The Good Life(Comparison Of Kant And Nietzsche)

The Good Life(Comparison Of Kant And Nietzsche) Essay, Research Paper The Good Life Occasionally I get bummed out and begin asking, “What’s the purpose to life?” I ask this because I see that most people live without purpose, without caring about others or about any cause. For me, that life is not worth living. A world that is composed of people who care nothing for others or for any moral cause is not a world worth living in. I cannot understand why people are willing to go through life without some higher purpose. Therefore I believe that living a good life does require you to serve the interest of others. In comparing two philosophers, Kant and Nietzsche, will result in an agreement that Kant’s theory of a good life is far better than that of Nietzsche. Unlike many

philosophers, Nietzsche never tried to prove or disprove the existence of God, just that belief in God can create sickness; and to convince people that the highest achievements in human life depend on the elimination of this belief in God. Whether God existed had no relevance in his goal. Proclamation of the death of God was a fundamental ingredient in the revaluation of values Nietzsche advocated. Nihilism is undoubtedly one of the central themes of Nietzsche’s works, but it is not his statement but his question mark. Nietzsche was concerned with the effects of nihilism and looked for ways around its monstrous conclusions. Nietzsche does not, however, succumb to the temptations of the Void but attempts to reconstruct human endeavor in the face of it. He had an ideal world in

mind, with an ideal government and an ideal God, the “Superman.” These Gods were a product of natural selection, or social Darwinism. He felt, very strongly, that any kind of moral limitations upon man would only stand in the way of The Superman. “The Will to Power,” his strongest teaching, meant that The Superman should and would do anything possible to gain power, control and strength. If one showed the smallest bit of weakness or morality, he would be killed by the stronger Superman, and taken over, thus, the advancement of The Master Race. His ideal society was divided into three classes: producers (farmers, merchants, businessmen), officials (soldiers and government), and rulers. The latter would rule, but they would not officiate in government; the actual government

is a menial task. The rulers would be philosopher-statesmen rather than office- holders. Their power will rest on the control of credit and the army; but they would live more like the proud-soldier than like the financier. Nietzsche’s attitude towards nihilism is seen most clearly when he announces for the first time that “God is dead!” This announcement amount to Nietzsche’s recognition that nihilism is upon, for without God, humans are deprived of the supports of absolute values and eternal truths. All views that pronounce such values and truths, or even their possibility, rely on the existence of God. The death of God is what poses the nihilist question for modern man. “If God is dead, then everything is permitted.” This is the nihilist void, and far from drawing

back from it, Nietzsche reaches out to drag us to its edge and make us take a long look into its blackness. It is not too much to say that nothing is sacred to Nietzsche, without God, sanctity is impossible. Nietzsche exposes the illusions and “errors” that underlie the belief systems that dared to fill the hole left by God’s disappearance. Nietzsche does not attempt to refute either Christian or Secular Humanist morality; instead, he points out what type of constitution produces this moral system. He also indicates that other moral systems exist that express the perspective of other kinds of humans. While he seemingly attacks what he labels the “slave morality” and exalts the “master morality,” he is simply showing that for some types, the master morality is more