On the accusation of negativity in Nietzsche’s ethics: A refutation

It is difficult to approach a question on the negativity of Nietzsche’s philosophy without a degree of prejudice. Nietzsche, considerably more than most philosophers, has permeated Western popular culture to the extent that his name entails specific, negative connotations even to the layman. Although, this is perhaps in part due to an unfair association with Hitler, claims that Nietzsche promotes an inherently negative philosophy are present even in academic treatments. It is among such academics that the most serious accusation against Nietzsche arises; namely that of Nietzsche being a nihilist. While accusations related to Nazism can relatively easily be refuted, other accusations are not quite as unfounded: Nietzsche encouraged strength and power; he called himself an “immoralist”; he rejected democracy and human equality; he promoted the notion of an “Übermensch”; and he did encourage nihilism.

The author discusses these negative associations in terms of Nietzsche's philosophy. He exposes this common fallacy by interpreting the various elements of Nietzsche’s ethics in the context of his philosophy as a whole.



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Chapter VI, Affirming Life: The Will to Power:

The Will to Power:

The purpose of the present chapter is to appreciate what Nietzsche has in mind when he insists that values must originate from the individual, internally. Nietzsche argues that 'the world seen from within would simply be ‘Will to Power,’ and nothing else.' His notion of the Will to Power (WTP) is an attempt to define the fundamental driving force behind human behaviour. An individual, Nietzsche claims, 'strives instinctively after an optimum of favourable conditions, under which he can let his whole strength have play, and achieves his maximum consciousness of power'. Although WTP is no doubt based on Schopenhauer’s concept of Will (a desire to live) as well as Darwinian evolution, it is imperative to differentiate WTP from these concepts. After all, Nietzsche insists that there is considerably more to human life than simply surviving; the driving force behind life, Nietzsche contends, is not simply self-preservation. That is, we are not fundamentally driven by a desire of surviving to a ripe age, or to successfully continue our gene pool. Rather, 'life itself is Will to Power; self-preservation is only one of the indirect and most frequent results thereof.' Nietzsche thus felt that, while Darwinian natural selection could explain the quantitative success of a species, it failed to account for the quality of a species, which is the result of a strive to diversity, complexity and creativity. In this sense, he proposes a picture of evolution that has far more in common with that of Lamarck. For humans, the desire is thus not simply to survive, but rather: to be great; to make of oneself everything that one can be; and to achieve excellence. These are things that many people, after all, sacrifice their lives for.

Understanding ‘Will’ and ‘Power’:

When Nietzsche insists that values ought to be derived from an individual expression of WTP, what he means is that our values should be those that encourage acting according to our WTP, and thus allow us to flourish as a human being. The fact that it is a ‘will’ to power however, implies a certain continuity and momentum to it as something that transcends time. It is this necessary flux that Nietzsche believes to be imperative element of natural life and evolution. This reflects Nietzsche’s notion that 'this world a monster of energy,' which is in a state of continual instability, rather than being in any particular state. It is largely on this account that Nietzsche rejects Mill’s utilitarian moral theory, which suggests that the aim of morality ought to be the avoidance of pain and promotion of pleasure; to live in a state of hedonistic pleasure is to live in tranquillity, apathy, and ultimately, in denial of our position in the animal kingdom. Similarly, the ascetic ideal, as well as the hope of an afterlife, essentially promotes a life of peace and stasis. Nietzsche’s theory of WTP opposes these inert conceptions of life, and encourages an energetic, exciting, vital, and really quite dangerous approach to life. It is only thus, he contends, that humans can hope to further evolve their species.

WTP is thus inherently psychological in nature in that it reflects a desire to feel a particular way. It is perhaps the word ‘power’ (or ‘Macht’ in German), more than anything else, that has often confounded interpretations of precisely what he means. Unlike the English translation, ‘Macht’ has fewer connotations of actually having power over others. In German, ‘Macht’ is considerably more associated with the agent; the possessor of the power. Describing someone as ‘mächtig’ thus denotes, not only power, but strength, vitality and even excellence. The Will to Power, is thus not necessarily only a desire to feel power over others, but, more importantly, to feel strong and powerful in oneself. It is the strive towards an achievement of ever greater 'prosperity and growth,' and 'vitality and life-enhancement' that Nietzsche believes to be vital to human evolution.



Nicholas K. Lory was born in Oxford in 1989 to a British father and a Danish mother. He has since lived in Hamburg, Germany and Barcelona, Spain. Nicholas has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and Psychology, and is currently reading for a Master of Science in Social Anthropology at Oxford University. Last year, he produced and directed the feature-length psychological thriller film, “Drowned Out” in cooperation with the production company “Zissou Pictures”.