Nietzsche's Conception Of The Over Man

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For Nietzsche to prevent the world from falling into the last man, the spirit embarks on a journey to itself and the real actualization of men. To reach the goal of being the overman the spirit has to pass through a process in which it transforms into the super being it seeks. Zarathustra heralds the coming of the overman who is built and believes that nothing else can liberate one from the social condition apart from self. In this the continuity of mankind is guaranteed as we take on the responsibility of our survival and become being unto self with the power to define morality and life on our own. This paper looks at the Ubermansch and the process from which the spirit brings about the overman. Nietzsche notes, "I teach you the overman. Man is something that shall be overcome. What have you done to overcome him?” (Thus Spoke Zarathustra, 1). In this he notes that man is something that needs to be …show more content…

Nietzsche uses the camel as a symbol to denote the spirit in its initial stage to the transformation into the overman. The camel is a naturally gentle animal that is used to carry the burden of its master through the harsh conditions of the desert. It is a perfect animal to represent how the spirit is laden with the cares and the realities of life. “That the spirit would bear much that I may take it upon myself and exult in my strength” (Thus Spoke Zarathustra, 1). He calls the spirit a reverent spirit that bears much as the difficult and the most difficult which are what strength demands. Thus, the spirit is supposed to be strong in order to bear the burden of all that life has. Nietzsche employs the image of the camel as a fitting example of what man should be like. In the camel one must renounce one’s comforts, exercise self-discipline and accept all sorts of difficulties for the sake of knowledge and strength. This forms the initial step towards actualizing our potentiality to become