Who is the Ubermensch? Time, Truth, and Woman in Nietzsche
Author(s): Keith Ansell-Pearson
Source: Journal of the History of Ideas, Vol. 53, No. 2 (Apr. - Jun., 1992), pp. 309-331
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Who is the Ubermensch?
Time,
Truth,and Woman in
Nietzsche
KeithAnsell-Pearson
"Interpretation"
I alwaysread
Interpreting
myself,
I clearlyneed
Myself
intomywritings.
Somehelp.Butall whoclimbon theirownway
Carrymyimage,too,intothebreaking
day.*
I. Introduction
In this essay I seek to examine the question of the identityof
in thelightoftheintellectual
Nietzsche'sUbermensch
revolution
brought
Withits notions
about in our understanding
of textsby deconstruction.
oftextuality,
themetaphoricity
oflanguage,and theundeinterpretation,
has radicalizedthe
cidabilityof philosophicaldiscourse,deconstruction
way in whichwe construequestionsofauthorship.I shall drawfreelyon
* F. Nietzsche,"Joke,Cunning,and Revenge,"Preludein GermanRhymes,The Gay
Science(1882). I wouldliketo expressmygratitudeto theExecutiveEditor,Allan Megill,
and RichardSchachtfortheircommentson earlierdraftsofthisessay,whichenabledme
to givegreaterclarityand focusto myargument.I am deeplyindebtedto twofinereaders
ofmyworkand
of Nietzsche,Daniel Conwayand David Owen,fortheirencouragement
forsharingtheirown readingswithme. I would also like to acknowledgethe generous
assistanceoftheGermanAcademicExchangeService(DAAD), whoseawardofa scholarship enabled me to carry out researchinto Nietzsche's writingsat the Kirchliche
HochschuleBerlinunderthegenerousguidanceofProfessorDr. WolfgangMuller-Lauter
in theSummerof 1990.Finally,I shouldliketo thankMr. R. J.Hollingdaleforgenerously
oftheunpublishedmaterialfromtheperiodofthecomposiassistingme in mytranslation
tion of Thus Spoke Zarathustra.An earlierversionof this essay was firstpresented,
oftheNietzsche
ofDavid Wood,at thefirstannualconference
throughthekindinvitation
of Warwickin April 1991.
Societyof Great Britainheld at the University
309
Copyright 1992 by JOURNALOF THE HISTORY OF IDEAS, INC.
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310
KeithAnsell-Pearson
the writingsof JacquesDerrida, Luce Irigaray,and Sarah Kofman,to
in
statusof the Ubermensch
illuminatethe puzzlingand contradictory
Nietzsche.I want to show that to raise the questionof the identityof
questionsabout Nietzsche's
is also to raisefundamental
the Ubermensch
nature
about the
of the "we" (his readers)
authorshipand its authority,
and about the figureof womanin his conceptionof life.
in his writings,
It is to exploretheissue of how we are to read him,forby exploringthe
identityof the "over-man"we are exploringour own identityand the
(post-"man")existence.
possibilitiesof our own potentialpost-modern
The notionofthe Ubermensch
poses majorproblemsforanyonewho
wishesto come to gripswiththe paradoxesand tensionsof Nietzsche's
thought.Can his promotionof the idea of a humanity"beyond"(iber)
man be takenseriouslywhen much of his thinkingis premisedon the
convictionthatall modemidealswhichencouragehumanbeingsto sacrificethe presentforthe futureare no more than relicsof our Christian
ascetic past, which have to be discreditedby subjectingthem to the
hammerof the philosopher?As Nietzscheinformshis readersin Ecce
Homo:
mankind.
No newidols
wouldbe to "improve"
ThelastthingI shouldpromise
areerectedbyme:lettheold oneslearnwhatfeetofclaymean.Overthrowing
idols(mywordfor"ideals")-thatcomescloserto beingpartofmycraft.One
to precisely
the
itstruthfulness,
ofitsvalue,itsmeaning,
has deprived
reality
an idealworld.'
invented
extento whichonehas mendaciously
But in the chapteron the "Genealogy of Morals" in the same book,
which
Nietzscheexplainswhythe asceticideal,the ideal of Christianity
teacheshumanbeingsto rejectearthlylifeand place all theirhopes and
dreamsin a supraterrestrial
beyond,held itsgripon thehumanspiritfor
so long. The reasonwas simplybecause a "counteridealwas lackinguntil Zarathustra."Is the "counterideal"offeredby Zarathustra(the
found
overman)merelyironic,simplya parodyofteachingsofredemption
in the majorworld-religions?2
the coherenceof Nietzsche'spositingof a
Anotherproblemaffecting
itspreciserelationship
arisesfromdetermining
notionofthe Ubermensch
to thedoctrineofeternalreturn.As farbackas GeorgSimmel,commentatorshavepointedoutthatthetwoprincipalteachingsofNietzsche'sThus
at odds witheach otherand
SpokeZarathustraseemto be fundamentally
is evidenceof the incoherenceof much of his
thatthis incompatibility
philosophicalproject.For example,in his studyof 1907 Simmelargues
2.
' F. Nietzsche,Ecce Homo, tr.WalterKaufmann(New York, 1967),preface,section
2 An argumentof this kind can be foundin Daniel Conway's essay, "Overcoming
Nietzsche'sRevaluationof Values," Journalof theBritishSocietyfor
the Ubermensch:
20 (1989) 211-24.
Phenomenology,
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Nietzsche'sUbermensch
311
thatit wouldappearthat"theinfinity
oftheoverman's
taskcannotbe
reconciled
withthefinitude
ofcosmicperiods"whichis presupposed
in
thethought
ofeternal
return.
As heputit,"within
eachperiod,
humanity
offorms
couldbe vestedwithonlya limited
number
ofevolution,
which
couldbe constantly
repeated,
whereastheidealoftheoverman
demands
a straight
lineofevolution
headingtowardthefuture."3
Simmeltriesto
resolvethe apparentcontradiction
betweenthetwo teachings
by sugin termsofa Kantianas-if
thatthe"overman"
is bestconstrued
gesting
ofourpresent
whichtranscends
thelimitations
cognitive
awareness.
He
is tobe understood
thusproposesthattheoverman
"notas a rigidstrucdetermined
but as a functional
turewithan absolutely
content,
ideal
tothepresent
indicating
thehumanformthatis superior
realone."4The
of Zarathustra
viewthatthe two majordoctrines
are incoherent
has
beenmostforcefully
recently
expressed
byErichHeller,whohasargued
oflogicalincompatibility."
Whereastheteachthattheyarea "paradigm
ing of the overmanis designedto inspireus to create"thenew,the
thedoctrine
ofeternal
return
contains
the
unique,andtheincomparable,"
and therefore
all
crushing
thoughthatthesamewillreturneternally,
creation
is in vain.5
LaurenceLamperthas sugIn hisinstructive
readingofZarathustra
contradiction
between
the
gesteda wayofmovingbeyondtheapparent
thatitis necessary
toreadthe
ofthebookbyarguing
twomainteachings
to manas one
descentor down-going
storyofZarathustra's
(Untergang)
oftheUbermensch
declaredin theprologue
in whichtheinitialteaching
and decisively
abandonedin thecourseofthebookin
is progressively
"It seemsto me that
ofeternalreturn.
He writes,
favoroftheteaching
ofNietzsche's
one ofthegreatest
singlecausesofthemisinterpretation
on the
is thefailureto see thattheclearlyprovisional
teaching
teaching
oneternal
definitive
is rendered
obsolete
superman
bytheclearly
teaching
whichplacesthe
return."6Lampertis opposedto any interpretation
of theovermanat thecenterof Nietzsche'sthought
doctrine
because,
to a
he argues,thisis to subjectthestoryofZarathustra's
down-going
'G. Simmel,Schopenhauerand Nietzsche,tr. H. Loiskandtet. al. (Amherst,1986),
174.
and Nietzsche,ibid.
4 Simmel,Schopenhauer
E. Heller, The Importanceof Nietzsche:Ten Essays (Chicago, 1988), 12. See
Nietzsche,The Gay Science,tr. W. Kaufmann(New York, 1974), section335: "We,
however,wantto becomethosewho we are-the oneswhoare new,unique,and incomparable,who give themselveslaws, who createthemselves."Translationslightlychanged
fromKaufmann,and in accordancewiththe originalGerman.Kaufmannhas "human
beingswho are new,unique,and incomparable"(myemphasis).But we need to ask who
are these"humanbeings"ifnot the "ones" who are "overhuman"?I owe thisinsightto
and EternalReturnin the FreeHoward Caygill.See his excellentessay,"Affirmation
Spirit,"in K. Ansell-Pearson(ed.), Nietzscheand Modern GermanThought(London,
1991), 216-40,235.
6
LaurenceLampert,Nietzsche'sTeaching(New Haven, 1987),258.
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KeithAnsell-Pearson
312
fundamental
misreading
whichimposeson it thewholenotionof the
oftimethatZarathustra
wishesto overcome;
it
eschatological
fulfillment
ofhumanity
liesin thefact
is to abandontheveryideathattheproblem
heargues,overthrows
what
thatitis inneedofredemption.
Zarathustra,
to humanity,
namely,a
thePersianprophetZoroasterhas bequeathed
mortalexistence
to be livedand
prophetic
religionthatforcesearthly,
inwhich
ofa future
Day ofJudgement
endured
"undertheterrible
gravity
eternaldoomor eternalblisswillbe decreed."7
thesereadingshedon thedifficulties
and
Despitetheillumination
tensions
ofNietzsche's
it is mybeliefthat,
majornotionsand teachings,
likea greatdealoforthodox
Nietzsche
scholarship,
theyrestonan underofhisphilosophy
whichneglects
andignoresthewayin which
standing
theirownclaimsto authority
Nietzsche's
textsdeconstruct
andputinto
of authorand reader.It is onlywhenwe address
questiontheidentity
and paradoxes
thesesortsofissuesthatthenatureofthecontradictions
whichanimateNietzsche's
fullycometolight.To seektoexpose
thought
natureofhismajordoctrines,
suchas theoverman
thecontradictory
and
themforlogicaltruths
whentheyneedtobe
is to mistake
eternal
return,
or metaphors
fictions
whichreferto experiences
and
readas powerful
ofphiIt is a fundamental
tenetofNietzsche's
deconstruction
processes.
tobe "found"or"discovered,"
is notsomething
but
that"truth"
losophy
as
truth,
rather
thatitis tobe "created"andis a "process":"introducing
a becoming-conscious
anactivedetermining-not
ininfinitum,
aprocessus
anddetermined.
It is a wordforthe'will
thatis initselfirm
ofsomething
ofphilosophy
in
to power.'"8 Nietzschedoesnotreadthetruth-claims
ofreality
as itis in-itself,
but
termsoftheirsupposedaccuratereflection
life.To readNietzschewe
of ascending
or descending
as "symptoms"
toNietzsche
needtolearnhowtoreadthetempofhis"signs."According
whatis requiredis an artwhichlies "beyond"thepowersof
himself,
whathe callsin thepreface
man"(moderner
"modern
Mensch),namely,
In
to theGenealogy
(Auslegung).9
ofMoralsan "artof interpretation"
Mensch
otherwords,to be ableto readhimwe needto be notmoderner
at leaston thebridgeto it.
but Ubermensch-or
II. Nietzsche's
ArtofStyle"
"Multifarious
JacquesDerridahas placedthequestionofstyleat thecenterofan
"0 His claimis thattextsarenot
ofNietzsche's
authorship.
understanding
7Lampert, Nietzsche'sTeaching,ibid.
8 Nietzsche,The Will To Power,tr.R. J. Hollingdaleand W. Kaufmann(New York,
1969),section552.
9 Nietzsche,On theGenealogyofMorals,tr.Hollingdaleand Kaufmann(New York,
1967), preface,section8. It could be arguedthatin positing"life" as "will to power"
Nietzscheis beingnot merelymetaphoricalbut is claimingknowledgeabout "reality"as
it is in itself.The viewthata theoryof truthis indispensableto Nietzsche'sconcernshas
mannerbyMaudemarieClark,Nietzsche
beenputforwardin a highlyinstructive
recently
(Cambridge,1990).
on Truthand Philosophy
10J. Derrida,Spurs:NietzscheStyles,tr.Barbara Harlow (Chicago 1979).
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Nietzsche'sUbermensch
313
boundedbyauthorial
intent,
whichmeansthattheirmeaning
liesbeyond
themandis tobe constituted
byan activereading.
Nietzsche
is important
to Derrida'staskofdeconstructing
thelogocentric
andphallocentric
bias
of thetradition
of Westernmetaphysics
because,in thewordsof one
he "provides... a styleof philosophicwritingwhichrecommentator,
mainsintensely
scepticalofall claimsto truth-itsownincluded-and
whichthusopensup thepossibility
ofliberating
thought
fromitsage-old
limits."11I
On Nietzsche's
ofthetradition,
conceptual
reading
philosophers
haveconsistently
dupedtheiraudienceswithclaimsto the"Truth"by
themetaphors
whichconstitute
theirwriting.
effacing
Philosophy
is thus
ofitsownrootsinfigurative
basedon a suppression
language.
Whatthis
meansis thatphilosophy
is based,amongstotherthings,
on an unconofitsowndesires,
sciouslibidinal
a repression
economy,
anda disregard
forthequestionofstyle.The taskofdeconstruction
is to undermine
the
on whichWesternmetaphysics
hierarchical
oppositions
has beenbuilt
(man/woman,
reason/passion,
logos/pathos,
intelligible/sensible,
etc.)
andopenup thediscourse
ofphilosophy
to a freeplayofsignsin which
identities
can be created.It is not,however,
new,morecomplex,
hybrid
a questionof "all styleand no substance."A readingof ThusSpoke
thispoint.
Zarathustra
demonstrates
inwhichtheteaching
ofZarathustra,
oftheoverman
Thesignificance
is thatit is in thisworkthatNietzschexplicitly
is developedat length,
oftheauthority
of(his)authorship.
thewholeproblem
What
addresses
in
the
of
thebookattempts
todramatize
is, brief, impossibilitylegislating
"forall andnone."On
Thisexplains
autonomy.
whythebookis subtitled
one occasionNietzschehas Zarathustra
declarethatwhenhe is asked
hisonlyhonestreplyis that
about"theway"totruth
andenlightenment,
it is impossible
to speakofsucha way,for"theway"doesnotexist.12
ofZarathustra
do notaskfor"believers,"
foras
theteachings
Similarly,
Nietzschehas hisheroask,ofwhatgoodor use is "belief'?Beliefhas
declareto his
littleto do withtruth.Thus,Nietzschehas Zarathustra
him
and
found
theirown
that
when
have
disciples
only
they
rejected
tothem.
13 Atseveral
selveswillhe"return"
uniqueandincomparable
key
descentohumanity,
ofthestoryofZarathustra's
placesintheunfolding
thestatusofhisidentity
Nietzsche
hasZarathustra
problematize
byasking
or
is he a ploughshare? maybea fool?is he a
a wholeseriesofquestions:
a promiser,
a fulfiller,
poet?ishea goodman?anevilman?ishea deceiver,
Whator whoexactlyis he?14In thiswayNietzschekeeps
a redeemer?
thereaderin thebook's
openthemeaningof thestoryand implicates
butmustrespondemoremain
neutral
The
reader
cannot
truth-claims.
II C. Norris,Deconstruction,
Theoryand Practice(London, 1982), 57.
tr.Hollingdale(Middlesex,1979),"Of theSpirit
Nietzsche,ThusSpokeZarathustra,
of Gravity,"section2.
13 Ibid., "Of the BestowingVirtue,"section3.
14 Ibid., "Of Redemption."
12
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KeithAnsell-Pearson
314
to the experiencesthat Zarathustra
tionally,viscerally,and reflexively
undergoes.To thisend the readermustlearnthe "art of interpretation"
in orderto read its "signs" and theirrhythmsand to engagewiththe
inward experienceit seeks to communicate.The question of style in
Nietzscheis inseparablefromthatof thesubstanceof his saying.On his
"art of style"Nietzschewritesin Ecce Homo:
ofpathos,
bymeansofsigns,
including
To communicate
a state,aninward
tension
ofevery
thetempoofthesesigns-thatis themeaning
style;andconsidering
that
ofinwardstatesis exceptionally
themultiplicity
largein mycase,I havemany
mostmultifarious
artofstylethathaseverbeenat the
stylistic
possibilities-the
I
man.
of
one
disposal
Nietzscheoffers
hisreadersa dazzlingarrayofstyles-essays,aphorisms,
polemics,parables,and poems-which offernot one "Truth"but many
experiencesand manytruths.
and vengeful
Unliketheembittered
Rousseau,who in hisReveriesofa
SolitaryWalkercan onlyesteemhisownsenseofselfhoodbycondemning
humanityat large,Nietzschedoes not take his revengeupon humanity
forneglectinghim but insteadspeaks of his art of stylein termsof a
he tellsus,are designedas "fish-hooks,"
All hiswritings,
"'squandering."1I6
but is it his faultif thereare no fish?17Nietzsche'sgiftof writing,of
abundantfecundityand
communication,
springsfroman overflowing,
What is made of them,whatinterpretations
theyprovoke,and
strength.
whatkindof readerstheysolicitare beyondNietzsche'scontrol.And so
butout ofthanksgiving,
he tellshis lifeto himself-notout ofresentment
as the "Yes of Amen" to life as the eternallyself-creating
and selfthe
ringof recurrence
destroying
wheel,to lifeas will to power,and to
whichis "eternity,"
which,in turn,is "woman."Nietzschedoes nothave
Zarathustraenunciatethislast "truth"but singit:
unlessit
NeveryetdidI findthewomanbywhomI wantedchildren,
be thiswoman,whomI love:forI lovethee,0 Eternity!
For I lovethee,0 Eternity!18
Nietzsche,Ecce Homo, "Why I WriteSuch Good Books," section4.
See, forexample,J. J. Rousseau, Reveriesof a SolitaryWalker,tr. Peter France
neighbour,
(Middlesex,1979),27 and 30: "So nowI am alonein theworld,withno brother,
or friend.... The mostsociableand lovingof men withone accord been cast out by all
therest.... But I, detachedas I am fromthemand therestoftheworld,whatam I? ...
mightreturnto me, but I should no longerbe thereto meetthem." It
My fellow-men
shouldbe noted,however,thatNietzschedoes recognizethatthe "greatestdanger"he
facesis thesame one whichseducedRousseau: disgustat "man." See Ecce Homo, "Why
I am So Wise," section5.
17 Nietzsche,Ecce Homo, "BeyondGood and Evil," 310.
18 Nietzsche,Zarathustra,
"The SevenSeals (or: The SongofYes and Amen"),section
2.
15
16
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Nietzsche'sUbermensch
315
III. The Returnof the Overmanand the Time of Return
In the prologueto the workZarathustradescendsto humanityafter
to be overcome
tenyearsofsolitudeand announcesthatmanis something
whichis to be the
(uberwunden).Zarathustrateachesthe Ubermensch,
meaningof theearthaftertheeventof thedeathof God. Withtheforce
Zarathustraspeaksthus:
of a categoricalimperative,
oftheearth!
shallbe themeaning
... Theoverman
remaintruetotheearth,anddo not
I entreat
you,mybrethren,
hopes!...
believethosewhospeakto youofsupra-terrestrial
oftheirbeing:whichis
I wantto teachhumanbeingsthemeaning
thelightning
fromthedarkcloudofman'9
theoverman,
But in orderto go overor across (ibergehen)it is necessarythatwe
There has neveryet
firstlearnhow to go underor perish(untergehen).
Zarathustrasays,forman has yetto learnhowto
been an Ubermensch,
go under.When we do go underwe experience"the hour of the great
contempt,"thehourin whichour presenthappiness,reason,pity,justice,
and virtuegrowloathsometo us.20In thediscourseentitled"Of theWay
oftheCreator"in book one,Zarathustradeclaresthathe lovestheperson
who "wants to createbeyond(uber) himself,and thus perishes."As I
shall argue,it is throughthe teachingof eternalreturnthatZarathustra
therefore,
showshowonecan learnto go under.It is thedoctrineofreturn,
At the
to
the
overman.
(iber)
the
way)
across
bridge
(the
thatprovides
is designedto inspirein human
same timethe visionof the Ubermensch
beingsa desirefortheexperienceofdown-goingand beyond(iber) man.
However,the bridgeto the overmandoes not lead to the "way" but to
manyways.In section335 of The GayScienceNietzschespeaksofa "we"
who must"become thosethattheyare: the ones who are new,unique,
and incomparable,who give themselveslaws and create themselves."
a
of the doctrineof eternalreturnis thatit represents
The significance
as
it
establishes
in
so
far
radicalizationof Kant's categoricalimperative
as
the conditionsfor a trulyindividualact of willing(self-legislation
associThe eternalreturnprovidestheformofuniversality
self-creation).
while
ated withthe categoricalimperativeonlyin the act of returning,
as
each
individual's
cannot
be
experiwhatreturns
universal,
(thecontent)
of the categorical
ence of lifeis unique. AlthoughKant's formulation
imperativeis oftenaccused of formalism,it does presupposethat the
19
Ibid., Prologue,sections3 and 7.
20 Ibid., section3.
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316
KeithAnsell-Pearson
of one's act of willing,
contents
whatever
theymightproveto be, are
capableofbeinguniversalized
so as to applyto all rationalbeings.The
in thethought-experiment
willingcontained
and testof eternalreturn,
is one"beyondgoodandevil."Theprologuends,forexample,
however,
withZarathustra
thatwhatheseeksis notdisciples
declaring
butcompanions,whomhecalls"fellow-creators
andrejoicers."
He shallnotbeherdsmanto theherdbutinsteadshallteachbywayofexample:"I willshow
themtherainbowand thestairway
to theUbermensch.''21
For decadesnow,generations
ofEnglish-speaking
on
commentators
withtheproblemofhowbestto translate
Nietzschehavewrestled
the
Thequestion
whichanynewreaderofNietzsche
wordUbermensch.
wants
to askis: whatis meantbythetermUbermensch?
Is it,forexample,
the
ofsuperhuman
thesuperman
typeofbeinginpossession
oflegend,
powers,
or is it thesymbolof thehumanity
of thefuture
whichhas overcome
thenihilism
of themodemepochand theworld-weariness
of modem
In EcceHomoNietzsche
statesthatthenotionofUbermensch
humanity?
is notinanywaytobe conceived
linesoras representing
alongDarwinian
The Ubermensch
idealofman.22
is thusnotan idealthat
a transcendental
is positedintermsofan infinite
future
beyondthereachofmeremortals;
itis not"super"or"above"(uber)inthissense."I lovehim,"Zarathustra
ofthefuture
thehumanity
andredeems
thehumanity
says,"whojustifies
ofthepast,forhe wantsto perishbythehumanity
ofthepresent."23
To
the last menwho are gatheredin the market-place,
bemusedby the
thedeathof God, thepersonwhostrivesfor
madmanwhoannounces
andnoblerwillalwaysappearas "superhuman."
What
something
higher
I thinkthisshowsis thatNietzsche,
as WalterKaufmann
pointedouta
withtheconnotations
longtimeagoinhisclassicstudyof1950,is playing
21 Ibid., section9. I examinethe connectionbetweenthe categoricalimperative
and
eternalreturnin more detail in chapterfiveof my book, NietzschecontraRousseau
(Cambridge,1991),especially194-200.
22 Nietzsche,Ecce Homo, "Why I Write Such Good Books," section 1. I am not
as "overman"
persuadedby BerndMagnus'sreasonsfornottranslating
the Ubermensch
givenin his essay,"Overman:An Attitudeor an Ideal?" in D. Goicoechea, The Great
Year of Zarathustra(1881-1981)(New York, 1983), 142-65.Moreover,his claim,made
on page 144,thattheGermanword Ubermensch"
shouldbe retainedin English-speaking
discussionsbecause it is non-sexistsimplypresupposesand assumes what needs to be
demonstrated.
As I hope thisessay shows,a greatdeal can be learnedabout the notion
it as "overman"and playingwiththe connotationsof the word "uber."
by translating
Fullytoappreciatetheidea ithas tobe understoodinthemuchwidercontextofNietzsche's
fora new,artisticpost-modern
and theirattempto locatethepossibilities
Mensch.
writings
The key passage here is thaton "modernerMensch" in section8 to the prefaceof the
Genealogyof Morals. For further
insightsee Michael Newman,"Reading the futureof
genealogy:Kant, Nietzsche,Plato," in K. Ansell-Pearson(ed.), Nietzscheand Modern
GermanThought(London, 1991), 257-82.
23
Nietzsche,Zarathustra,Prologue,section4.
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Nietzsche'sUbermensch
317
toshowthatthe
He is trying
oftheword"uber"(across,over,beyond).24
oftheoldperishing
botha process
theselfinvolves
desireforchangewithin
into
to be brought
ofthepresent)
andofthenewstriving
(an Untergang
to thefuture).
It is a questionof givingbirth,
(an Ubergang
existence
of
howthismoment
The important
questionconcerns
ofchild-bearing.
and how
oftheselfis to be constituted
and sacrifice
self-transformation
timein a waythatis freeofresentment.
onecan experience
therefore,
Nietzschedoes not
Withthenotionof the Ubermensch,
In thediscourse
fantastical.
toteachsomething
utterly
intend
Zarathustra
Zarathusforexample,
"OftheAfterworldsmen,"
ofZarathustra
entitled
to teachhuman
trasaysthathe teachesa "newwill"whichis designed
beingsto desirenot a new pathbut the one thattheyhave hitherto
oflearning
andto "callitgood."It is thusa question
butblindly
followed
a processoftransfiguration.
howto becomewhatwe are,ofundergoing
"On theBlissful
Islands"whichappearsat the
In thediscoursentitled
saysthatweshouldreach
ofparttwoofthework,Zarathustra
beginning
will":"Could youcreatea god?-So be
thanour "creating
no further
silentaboutall gods!Butyoucouldsurelycreatetheoverman."
towards
theendof
on "Redemption"
It is inthediscourse
(Erlosung)
thedoctrine
ofeternal
intimates
thesecondpartor act thatZarathustra
Zarathustra
fora doctrine
searching
In thisdiscourse
we witness
return.
whichwillteachthehumanwillthatit is a willto power(Machtas in
and legislative
will.The
machen-tomakeor create),thatis, a creative
by theburdenand
greatproblemof thewillis thatit is overwhelmed
Thehuman
ofthepastwhichcastsa darkshadowoverthefuture.
weight
thatone
inthefaceofwhathasbeen,foritrecognizes
willfeelsimpotent
as a victimofthepastand
cannotchangewhatis past.It thusseesitself
is
in a fitofrageittakesrevenge
on life.Thewill'smostlonelyaffliction
andbreaktime'slawofchange,becoming,
thatitcannotwillbackwards
in this
announces
Zarathustra
"The spiritofrevenge,"
and movement.
chief
concern;and
"thatup to nowhas beenmankind's
keydiscourse,
therewasalwaysupposedtobe punishment."
wheretherewassuffering,
whichwillliberatethewillfromits
Zarathustra
thusseeksa doctrine
of guilt,
fixation
on thepastwhichenslavesit to a moralworld-order
whichwillrestore
isa doctrine
Whatherequires
andrevenge.
punishment,
thatis,theviewofexistence
the"innocence
ofbecoming,"
forhumanity
lifeis without
thatultimately
meaningand
whichis able to recognize
its
contains
within
thatlifeitself
orrather,
it,within
justification;
beyond
and
of
anddestruction,change development,
eternal
movement
ofcreation
24
(4th ed.,
and Anti-Christ
Psychologist,
See W. Kaufmann,Nietzsche.Philosopher,
Princeton,1974), 308.
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318
KeithAnsell-Pearson
of pleasureand pain,ofjoy and suffering,
its ownjustification.25
The
oflifeis to be foundnowhere
meaning
butwithinlifeitselfas we liveit
andshallliveit.Butinsteadofsuchan insight
crippling
us,weshouldbe
inspired
byit-to theextenthatwe are able to affirm
unconditionally
theeternal
return
ofallthemoments
ofourexistence
becausewerecognize
thateveryoneofthosemoments
is necessary
to whowe are.
Thecentral
teaching
ofpartthree,
andarguably
ofNietzsche's
Dionysianphilosophy,
is thatofeternalreturn.
It is out oftheexperience
of
return
thattheoverman
willemerge
as theonewhoembodies
thecreative
andinnocent
willtopowerandwhogailyplayswiththewheelofexistence
as theeternally
andself-destroying.
conceived
self-creating
The overman
as thevisionwhichemerges
has to be understood
out of theriddleof
In EcceHomothethought
eternalreturn.
(Gedanke)ofreturn
is saidto
be themostfundamental
ofZarathustra,
foritrepresents
the
conception
formula
ofaffirmation
attainable.26
The significance
highest
ofthedocitis botha teaching
trineis twofold:
on thenatureoftimeandan experiencewhichaffirms
thecreative
thatofgood
unityofall things,
including
andevil.
iftakenliterally
as a cosmological
Clearly,
thethought
of
hypothesis,
ifviewedinterms
ofan imaginative
return
is absurd.27
However,
response
oftimeandtime's"itwas" (theproblem
to theproblem
ofthepast),we
seethatitproposes
an affirmation
ofthenatureoftime,oftime'spassing
The peculiarchallengethatthe
away,of its becomingand perishing.
thatconfronts
liesinthequestion
thepersonwhounderthought
presents
I
of
Can
the
its
goes experience.
accept destiny mybeingin sucha way
thatI canalsoacceptthenecessity
ofmypastbecause,as a creator
ofthe
I willedit?The testofreturn
teachesa newwillbyteaching
the
future,
25For Nietzscheon "theinnocenceofbecoming"see Twilight
oftheIdols,tr.Hollingdale (Middlesex,1968),"The Four GreatErrors,"section8: "Whatalonecan ourteaching
be? That no one givesa humanbeingtheirqualities:not God, not society,not parentsor
as theyare,
ancestors.... No one is accountableforexistingat all, forbeingconstituted
in whichtheyfindthemselves.The
or forlivingin the circumstances
and surroundings
ofall thatwhichhas been
fatality
oftheirnaturecannotbe disentangled
fromthefatality
and will be.... One is necessary,one is a piece of fate,one belongsto thewhole,one is
in thewhole ... thisalone is thegreatliberation-thusalone is theinnocence[Unschuld]
of becomingrestored."
26
Nietzsche,Ecce Homo, "Thus Spoke Zarathustra,"section1.
27
BerndMagnushas pointedoutthatitis onlyin theNachlassmaterialthatNietzsche
withtheidea ofeternalreturnin termsofa scientific
hypothesis
whichstates
experiments
what realityreally is like, while the normativeimportof the idea is emphasizedin
everyworkhe wroteforpublicationafter1881. See his essay,"Nietzsche'sEternalistic
ReviewofMetaphysics,
26 (1973), 604-16.AlexanderNehamashas argued
Counter-Myth,"
of thedoctrinein existentialtermsdoes not presupposethevalidity
thatthepresentation
of the cosmologicalhypothesis.See his essay,"The EternalRecurrence,"Philosophical
Review,99 (1980), 331-56. My readingof the eternalreturnis one which verymuch
concurswiththe argumentsmade by Magnus and Nehamas regardingits fictionalor
regulativestatus.
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Nietzsche's
Ubermensch
319
individual
creatively
to willtheexistence
whichtheyhaveso farledonly
andunknowingly.
Howwell-disposed
blindly
towards
lifewouldwehave
to be to desirenothing
morefervently
thanitseternalconfirmation
and
seal?Do wehavethestrength
andcouragetoaffirm
theeternal
return
of
the "moment"or are we fullof pityforlifeand desireonlyits selfpreservation?
Thesearethekindsofquestions
wefindinsection341ofthe
doctrine
of
inNietzsche's
return
is first
GayScience,wherethe
presented
Thedoctrine
workintermsof"thegreatest
ofreturn
published
weight."
is presented
as thegreatest
becauseitis a doctrine
weight
whichendows
existence
ourpersonal
withmeaning
andsignificance.
It teachesustolove
not
to
seek
from
its
lifeand
In orderto
redemption
tragiccharacter.
toaffirm
all oflifewithout
lifeitis necessary
affirm
selection,
subtraction,
or addition.Onlyin thiswayis it possibleto freelifefromprejudice
(pre-judgment)
andletit be in all itsterrible
fecundity
and richvariety.
Thisis whythedoctrine
teachesthatinundergoing
theexperience
ofthe
I wouldliketo call "thetimeofreturn"-what
moment-what
thewill
ofone'slifewitheverypainandevery
mustwillis thereturn
joy,every
smallandgreatall in
thought
andeverysigh,andeverything
unutterably
thesamesuccessionand sequence.Why?Becauseeverything
we have
in whichwe havedoneit,is necessary
to whowe
done,andthemanner
"are."Thequestionis: do we wishto becomethosewhowe are?Whatis
intheexperience
inthewilling
ofreturn
is notthe
contained
transformed
our
attitude
it.28
but
towards
The
whichwouldbe impossible,
pastitself,
andrevaluing
it
pastis neversimply
pastas wearealwaysreinterpreting
in thelightofourpresent
ofthefuture.
needsand ourconception
The
is through
theexperience
ofthe
waythatthepastcan becomepresent
"moment."
of becoming"
The affirmation
of the"moment"as the"innocence
ofthetemporal
character
represents
thehighest
affirmation
andtransient
oflife,forit reflects
an attitude
towardslifethatis above(uber)moral
ofgoodand
ormetaphysical
judgment
(beyond
anytheological
opposition
takenin an absolutist
or universalist
forNietzsche,
evil).Morality
sense,
28 On thispointsee Nehamas,"EternalRecurrence,"
34-39.One ofthemostchallenging readingsof Nietzsche'sdoctrineof eternalreturnas a teachingon how one becomes
whatone is, and whichis offeredas a critiqueof Nehamas's "humanist"readingof it,is
thatevincedby Gary Shapiroin his NietzscheanNarratives(Bloomington,1989), 88-92.
AgainstNehamas,he arguesthatthe doctrinedoes not positan ideal of the integrated,
harmoniouself(evenifthatselfis createdratherthansimplygiven)butratherit affirms
thereis dissonance,instead
thedissolutionand dispersionoftheself-insteadofharmony,
insteadof
insteadof coherence,thereis contradiction,
of control,thereis abandonment,
and so on. I myselffind
insteadofclarity,thereis ambiguity,
identity,
thereis difference,
principle
it difficulto understandhow eternalreturncan operateas a self-reflective
Unless"willing"theeternalreturnleads to an "enhancewithouta notionofintegration.
ment"of one's feelingof powerand well-beingthe result,as Nietzschesays,is likelyto
in itsliteralsense.In thisrespect,
be a crushingofthewill,perhapsevenself-annihilation
readingofthekindfavoredbyShapiro.
froma classicdeconstructionist
myreadingdiffers
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KeithAnsell-Pearson
320
of
"thegrandeconomy
servesto condemnlifeforit is unableto affirm
inrecognizing
Moralthecreative
unityofall things.
life,"whichconsists
cannotaffirm
thewhole;themoralpersonselectswhat
ity,bycontrast,
and failsto see thatin the
theyrequirefortheirownself-preservation
thatsufferas pleasure,
ofthewholepainis as necessary
general
economy
ofself-overcoming,
andthatcouragecanonlyemerge
ingisa precondition
of the
out of cruelty
towardsoneself.In orderto havetheexperience
thatone liberateoneselffromone'sordinary
"moment"it is necessary
oftimein whichtimeis experienced
as a series,thatis,time
conception
ofpast,present,
The"moment"
interms
ofa seriality
andfuture.
provides
of time;thatis, it revealsthattime
an insight
intotheverytimeliness
In affirming
the
and becoming.
is change,decay,ceaselessmovement
timeitselforwerealizethatitis ofthe
wearethusaffirming
"moment"
In willing
theeternal
decay,anddegenerate.
essenceoflifeto die,perish,
thelawoflife-decay,degeneration,
wearewilling
return
ofthemoment
thatlifeis theunityofpleasureandpain,
waste,excess-andrecognizing
ofgoodandevil:"Good andevil,andrichandpoor,
ofjoyandsuffering,
and nobleand base,and all thenamesof thevirtues:theyshouldbe
symbolsthatlifemustovercomeitselfagainand
weaponsand ringing
again!"29
in threeacts,
thatthedramawas complete
AfterNietzschethought
in 1885,whichheat first
published
headdeda fourth
parttoZarathustra
the
vision
of
the
Ubermensch
becomes
Once
prominent,
privately. again
afterhavingbeensomewhatcast aside in partthree.Thus insteadof
in favorofthatof
oftheoverman
theteaching
Nietzsche's
abandoning
whatwe findis thatit is in part
as arguedbyLampert,
eternalreturn,
In thediscourse
includedin
returns.
fourthatthevisionoftheoverman
Zarathustra
declared
"OfOld andNewLaw-Tables,"
partthreentitled
ofall things
oftheunityandnecessity
thatit wasoutoftherecognition
in
revealsfurther
Zarathustra
thathe "pickedup thewordUbermensch."
from
the
has
overman
is
the
who
emerged
person
partfourthatthe
theimport
ofitsteaching.
andaffirmed
oftheriddleofreturn
experience
onceagainWe thusfindthatin thefinalpartofthebookZarathustra
interms
thevisionoftheoverman
justas hedidintheprologue-heralds
ofa future,
ofa prefiguration
humanity.
transfigured
for
A visionofthe Ubermensch
serveson one levelas a consolation
consoleshimintheface
inthattheprospect
ofa newhumanity
Nietzsche
oftheworld-weariness
ofmodemMensch.Thisexplainswhy,in spiteof
inhiswork,
commentators
whatmany
mayregardas a lackofcoherence
twoofthediscourse
Nietzsche
stubbornly
clingstosuchanidea.Insection
summons
"OftheHigherMan" Zarathustra
inpartfourentitled
up once
"Verywell!Comeon,youHigherMen!
againa visionoftheoverman:
future
labour.God has died:
ofmankind's
Onlynowdoesthemountain
29 Nietzsche,Zarathustra,
"Of the Tarantulas."
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Nietzsche'sUbermensch
321
shalllive!"In sectionthreeofthisdisnowwedesirethattheoverman
andsole
he speaksoftheoverman
as his"paramount
course,moreover,
concern."Theseare hardlythewordsofa teacherwhohas abandoned
hisoriginal
immaculate
conception.
conception
represents
Nietzsche's
On anotherlevelthe Ubermensch
and is able
whichhas learnedthe"artofinterpretation"
ofa humanity
forwhattheyare:symptoms
ofabundant
toreadthe"signs"ofphilosophy
of"beyond
ordegenerating
life.In 1885hebeginstowritehisphilosophy
ofthefuture,"
whilein the
goodandevil"as a "preludeto a philosophy
ofhisearlierbookshe beginsto
in 1886to neweditions
prefaces
written
readers
andtogivethemvariousguises.Whatbecomes
"name"hisfuture
has thestatusof an artist's
clearis thatthevisionof the Ubermensch
ofthepoet.The question
of
itis theproduct
oftheimagination
creation;
is trueor falseis,on theseterms,
thenotionoftheUbermensch
whether
istowhatextent
isita life-enabling,
Ratherthequestion
frankly
irrelevant.
notion?Andlife-enhancing
forwhom?
andlife-affirming
life-enhancing,
ofEternal
oftheDoctrines
Entanglement
IV. The Fundamental
ReturnandtheOvermanin theZarathustra-Nachlass
revealsthatNietzsche
puta
An analysisoftheZarathustra-Nachlass
he
greatdeal of carefulthoughtintohow shouldpresenthe book's
It is clearthathe was led to
and conceptions.
teachings
fundamental
ofreturn
thebookwiththedoctrine
ofbeginning
abandonanythoughts
and his audiencehad firsto be
thatZarathustra
whenhe recognized
the
andthispreparation
takesplacethrough
foritsexperience,
prepared
ofsacrificinwhichweacceptthenecessity
calltocreatetheUbermensch,
selvesinorderto go underandoverto something
greater
ingourpresent
oftheoverman
represents
andnobler.Thus,on oneleveltheconception
of the
Nietzsche'sconcernwiththe further
disciplineand cultivation
oftheworldhas
interpretation
humananimaloncetheChristian-moral
historical
context-the
Thisis thespecific
lostitspowerandascendancy.
valuesofWestern
deathofGodandthedevaluation
highest
humanity's
in whichthevisionis promulgated
byNietzsche.
Zaraoccasionsin theNachlassNietzscheportrays
On innumerable
suchfigures
as
himalongside
as a teacherandlawgiver,
thustra
ranking
taskistodescend
Zarathustra's
andMohammed.30
Moses,Buddha,Jesus,
to humanbeingsin orderto showthemhow theycan learnhow to
to becomewhatheis-the teacher
It is hisdestiny
overcome
themselves.
30 See Nietzsche,SamtlicheWerke:Kritische
abbreviated
Studienausgabe(henceforth
to KSA), eds. G. Colli and M. Montinari(Munich, 1967-77and 1988), IX (Nachlass
1880-82),15 [17].
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322
KeithAnsell-Pearson
ofeternalreturn.The teachingsoftheovermanand eternalreturnpresupof 1883
pose and reinforceone another. In a note fromJune/July
Nietzschehas Zarathustraforgethimself,and "out of the overmanhe
teachesthe doctrineof return:the overmanenduresit and employsit as
In a notefromtheSummer/Autumn
and training.""31
a meansofdiscipline
of the same year,Nietzschewrites:
feeling
ateverystageandpleasurable
teaching:
achievecompleteness
Principal
don'tleap!
ofreturn
is
thetheory
Aftertheprospect
oftheoverman
Firstthelawgiving.
nowin an awesomewaybearable.32
Whatthesenotesshowis thatNietzscheis led to theovermanbecause
whichis able to endureand
he is in needofa visionofa typeofhumanity
theabysmalthoughtofeternalreturn.Whatwe discoveraboutthe
affirm
teachingsfromexaminrelationship
betweenthebook'stwofundamental
ing the Nachlass materialis thatforthe most part it is the doctrineof
returnwhichdescendsuponNietzschefirstand thathe is led to thevision
in orderto conceiveofa humantypewhichcan make
ofthe Ubermensch
thethoughtofreturnendurable.In severalplaces in theNachlasswe see
Nietzsche'sconsolationas the onlyway in
thatthe overmanrepresents
ofsucha thoughtas theeternal
whichhe can stillbelievein thepossibility
thusstipulatestheconditionsunder
return.The notionofthe Ubermensch
oftheeternalreturnare possible.
whichan enduranceand an affirmation
thedoctrineofeternalreturnestablishestheconditionsforthe
Similarly,
creationof the overman.A note fromthe Autumnof 1883 makes this
pointclear:
is theheraldwhocallsup manylawgivers.
Zarathustra
ofproducing
the
theprospect
Thenafterthishaspresented
Firstthelawgiving.
Zarathusschauerlicher
awesomemoment
Augenblick)!
(grosser
overman-great
to himself
is nowonlyendurable
thetheory
ofreturn-which
for
traproclaims
thefirstime!33
By modern
How is thethoughtofreturnto be enduredand affirmed?
Menschperhaps?But theansweris underour nose,fortheovermandoes
not existin some distant,unknowablefuture.The new is bornout ofthe
old as the child is bornout of the parent.Remember,forNietzschethe
the questionis whether"we"
law of life is one of "self-overcoming":
31Nietzsche,KSA, X (Nachlass1882-84),10 [47]. I owe a significant
debtinmyreading
to Marie-LuiseHaase and her essay,"Der Ubermenschim
of the Zarathustra-Nachlass
1882-85,"NietzscheStudien,13
Also sprachZarathustraund im Zarathustra-Nachlass
(1984), 228-45.
32 Nietzsche,KSA, X, 15 [10].
33 Ibid., 16 [86].
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Nietzsche's
Ubermensch
323
an act ofcreativewillingto becomethosethat
(Mensch)desirethrough
"we are" (Ubermensch).
The overman
is within
us,it is not"outthere."
Rather,it is a questionof givingbirthto it by freely
undergoing
the
ofself-overcoming
experience
(from
Menschto Ubermensch).
Thereason
so faris becausehumanbeingshave
whytherehasnotbeenan overman
yettolearnhowtogounderandoveroracrosstothatwhichlies"beyond"
To "men"the Ubermensch
themselves.
thushas the appearanceof a
theexperience
"super"man.Afterundergoing
ofreturn
himself
in part
fromitsriddlewitha modified
threeofthebook,Zarathustra
emerges
visionoftheoverman
and reformulated
whichhe delivers
in partfour.
The overmanis notto be conceivedalongfantastical
linesbutsimply
we undergowhenwe experience
denotesthetransfiguration
the "moment."A clueis foundintheprologue
toZarathustra
whenitis saidthat
is the"lightening"
theoverman
whichemerges
outofthe"darkcloud"
ofman.
The specificproblemwhichfacesZarathustra-andNietzsche--is
whichrequires
howto teachhumanbeingsa doctrine
themto overcome
themselves
butwhich,whentaught,has all theappearances
of a new
to attainexceptby anyonebuta
religionand of something
impossible
It is perhaps
thegreatparadoxofZarathustra's
visionofthe
"superman."
thatwe seekwithinit something
fantastical
and monumental,
overman
andsignificance
liebefore
us ifonlyweknewhow
whenitstruemeaning
tobecomethosethatweare.AsNietzsche
theNachlass;
saysina notefrom
"All signsof theoverhuman
appearas signsof illnessor madnessto
men."34
is a teacherwhodeconstructs
thegroundofhisown
Zarathustra
and mustdo so ifhe is to teachautonomy.
authority
Strictly
speaking,
theoverman
cannotbe taughtbutonlyundergone.
V. The Questionofthe"We" in Nietzsche
It is oftennotedthat the notionof the overmandisappearsin
afterThusSpoke
Nietzsche'swork(bothpublishedand unpublished)
insection4 of
onebrief,
Zarathustra,
making
insignificant
re-appearance
is theextento
TheAnti-Christ.
whatthisobservation
However,
ignores
ofthe"we"inNietzsche,
alsorefers
tothequestion
whichtheUbermensch
in theact of
and
transformed
how authorand readerare constituted
1886and 1887that
untiltheprefaces
It is not,I wouldcontend,
reading.
oftheUbermensch.
Nietzsche
beginstorevealcluesas totherealidentity
Theoverman
is "we,"thatis,thereadersofhistexts,
whomustdecipher
fromitthe
"art
of
theirmeaning
the
bylearning
interpretation,"
gaining
insighthat,justas thereis no "way,"so thereis no truth-fortruth,
34Ibid.,5 [1] 250.
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324
KeithAnsell-Pearson
likewoman,does notexist.Thereis onlytruth,woman,and overmanin
the plural.
In theprefaceto thesecondeditionofthefirstvolumeofHuman,All
TooHuman Nietzschespeaksofhisworkas an exercisein theoverturning
"human,
of habitualevaluationsand valued habits,indeedof everything
all too human." He describeshis writingsas a schoolingin suspicion,
contempt,courage,and audacity.He even goes so faras to admit-in a
nevercould-that all his
way thatRousseau,thatothergreatconfessor,
a
a deception.However,to
consolation
but
also
be
not
only
may
thinking
'beyondgood and
speak like thisis to speak "unmorally,extra-morally,
evil.' " He confessesthatthe"freespirits"are creaturesofhis owninventionwhichhe has createdso as not to feelalone and isolatedin his task.
He looks forwardto a day of "greatliberation"when individualswill
thepastand to revalueprevious
havelearnedthatitis possibleto overturn
values. "We" shall have becomemastersof our virtues,of our "for"and
"against."Moreover,"we" will have graspedthe "necessaryinjusticein
everyFor and Against."3"Section7 ofthisprefaceprovidesa real clue to
unravellingthe identityof the overman,of the "we" in Nietzsche.It is
herethatNietzschepositsthe freespiritas someonewhose existencein
the presentis governedby a conceptionof a possiblenew futurewhich
lies pregnantwithinthem:
in
"musthappento everyone
"Whathas happenedto me,"he saysto himself,
and'comeintotheworld.'" Thesecret
whoma taskwantstobecomeincarnate
facetsofhis
ofthistaskwillruleamongandintheindividual
forceandnecessity
beforehe has caughtsightofthis
likean unconscious
pregnancy-long
destiny
anddisposesofus evenwhen
taskorknowsitsname.Ourvocationcommands
ourtoday.
whichregulates
we do notyetknowit:it is thefuture
In the prefaceto the new editionof the secondvolumeof thiswork,
Nietzschespeaks revealinglyof his writingsas containing"preceptsof
to thosewho willread himin terms
health"whichmaybe recommended
are certainlythoseofa pessimist,
ofa disciplinavoluntatis.36His writings
who has overcomeall romantihe tellsus, but of a pessimistof strength
cism.In section6 he raisesthedecisivequestionofhis workwhenhe asks
whetherhis experience-"thehistoryofan illnessand a recovery"-shall
have beenhis personalexperiencealone or does it possessa truththatis
more?He respondsbysayingthatit is hishopethathis "travel
something
books,"as he likesto call them(theydo speak ofjourneysand voyages!)
have not been writtensolelyforhimselfand thathe now may venture
to
are thusto be understoodas a giftoffered
themoffagain.His writings
35 Nietzsche,Human,All Too Human, tr.Hollingdale(Cambridge,1986),I, preface,
section6.
36 Ibid., II, section2.
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Nietzsche'sUbermensch
325
which,in theact ofreadingthemwiththeaid ofan "artof
a humanity
itselfas an over-humanity.
willconstitute
interpretation,"
is takenup againin
healthandphilosophy
between
The relationship
theprefaceNietzschewroteto thesecondeditionoftheGaySciencein
as a "convalessignificantly,
of1886.He speakstohisreaders,
theautumn
has
intohealth.Nietzsche
sickness
cent."Thetaskoflifeis to transform
thatheis a sickanimal(heis a "man")andhaslearnedtoask
discovered
Outside,
oraesthetic
forsome"Apart,Beyond,
craving
a religious
whether
mustincludehis owndesireforthe UberAbove"(Oberhalb)-which
everyphilosothatitis sickness
whichinspires
mensch-doesnotsuggest
truth
he canaffirm
thispainful
ultimate
testis whether
pher.Nietzsche's
and
thathe too,likethe ascetics,Christians,
abouthimself-namely,
hiswritings,
suffers
throughout
suchas Rousseauhe castigates
moralists
to his
as necessary
thissuffering
fromlife.Whathe mustdo is to affirm
He contends
thatphilosophy
and self-overcoming.
ownself-redemption
ofthebody,buta misunderstanding
beenan interpretation
hasnotsimply
istocastrate
their
Platoonwards
havedonefrom
ofit.Whatphilosophers
them.For
whichunderlies
on lifefromthebodyofexperience
reflections
inthatitrestson theunityofbodyand
is maternal
Nietzsche
philosophy
is one whorecognizes
thatherthoughts
are
soul.The truephilosopher
of
like
the
of
of
the
childbirth,
out
experience
born
which,
pain experience
shouldby endowedwith"blood,heart,fire,pleasure,passion,agony,
trans"Life-thatmeansconstantly
fate,and catastrophe."
conscience,
thatwounds
all thatweareintolightandflame-alsoeverything
forming
arewe nottempted
us; we simplycan do no other.Andas forsickness:
we couldgetalongwithoutit? Onlygreatpainis the
to ask whether
ofgreat
ofthespirit.... 37 It is onlytheexperience
ultimate
liberator
pain thataffordsus the deepestinsightsinto the humancondition.
of suchpain does not
Nietzschemakesthepointthatthe experience
makeus "better"humanbeingsbutonlymore"profound"
necessarily
shouldnot
ofself-mastery"
exercises
ones.Theresultofsuch"dangerous
thetaskis to emergea
and "self-extinction";
rather,
be "self-forgetting"
person."In a passagefullofwisdomandlove
"changed"and "different
oflife(ofwoman),Nietzschewrites:"The trustin lifeis gone:lifeitself
that
Yet one shouldnotjumpto theconclusion
has becomea problem.
Evenloveoflifeis stillpossible,
only
makesonegloomy.
thisnecessarily
It is thelovefora womanthatcausesdoubtsinus."38
onelivesdifferently.
thisprocessof self-mastery
involvedin undergoing
The transformation
Fromour
(philosophy).
restson learningthe "art of transfiguration"
"with
weareto "returnewborn":
andfromour"sicknesses"
"abysses,"
and yeta hundred
injoy,morechildlike
innocence
a seconddangerous
thanonehas everbeenbefore."
timesubtler
section3.
37 Nietzsche,The Gay Science,preface,
38 Ibid.
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326
KeithAnsell-Pearson
is describing
WhatNietzsche
hereis theexperience
ofdown-going
or
perishing
bywhichone transfigures
everything
thatone is and emerges
beyond(uber)oneself.
The taskis to transfigure
painand suffering
into
joy anda celebration
oflife,to turnthesickness
intogoodhealth,andto
overcomeone's resentment
by recognizing
the necessity
and unityof
all things(especially
theunityofgoodand evil);one must"return"as
"newborn."
WhatNietzscheis demanding
ofhisreadersis nothing
less
thanthattheygivebirthtothemselves-the
mostdifficult
ofall tasks!In
section343 of book fiveof the GayScience(also added in 1886/87)
Nietzschestipulatesone conditionof thistask of "self-overcoming,""
thatitbeperformed
freeofresentment.
namely,
He arguesthatifwewant
to reacha position"outsidemorality... beyondgood and evil" thenwe
mustovercomethe timewe live in "withinourselves"and our prior
aversion
andcontradiction
weneedtoovercome
againstourtime;inshort,
our''romanticism."
intheseprefaces
Whatis evident
toneweditions
ofhiswritings
is that
thatitwillbe hisfatetobe bornposthumously,
Nietzsche
and
recognizes
so he inventsan audienceforhimself.
He speaksof thecoming"free
as "thegoodEuropeans,"
anddescribes
themvariously
the"tragic
spirits"
In section377ofthe
ofmorality."
andthe"self-overcomers
pessimists,"
fifth
tobe
partoftheGayScience(1887)he speaksoftheoneswhostrive
as the"children
of thefuture,"
who "feeldisfavour
over-man
withall
brokentimeof
idealsthatmightlead oneto feelat homein thisfragile,
ofthefuture"
aretheoneswhorefuse
transition."
These"children
tobe
or "castrated"by the presentage.
"reconciled,""compromised,"
lies "beyond"(uber)himself
in this
Nietzsche'sauthorship
therefore,
oftheUbermensch.
Nietzsche's
future
readerswillbe thosewho
"future"
and"over"
haveundergone
thetestofeternal
return
andemerged
changed
man.Onlywhen"we,"Nietzsche's
havebecomewhatweare,is
readers,
histaskcomplete
andcanhebecomewhatheis (thelegislator
whocannot
Nietzsche
willhe return
legislate).
Moreover,
onlyoncewehaverejected
tous.Why?Becauseat thatpointwewillhavebecomethosewhoweare:
as theoneswhoare"new,unique,and
wewillhaveconstituted
ourselves
incomparable."
The EternalReturnofthe
VI. Truthand Womanin Nietzsche:
Overmanas theReturnofWoman
viewson woman
Nietzsche's
On thelevelofovertpronouncements,
relationthoseofanaristocrat
whoseesmale-female
arestraightforwardly
functional
andunsentimenshipsandthesocialrolesofeachsexinstrictly
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Nietzsche'sUbermensch
327
talterms.39
However,on thelevelofa textualpoliticsinwhichthequestion
a celebraofstyleis paramount,therecan be foundin Nietzsche'swritings
themultitionof the "feminine"and of womanconceivedas sensuality,
whichstandsin markedcontrast
facetedbody,and passion,an affirmation
to themasculinistraditionofWesternphilosophywhichhas erectedthe
over emotion,desire,and
phallusof Reason in a positionof superiority
passion. It cannotbe withoutsignificancethat Zarathustra'squest for
of"eternity"
understood
meaningand truthculminatesin therecognition
as a woman.Nietzscheuses the idea of "woman" as a metaphorforlife
It is woman who thus
understoodas eternalpregnancyand fecundity.
embodies,who bears and carries,the overmanas life'sperpetualdesire
forself-overcoming.
At the beginningof his prefaceto BeyondGood and Evil Nietzsche
poses thequestion:"Supposingthattruthis a woman?"If so, is it notthe
case, he suggests,thatup to now all philosophershave been dogmatists
in theirassumptionsabouttruthand novicesaboutwomen,to theextent
thattheyhave failedto recognizethattruthas such-truth in and for
itself,truthas divine,as the Good, as God-does not exist?Woman
or an
escapesall attemptsto fixherposition,to givehera stableidentity
a dissimuessence.40However,woman-like truth-is plural,polysemous,
latingveilbehindwhichlies notthetruthbutanotherveil,anothermask.
Derrida writeson thispluralityof meaning:
initself
ofa womaninitself....For
Thereis nosuchthingas a woman,as truth
or of
just thisreason,thereis no suchthingeitheras thetruthof Nietzsche,
itis ina paragraph
onwomanthatonereads
Nietzsche's
text.In fact,inJenseits,
is so
.. . The veryfactthat"meineWahrheiten"
"theseare onlymytruths".
thattheyaremultiple,
contradictory
even,canonlyimply
variegated,
underlined,
thattheseare nottruths....Evenif it shouldbe forme,aboutme,truthis
plural.4'
Nietzsche'sobjectionsto feminismcontainthe "post-feminist"
message
thatwomen'sattemptsto definewomanas such committhesame essenDerrida
ofWesternphilosophy.
tialistfallaciesas themasculinistradition
writes,"Feminismis nothingbut the operationof a womanwho aspires
sampleof Nietzsche'saristocraticviewscan be foundin Beyond
39 A representative
Good and Evil, sections231-39. See also the sectionentitled"Woman and Child" in
volumeone of Human, All Too Human, 150-60.
40 Derrida,Spurs,55. For a usefulintroduction
to Derrida'sreadingsee Kelly Oliver,
Social Theoryand Practice,10,(1984), 185-99.
"Womanas Truthin Nietzsche'sWriting,"
Attemptto do away with
See also heressay,"Nietzsche'sWoman.The Poststructuralist
48 (1988), 25-29. I treatDerrida's positionvis-a-visfemiWomen,"Radical Philosophy,
nismmuchmorecriticallythanI do here,in myessay,"Nietzsche,Woman,and Political
Theory,"in P. Patton (ed.), Nietzsche,Feminism,and Political Theory(London, 1992,
forthcoming).
41 Derrida,Spurs, 102-3.
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KeithAnsell-Pearson
328
Thus,
woman.Gonethestyle."42
tobe likea man.... It wantsa castrated
Nietzsche's
as a philosophy
(in thesensethatitis written
"postmodern"
thepathos
whichaffirms
multifarious
artofstyle,
ofa future
Ubermensch)
of
of guisesand a multiplicity
of distance,and celebrates
a plurality
of
forarticulating
a celebration
meanings,
containspositivepossibilities
in difference.
identity
headlong
intopronouncing
SarahKofmanhaswarnedagainstrushing
In a highly
instructive
essay
misogynist.
Nietzsche
tobe an unambiguous
Nietzsche's
use
goddess
of
of
the
Greek
shehasshownthesignificance
of
of "truth."43
Nietzsche
Whatis necessary,
Bauboto definethemystery
saysin the 1886prefaceto theGaySciencewherehe speaksofBaub5,
at thesurface,
at thefold,theskin,to adore
is to "stopcourageously
Thetruephilosopher,
tobe superficial
"outofprofundity."
appearance,"
forshewillsillusionas
Kofmanastutely
notes,is thetragicphilosopher
"Mastery
thatwomanhas reasonto hidehertruths.
illusion,knowing
to knowhowto close
meansto knowhowto keeponeselfat a distance,
life
closed."44
By identifying
doorsand windowsand keeptheshutters
is identifying
lifenotsimply
aboutlifewithBaub5,Nietzsche
and"truth"
withherreproductive
withwomanbutinparticular
organswhichsymbolAs Kofmannotes,in"theEleusianmysterandfecundity.
izeprocreation
and a
ies thefemalesexualorganis exaltedas thesymbolof fertility
of
all
To
and
return
of regeneration eternal
things."45 this
guarantee
a female
as Kofmanpointsout,Baubo can be takento signify
extent,
eachas thedoubleoftheother,the
doubleofDionysus.Takentogether,
modeofreflection
a future
two-Baub6andDionysus-prefigure
beyond
in terms
of"male"and "female"conceived
themetaphysical
distinction
is affirmed
inwhichall thatis maleandmasculine
ofa naturalhierarchy
is negatedand denigrated.
whileall thatis femaleandfeminine
itis Luce Irigaray
Frenchthinkers
who,howAmongcontemporary
done
sucha taskmaybe,hasarguably
andparadoxical
everproblematic
in philosophy.46
it is often
the"feminine"'
mostto articulate
Although
muchmisuna biologicalessentialism,
accusedofpostulating
Irigaray's
non-hierarchical
to articulate
a complex,
derstood
workattempts
experivoicewhichhas beenexcluded
enceoftheworldin whichthefeminine
42
Ibid.,65.
and Fetishism,"tr.T. B. Strong,
43 See S. Kofman,"Baubo: TheologicalPerversion
in M. A. Gillespieand T. B. Strong(eds.),Nietzsche'sNewSeas (Chicago, 1988), 175-203.
"Ibid., 196.
45Ibid., 197.
46 See L. Irigaray,
SpeculumoftheOtherWoman,tr.GillianC. Gill (New York, 1985).
Her readingof Nietzsche,AmanteMarine: De FriedrichNietzsche(Paris, 1980), has
Press.For a good introduction
beenpublishedin EnglishbyColumbiaUniversity
recently
in theFeminine(London, 1991).
Luce Irigaray:Philosophy
to herworksee M. Whitford,
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329
Nietzsche'sUbermensch
Thus,as one
is utteredand heard.47
fromthediscourseof philosophy
"a radically
explore
to
seeks
work
her
commented,
has
commentator
inordertoavoidall essentialisms
styleofwriting
indeterminate
deferred,
to "writethebody"by
attempt
ThusIrigaray's
andstablecategories."48
on
centered
to describea libidinaleconomy
evokingthefemalegenitals
logic
the
phallocentric
play
challenges
flow,andperpetual
touch,feeling,
ofWestthediscourse
whichhasgoverned
ofmalereasonandrationality
at a
attempt
fromPlatoto Freud.Nietzsche's
thinking
ernphilosophic
to
an inwardexperience,
whichseeksto articulate
styleof philosophy
as
power
to
of
will
pathos
and
the
body
of
the
thepassion
communicate
a
allyin thecauseofcreating
eternal
life,canthusbe seenas a powerful
feminine
styleofwriting.
anddiversity
withplurality
is a figure
thatis pregnant
The overman
as the
understood
be
can
today
The
overman
of meaningand styles.
futurein whichthe hierarchical
symbolof a Dionysianpost-modern
of phallicTruth,havebeenoverof Western
metaphysics,
distinctions
ofwomanwillhavearrived.
the"truth"
returns,
come.Whentheoverman
ofman-as plurality,
of
woman-and
oftheconstitution
This"moment"
ofthenew,the
theeternalreturn
anddistancewillinaugurate
diversity,
anyhierarchical
whichisbeyond
experience
unique,andtheincomparable
and "feminine."49
of"masculine"
opposition
Conclusion
which
is clearlysomething
writings
TheuseandabuseofNietzsche's
liesbeyondhisowncontrol.All Nietzschecan do is to standtestimony
his readerswho and whathe is.
in an attempto inform
to himself
andtakenupas much
canbeinterpreted
hisideasanddoctrines
However,
and theindolentas theycan by thecuriousand the
by theimpotent
readersofhiswork,"we" mustbe cautiousin
As attentive
courageous.
47 Helene Cixous, responding
to the same charge of essentialism,has argued that
kindsof
"There will not be one femininediscourse,therewill be thousandsof different
not
femininewords... Untilnow womenwerenot speakingout loud, werenot writing,
creatingtheirtongues-plural,buttheywillcreatethem,whichdoesn'tmeanthatothers
(eithermen or tongues)are goingto die off."See H. Cixous and C. Clement,The Newly
Born Woman,tr.BetsyWing (Minneapolis,1986), 137.
and theCanon (Madison, 1991), 121.
48 See J. A. Winders,Gender,Theory,
49 I realizethatthisfinalgesture
What I am
is a utopianone, "withoutjustification."
of this
tryingto evokeis anotherlaw, anotherjustice.Cixous expressesthe predicament
sortofgesturesuperblywhenshe writes:"Thereis 'destiny'no morethanthereis 'nature'
or 'essence' as such. Rather,thereare livingstructuresthatare caughtand sometimes
limitsso mixedup withthesceneofHistorythatfora
rigidlyset withinhistoricocultural
to thinkor evenimaginean
longtimeit has been impossible(and it is stillverydifficult)
'elsewhere.'" See Cixous and Clement,The NewlyBorn Woman,83.
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330
KeithAnsell-Pearson
conceptions
tohisprincipal
fixedmeanings
andstableidentities
ascribing
In drawing
attention
to thequestionofstylein Nietzsche
andteachings.
(which,as I haveargued,is also a questionaboutwomanandman)it is
ortoeviscerate
histhinking
ofitssubstantiality
notmyintention
todeprive
that
toappreciate
inanyway.Instead,itbecomesnecessary
itschallenge
histhought
arecrucial
inwhichhecommunicates
thestyles
forNietzsche
Nietzsche
seekstowriteinstylesthatwill
anditsreception.
toitsimport
theexistential
facilitate
an activereadingofhistextsand to encourage
inthesensethathisteachings
speakto
"artofinterpretation"
(existential
"all andnone").His textsarenotableforthewayin whichtheyprovide
andto do so ina
theirpretensions,
thereaderwiththespaceto interpret
notionsofcoherence,
fixedmeaning,
intelligibility,
waythatchallenges
theauthority
with
and also withthespaceto deconstruct
and identity,
thenotionofthe
level,therefore,
whichtheyspeak.On one important
readersofNietzsche
whohave
servestodenotethe"future"
Ubermensch
and who affirm
"who" theyare by
acquiredthe art of interpretation
in tension,
"what"theyare: complex,multiple,
paradoxical,
affirming
Nowwemustbecomethesethatwe
and different.
contradictory,
playful,
andoutofitreturning
ofthe"moment"
theexperience
arebyundergoing
"newborn."
with
In thisessayI havetriedtoshowthatNietzsche's
preoccupation
overriding
basisto it.As an educatorNietzsche's
stylehas a substantive
in thereader,and to do so bywayof
is to promote
ambition
autonomy
imitation
straightforward
example,one thatdoesnotseekto encourage
As Nietzschehas Zarathustra
say in the opening
but fellow-creation.
oncehe hasbecomewho
ofbookfour("The HoneyOffering")
discourse
he is:
drawing
drawing,
For I am he, fromtheheartand fromthebeginning,
whoonce
andtaskmaster
towards
up,trainer,
up tome,raising
me,drawing
badehimself,
andnotin vain:"Becomewhatyouare!"
notionofthe
I wouldliketo suggest,
as a finalpoint,thatNietzsche's
the
ofa similar
Ubermensch
paradoxtotheonewhichanimates
partakes
Rousseauexpresses
tensions
ofRousseau'sethicalandpoliticalthought.
theselfexistpriortothelaworthrough
theparadoxoflegislation-does
onthelegislator
theactofits(self-)creation?-inthewell-known
chapter
inordertobecomethosewho
inbooktwooftheSocialContract:
namely,
ofvirtue),
wouldwe notalreadyhaveto be
wishto become(creatures
andriddleof
visionoftheoverman
those(thevirtuous
ones)?Nietzsche's
on howonebecomeswhatone
eternalreturn,
coupledwithhisteaching
ofthisvisionand riddle,can be
theentanglement
is through
affirming
of thisparadox-a paradox
at a resolution
as an attempt
understood
Whether
oftransfiguration.
whichliesattheheartofanethicsandpolitics
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Ubermensch
Nietzsche's
331
theparadox,is
to overcome
inthisattempt
is successful
ornotNietzsche
shall
occasion.Forthemoment:
whichmustbe leftforanother
a question
we dance?
ofLondon.
University
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