Individuality and Self-Affirmation Term Paper

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Nietzsche and Affirmation of Self

Nietzsche stands out on the subject of life and self as he aggressively argues in favor of affirmation of self than denial of the same. He actively speaks against self-denial as was proposed by some other philosophers of the past including those who leaned towards Buddhist teachings. Instead Nietzsche consistently speaks in favor of life and rebukes the whole concept of being weak and timid in any sense of the word. He believes that the best people and the most fulfilled are those who take an active role in affirming themselves. The individuals who participating in their own growth, in their mental, physical and spiritual development are the ones who are best at affirming self and this is what Nietzsche proposes too. On one occasion he said, "...do not make things too easy for yourself" (Nietzsche 270) which is another way of saying that one should not take the easy way out on life. When one tries to accomplish something he dreamt of, he struggles. This struggle reminds him of being alive and of being an active participant in life. This is how he affirms himself and his life. This is very important concept and one that is far removed from the Buddhist principles that teach man to abandon the pursuit of goals and dreams. Nietzsche asks man to do no such thing but instead he says that by affirming life, man can affirm himself and by pursuing his dreams and goals, he gets higher and higher on the ladder of affirmation. This self-affirmation is important if man wants to progress and not consistently degenerate. The whole idea of being a man means being a superior being and this cannot come to those who accept life passively and are not interested in active participation.

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Ian Johnston comments on this idea of Nietzsche in these words, "A great deal of the energy and much of the humor in Nietzsche's prose comes from the urgency with which he sees such creative self-affirmation as essential if the human species is not going to continue to degenerate. For Nietzsche, human beings are, first and foremost, biological creatures with certain instinctual drives. The best forms of humanity are those who best express the most important of these biological drives, the "will to power," by which he means the individual will to arrogate to oneself and to create for oneself what one needs in order to live most fully. Such a "will to power" is beyond morality, because it does not answer to anyone's system of what constitutes good and bad conduct. The best and strongest human beings are those who create values for themselves, live by them, and refuse to acknowledge their common links with anyone else, other than other strong people who do the same and who are thus their peers." (Lecture by Ian Johnston, 1999)

Nietzsche echoes the teachings of Saint Augustine who firmly believed in the existence of God and argued that man needs to obey and serve and in the absence of a strong figure like God, he would start serving animals and idols. Nietzsche despite his complete abandonment of institutionalized religion still was forced to accept that man needs to submit to a higher being or he would deny himself the will to live, exist and thrive. By affirming the presence of God, Saint Augustine affirmed life and self and Nietzsche did the….....

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