A Will to Power

A Will to Power

This essay is in response to question #4

“That is your entire will, you wisest of men; it is a will to power; and that is so even when you talk of good and evil and of the assessment of values.”(pg.224) This statement from section #203 of the Nietzsche Reader, not only illustrates what Friedrich Nietzsche feels is the origin of value but also culminates his philosophy on what is the meaning and secret to life. This “will to power” seems to be what Nietzsche feels is the driving force behind all humans, pushing them to better themselves and in essence, the world around them. The world is made up of many different kinds of people, all from different walks of life. Each of us possesses various strengths and weaknesses, but underneath it all lies our inherent “will to power.”

Upon first reading Nietzsche’s philosophy, one would perceive that he has a pretty negative and somewhat barbaric outlook on life. He attacks the idea of selflessness, claiming that those who preach virtues such as “industriousness, obedience, chastity, piety, and justness,” (pg.101) simply do so to benefit themselves. “One’s вЂ?neighbor’ praises selflessness because he derives advantage from it!” (pg.101) He refers to a person who lives by these virtues as a victim. The statement, “treat others as you wish to be treated” would hold very true for Nietzsche, but in a much more cynical way. He is basically saying that there is no such thing as a purely selfless act; people do not act for the greater good of society as a whole. Our selflessness is simply motivated by a self-seeking desire to create a better living environment, following a “what goes around comes around” mentality.

Nietzsche feels that one’s strength and reason should be “expended on their own preservation, evolution, elevation, advancement, and amplification of power.” (pg.101) His image of a perfect world seems to be one that is driven by a “dog eat dog” attitude; a world where every man should fight to better himself and every aspect of his life. This is what Nietzsche means by a “will to power”, the will to have complete command of yourself and life. This philosophy could be perceived as a bit barbaric, in that one could interpret it as Nietzsche encouraging man to constantly wage war against his fellow man in an effort to remain superior. Although Nietzsche does urge us to strive for positions of power and command of our lives, he does not believe that men should wage constant war against one another.

What Nietzsche means by command is that the greatest people, or as he refers to them, “the wisest of men,” (pg.224) should have a complete comprehension of themselves and the world around them. You must look within, at all aspects of your life, the good and the bad. To have command of your self you must understand and accept all of your strengths and weaknesses, your lust and desires. You must look around you and understand your surroundings; recognize your social status, history, and ancestry. Once you comprehend and accept all aspects of your being, you can then create value from within. “He who cannot obey himself will be commanded. That is the nature of living creatures.” (pg.225)

When a person creates value from within they allow themselves to, in essence, pave their own path. Once someone has reached an understanding of himself and the world around him, they must question the values that they have lived their life by. Nietzsche discusses how there are many institutions, such as organized religion, which impose values on people. While these religious values may set guidelines, which help people maintain a level of self discipline, Nietzsche claims that “the wisest of men” challenge these values, looking within themselves to find what they know is right. One must answer to oneself, challenging himself to maintain self-discipline and drive. To hold oneself accountable for maintaining the values of an outside source would deny ones “will to power.” “He must become judge and avenger and victim of his own law.” (pg.225)

Nietzsche states that “commanding is more difficult than obeying.” (pg.225) He maintains though, we all possess a “will to power.” Although not everyone may respond to this will and drive himself to gain command of his life, it is still an inherent part of each person. “Where I have found a living creature, there I found “will to power”: and even in the will of the servant I found will to be master.” (pg.225) He explains that we are all capable of answering this will and if we do so, we can push ourselves to take command of our life. The evolution of a person responding to the “will to power” and eventually gaining command of himself can be described by the “three metamorphoses of the spirit.”

Nietzsche’s “three metamorphoses of the spirit” (pg.37) illustrates how a person’s spirit transitions through three metamorphoses as they progress in fulfilling their “will to power.” These three metamorphoses are the camel, the lion, and the child. The camel metamorphosis is the more obedient stage, where a person first starts to recognize their “will to power.” They are not quite sure what it is, but something is driving them to do their best. In this stage, the person begins to look at himself and the world around him, realizing that he wants more. Nietzsche describes the camel as the “weight-bearing spirit” and states, “What is the heaviest thing, you heroes? So asks the weight-bearing spirit, that I may take it upon me and rejoice in my strength.” (pg.37) The camel pushes itself to carry the heaviest load it can and feels pride in its accomplishments. As time goes on, the camel begins to look at itself and see the strength