MEGALOTHYMIA IN DEMOCRACY: A CRITIQUE OF NIETZSCHE’S SUPERMAN

AUTHOR: EZEANOCHIE, VINCENT. C.

DEPARTMENT: PHILOSOPHY

AFFILIATION: NNAMDI AZIKIWE UNIVERSITY AWKA

Man like lower animals desires food, sex, sleep etcetera. But, beyond these, man desires recognition. In addition still, man does not just want to be recognized, he wants to be recognized as greater than others. And this is Megalothymia- the desire to be recognized as greater than others. It is a healthy desire because it is one of the motivations that makes one do extraordinary things in order to appear superior to others. Practically, this superiority finds expression in politics, economics and otherwise. Now, Nietzsche criticizes democracy because of its tenet on equality that it stifles the megalothymic desire that makes people do extraordinary things to appear superior to others. By so doing, democracy produces weak people lacking the desire to be greater than others and, as such do not live up to their potentials. Democracy claims that all men are created equal and, hence seeks to restore this equality in the socio-political order. And admittedly, people would not be able to push beyond their limits if everybody were to be grounded on the same level. The method of critical analysis would be used to examine the Nietzsche’s claim that democracy de-values and, stifles the megalothymic spirit that makes people do extraordinary things and live up to their potentials. When this task is fully accomplished, one discovers that rather than stifle megalothymia, democratic equality chisels out the dark side of it that causes war and conflict. For megalothymia has both positive and negative sides. So when the bad aspect that causes domination and war is removed then the whole effort would be channeled towards economic, political and social progress.

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Tags: Between Democracy/Communism, Democracy, Democracy-Superman, Equality Liberty, Friedrich Nietzsche, Genealogy morality, Megalothymia, Megalothymia Sublimation., Morality, Morality-Descriptive Component, Morality-Normative Component, Nietzsche Superman Critique, Nietzsche-Life/Time, Philosophy-Thesis-2012, Power Will, Superman-Life Affirmation, Superman-Ubermensch, Thymos