately but with great interest. He met the great Richard Wagner but like so many of his associations it ultimately ended in the loss of friendship. He went on to complete many books, papers and he also travelled widely in Europe.
Use your promo and get a custom paper on
"Beyond Good and Evil by Nietzsche".
In 1886 his work Beyond Good and Evil was published in 1886, interestingly at his own expense. This aspect can be taken that, as no publisher wanted to become involved that Nietzsche himself regarded the work as so important that he was prepared to meet the cost himself hoping that his readership could expand.
His work is never simple or easily understood and Beyond Good and Evil is no exception as he says in the book “It is the business of the very few to be independent” (Section 29) . The work comprises of nine chapters covering philosophy, spirit, religion, epigrams,natural history and morals, scholars, virtues, patriotism, and an examination of what he considered noble. He was very much a free spirit and a man of almost complete independence of thought. As he says himself in the work. “One must shed the bad taste of wanting to agree with many” (Section 43). He despised those who accepted with little question established beliefs and philosophies and frequently refers to those who do not have the power or wish to examine concepts critically as the herd.
Firstly, what did Nietzsche mean, by good and evil? Nietzsche believed that essentially the universe was always in a process of constant change and he remained highly sceptical of others who thought differently. Therefore by his own logic what is regarded as evil today may the next day, the next week, the next year and beyond as good depending on the establishment of new facts, interpretations and views of the subject in hand.
To seek to explain the philosophy behind Beyond Good and Evil we can look at two modern day individuals Adolph Hitler and Nelson Mandela. During his rise to power in Germany during the 1930’s and beyond Hitler was regarded as a force for good by most Germans providing a re-rejuvenated Germany, slashing unemployment and general improving the lot of most Germans. However, following his downfall and the disclosing of his activities including the attempt to exterminate Jews the vast majority of Germans came to believe he was actually an evil man. In Mandela’s case the opposite is true. During his earlier years as a South African rebel against colonial rule he was placed in prison as a dangerous terrorist and a thoroughly bad person. However, in his later years when he rose to become the President of South Africa he was showered with world-wide plaudits and indeed on his death the whole international community revered him in almost saint like standing.
Nietzsche, too, in his work wondered if anyone or any concept could be regarded as truly good or truly evil raising again the concept of what is good and what is evil. Nietzsche has often been described by his critics as contradictory. However, given his philosophy of an ever changing universe it has to be accepted that there will be an element of contradiction in his work for the reasons referred to earlier.
Nietzsche also in this work views truth in a wholly different way than the accepted norm. In his own words in the book “To recognize untruth as a condition of life” (Section 4). In his view the world was complex and ever changing and what is true currently could be regarded as a falsehood in the future. Beyond Good and Evil is in effect a study in the essence of his philosophy. Again Nietzsche’s philosophy is extremely complex and for most not readily understood. He extends his philosophy in the work to cover, religion, virtues, his own free spirit and the shortcomings of many philosophers. There are many contradictions particularly regarding his views on Jews and women.
Beyond Good and Evil builds on his previous work Thus Spake Zarathustra but is more trenchant in his criticisms. He sees no universal morality in people or society and is constantly emphasising free will and understands “the will to power” (Section 36) as an explanation and understanding of human behaviour and as he states in the book “A man’s will commands something” (Section 21). Clearly in this work Nietzsche is approaching all aspects in a humanistic way and refers to slave moralities and again displays his scorn for organized religion, and in the book he says “One should not go to churches if one wishes to breathe pure air” (Section 24), and those who blindly follow accepted and traditional concepts.
Nietzsche in his work clearly regards philosophy as more important than religion and all other studies. He is seen by many as a founding father of existentialism an inspired man seeking to throw off the shackles of traditional and recognised school of thought and Beyond Good and Evil includes all of these aspects.
It has to be recognized that in his later life Nietzsche was to suffer a complete mental breakdown and one is reminded of the old proverb that genius is sometimes not far away from madness although the cause of his insanity has never been definitively defined.. However, such a development does not deny the power and originality of his writings. Love it or hate Beyond Good and Evil is a seminal work in terms of Nietzsche’s philosophy and forces the reader to see the concepts of good and evil in an entirely new light.
Following his death Nietzsche’s work was plagiarized, distorted and prostituted by his sister for her own ends. His thinking is considered by his harshest critics, many of whom considered him mad, to have inspired the growth and prominence of the Nazi party in Germany especially in his reference to the superman and his contempt for the herd. Never-the-less, there are many others who consider him as a genius and reject this argument totally particularly given his contempt for “the state”. They further argue such a free-thinking and independent thinker and philosopher would ever have become involved in let alone endorse the mass movement of the Nazis. Although he did write badly of certain Jews his opposition to anti-Semitism is well recorded in his work.
Nietzsche’s Beyond Good and Evil in it’s relentless examination of what is considered good and evil and free-will and truth has inspired many philosophers such as the famous French existentialist Jean Paul Sartre as well as influencing politicians such as Mussolini, De Gaulle and Nixon following his death. In political terms, he has been admired and extolled by both the far right and the far left. Despise his work or admire it Nietzsche’s contribution to philosophy far out-lived his own life and his work, even now, is a matter of fierce debate among scholars and philosophers. His works are freely available today and can even be procured on Kindle.
