“Man is something that shall be surpassed”. Many philosophers have chosen to give the self a prominent role in their moral theories, but none have done it in the same manner as Friedrich Nietzsche. Unlike other post-Kantian philosophers who were demanding a new “critique of reason”, Nietzsche instead called for a new kind of human existence. It may be due to the fact that he himself was a solitary thinker, but it is clear that his philosophy is one that puts aside relations with others and the building of a society and focuses on the individual, and his journey towards becoming “Der Übermensch”.

One aspect of Nietzsche’s philosophy that made it incredibly popular was the fact that it attacked many ideologies that were taken for granted at the time. To mention a few, Nietzsche heavily criticised the idea of human nature, the idea of God, and the idea of morality and ethics, in particular those portrayed by Western philosophers. These radical thoughts were what set him apart from other philosophers, both during his lifetime and even more so at this day and age. Most know him for his claim that “God is dead”, however, few are actually aware of Nietzsche intentions when he said this. Here, the death of god likely represents a death of inherited values, which should now be reevaluated. That being said, there is no single correct answer to what he meant by “the death of God”, but it is clear that he at least meant to announce the end of traditional forms of authority: historical, political, religious moral and textual.

What is true of the death of God is true of eternal recurrence. There has been a great river of literature attempting to interpret this enigmatic doctrine. Once again, it is impossible to know exactly how this idea was to be interpreted, however it was certainly meant to assert Nietzsche’s allegiance to reality as it is, and encourage us to do the same. Nietzsche claims that due to the relationship between matter and time, matter has an infinite number of configurations, and therefore we may live our lives a number of times. He does not propose this as a literal truth, but instead as a thought experiment to improve our lives. He emphasises that the ideal human being is one who has “not only come to terms and learned to get along with whatever was and is, but who wants to have what was and is repeated into all eternity”.

Despite the difficulty in interpreting Nietzsche’s oftentimes confusing logic, it is clear that he is in favour of the idea that we have a moral duty to develop ourselves into something higher. Human kind has certainly progressed significantly over time, and this success can be credited to our constant desire of improvement. Therefore, if such an outlook has been so beneficial, can it be applied to an individual? Nietzsche believes so, and proposes the Übermensch, an individual superior to all others. Whether there has ever been such a being, and if it is even possible to reach such a state, should not be given much thought. Instead, it should be seen in a way that can be likened with Plato’s theory of the forms. The Übermensch may not be attainable, but we must aim to imitate it.

However, a life of constant self-evaluation may not be for everyone. Assuming Nietzsche himself applied his ideologies to his own life, it was clear that the way he lived life did not bring him much joy. In fact, much of his life he had to endure hardship, and in the last few years of his life his mental health deteriorated. Thought to have died of syphilis caught from prostitutes, a study of medical records has found that, far from suffering a sexually-transmitted disease which drove him mad, Nietzsche almost certainly died of brain cancer. Either way, it is clear that Nietzsche life was not a pleasant one, however he stressed that his philosophy is based on strength and courage, and we must therefore embrace our suffering. One’s life does not necessarily have to be filled with happiness in order to be a fulfilled one. However, if the suffering reaches an extent to which it is a detriment to our mental health, it seems sensible to attempt to avoid it.

Nietzsche is often considered to be one of the most misinterpreted philosophers, however it was Nietzsche himself who said that “There are no facts, only interpretations.” If one thing is to be taken from his philosophy, it is that we must no longer blindly follow values, and should instead look within ourselves and discover our own purpose. This purpose may differ from Nietzsche’s, but the very act of not blindly following Nietzsche’s values is exactly what he would have hoped for.