Skip to the end for cliff notes:
https://www.quora.com/What-is-a-simple-explanation-of-Nietzsches-ideas-and-philosophy
Nietzsche rocks.
This is a long answer, because there is so much about him that rocks.
Go get some coffee and come back.
Let’s start here:
Throughout the longest period of human history…the value or non-value of an action was inferred from its consequences; the action itself was not taken into consideration.
-
Beyond Good and Evil
He noticed that, until recently (in mankind’s existence), actions were judged by what resulted from them. If you were trying to help your friend, but ended up making his situation worse, the old school would judge you negatively. He called this the “pre-moral” period of mankind.
Then:
In the last ten thousand years, on the other hand, on certain large portions of the earth, one has gradually got so far, that one no longer lets the consequences of an action, but its origin, decide with regard to its worth…
-Page 24
So, he now calls this the “moral period” of mankind.
This “origin” or “intention” of an action is indoctrinated into people as being more important than its consequences. The same act of trying to help your friend now is supported, even if it makes his situation worse, because your intentions were “good.”
But, morals by themselves were not good enough to convince everyone, he noted. It didn’t carry enough weight for people to be told what good and bad were—they needed more.
Insert religion:
…during the moral epoch of mankind, they sacrificed to their God the strongest the strongest instincts they possessed, their “nature”…
-Page 39
Nietzsche argued that morals were then assigned to an omnipotent, omniscient God. God was routinely justified to exist, and that there was a “truth” to morals that we all must abide by—lest be struck down by the all-powerful God.
A very large subset of society believed what he argued was a lie: morals. Morals were made up by a “master class,” or people who were consciously making informed decisions, to influence a “slave class,” or people who were unconsciously following the herd.
The master class would always have control over the slave class because they made decisions based on facts, and things they could observe with their own eyes. The slave class would constantly be searching for “freedom,” but they would do so at their own peril—unaware that they had no idea how to adequately define “freedom.”
Their true freedom might have been to be their animal instinct: “the Will to Power,” as Nietzsche put it. However, religion and morals made acting as an animal extremely taboo (‘we aren’t animals, we’re people’). As such, the slave class would never have their freedom as long as they continued to be controlled by the master class:
You want, if possible,
to do away with suffering; and we?—it really seems that we would rather have it increased and worse than it has ever been! Well-being, as you understand it—is certainly not a goal; it seems to us an
end; a condition which at once renders man ludicrous and contemptible—and makes his destruction
desirable!
-Page 93
He goes on further describing aspects of the slave class, as such:
The vain person rejoices over
everygood opinion which he hears about himself (quite apart of the point of view of its usefulness, and equally regardless of its truth or falsehood).
-Page 130
In other words, the master class made up these things called “good and evil,” which can’t be shown to exist, and then they promote good and denounce evil to the slave class. In this way, the slave class has completely missed the point: their actions are no longer judged by what happens as a result—rather by how others view them as good or evil men (“at least I did the right thing”).
It is noted, then, that reason flies out the window—people (the slave class) no longer use reasons to make decisions, they use morals.
There is a lot more that Nietzsche talks about (see: eternal recurrence), but this is his chief work—frankly rather genius considering the influences around him at the time he wrote it.
What can we learn from Nietzsche?
One thing Nietzsche acknowledged is that anybody who is in the slave class can “decide” to be in the master class whenever they want to. If you feel yourself subject to other people trying to put you in a category, a box, or a suppressed state of mind, you can simply decide you want to ignore them and become a member of the master class.
In other words, we are all capable of making our own decisions, but the vast majority of us do not do so. Most of us continue to let other people influence us based on their opinions of us, which are entirely inconsequential with regards to our life. Being a “good” or “bad” person has nothing to do with getting whatever we want, but we are made to believe it because of society’s dogmatic definitions, Nietzsche says.
It is the fear of insecure people which rubs off on us, to make us behave in a way that they would like us to behave. That’s what I’m saying. Few realizations are more useful in this life.
Even further, we can notice that, likely, without religion, society couldn’t have become what it is today. After all, compared to evolution, morals are a very new thing that mankind invented to suppress the instincts which are dangerous to society like: adultery, murder, rape, stealing, etc. Society is constantly reminding other people to “be good to each other,” and really bad shyt still happens.
These instincts are
naturally in us, and morals were a way to keep them out of the way of a functioning society. By having people give in to the almighty God, it made them more fearful than ever. You fear man slightly, you fear an omnipotent, omniscient God infinitely.
In my opinion, Nietzsche is easily in the top 5 philosophers of all time. Not everything he says is completely correct (I have good reasons to disprove eternal recurrence), but he is one of the most truly logical philosophers I have ever read.
i have bills to pay n shyt
