Introduction:
When Friedrich Nietzsche wrote of the Übermensch, or “Overman,” in Thus Spoke Zarathustra, he wasn’t talking about something that was superhuman.
Instead, the Übermensch represents human potential, particularly for those of us who are willing to cross over from the comfortable, easy, mindless acceptance of what a person has been taught, and what everyone else believes, and enter into a way of life that creates its own values in a world where traditional morality has begun to crumble and holding onto the beliefs of the past no longer make sense.
The Birth of the Übermensch
To better understand the Übermensch, we need to first understand the context of Nietzsche’s broader philosophy.
In his work Thus Spoke Zarathustra, the idea of the Übermensch is presented as the goal to strive toward, given that a person has the creativity and strength to do so. Creativity is required because of the need to create our own value, and strength is required because there will very likely be resistance when going against the grain of traditional values and beliefs.
I think it’s important to mention that Nietzsche was living in a time when the traditional pillars of society—religion, morality, and philosophy—were beginning to see cracks.
His famous declaration that “God is dead” wasn’t so much a statement as it was an observation; it was Nietzsche’s way of calling attention to the beginnings of the collapse of old values that had helped guide humanity for centuries up to that point, but now, seemed to be holding humanity back.
With the slow erosion of God and traditional morality, the foundations upon which these values rested had been removed and in their place we were left with a world balancing on the brink of nihilism— and by this I mean a world where nothing seemed to matter.
In this Godless space, Nietzsche proposed the idea of the Übermensch as a potential answer.
The Übermensch is not a person; but an ideal, a goal that an individual could strive towards. It’s an ideal in much the same way as the Stoic sage is an ideal for the Stoics – something that my well be altogether impossible to achieve, but something to nonetheless aim for.
This Übermensch is a being which rises above the herd mentality and the slave morality that Nietzsche saw as dominant in modern society.
The path towards it was a path on which we decide new values, beliefs, and behaviours and, in doing so, it would prevent a person from becoming lost in a world which was shedding itself of old values.
It is to master one’s own destiny, and a force of life that affirms its own existence in the face of nihilism and meaninglessness, instead of living a life we’re taught to live, believing what were told to believe and following a path so many have followed before us..
We can read into this idea of a creator of values a little further:
The Ubermensch as a creator of value
One of the more important characteristics of the Übermensch is their ability to create values, rather than simply follow those handed down by tradition. Nietzsche argued that most people live according to what he called slave morality. This is a term he used to describe a moral system built on fear, conformity, and legacy—values imposed by society, religion, or other systems, cultures, and groups.
In contrast to master morality, slave morality, as Nietzsche saw it, was born out of the oppressed, the powerless, and the downtrodden. It is born out of a reaction and resentment to those with power, self-determination, and strength.
Unable to compete with the strength and confidence of the noble class, the weak developed a moral system that allowed them to feel morally superior, despite their position.
Where master morality celebrates power and excellence, slave morality turns this on its head.
It labels strength, ambition, and pride as “evil,” or distasteful and instead values humility, patience, meekness, and self-sacrifice as the highest virtues.
In this way, slave morality turns what was once considered “good”—the natural expression of strength—into something shameful.
It’s important to note that Nietzche is not criticising the virtues of humility, patience, or self sacrifice, nor does he view the downtrodden or less powerful as “less than” or “inferior”. This is not the case, although it’s a common misconception.
The real issue he’s addressing with regards to the oppressed or those with less power, is that there is a risk of resentment and this resentment can result in herd mentality and slave morality. He is not critiquing the people, he is critiquing slave morality, which imposes universal values and he sees universal values as stifling for human potential and creativity.
There is also a misconception that Nietzsche believes the master mentality to be the ideal. One which favours strength, determination, creativity, and self-assertion. This also, is not the case.
While traits like self-determination and creativity are preferable to following universal values set by the masses, which is the main critique with slave morality, in reality Nietzsche is more interested in the possibility of individuals transcending both systems to create their own values, in the true idea of the Übermensch.
The Übermensch, in contrast to much of the herd moralities, does not waste time on resentment or envy. They are not concerned with tearing others down or justifying their existence through comparison or, as we’ve seen, conforming to expectations. Instead, they focus entirely on creation—creating new values, new ways of living, and new possibilities for humanity.
We detoured slightly there but I think the context is worth the time….. if we bring ourselves back to values which are imposed by society, religion, or other systems, cultures, and groups: for Nietzsche, these traditional systems not only come with the risk of stifling to our individual growth. In some cases they are designed to suppress our curiosity, our desire to ask questions, to explore ideas, to debate, and our creativity, making us feel guilty for our desires, ambitions, and even our strengths.
The Übermensch, on the other hand, examines their beliefs, values and traditions. Like gardener it prunes and rids itself of ideas and beliefs which hold it back, nurtures the ones which add value, and plants new ones of it’s own choice, directed by it’s own vision.
This is where we see a bridge to Nietzsche’s concept of the will to power.
For Nietzsche, life is, for the most part, about striving—about exerting one’s will to grow, to create, to overcome obstacles, and to rise above internal barriers such as anxiety, fear, insecurity and doubt.
The Übermensch is a path on which a person can exercise their will to power. it is driven by the desire to continually surpass itself, to break free from the limitations that hold back the herd, and to design it’s own path through life.
Where ordinary people see chaos, the Übermensch sees potential. Where others seek comfort in tradition, the Übermensch finds strength in creating something entirely new.
I will add here that this striving isn’t about personal gain or domination. It’s more to do with a level of mastery over oneself—overcoming the chaos within to live better lives.
Nihilism:
Next let’s look at nihilism – a word which is generally used to describe the belief that life is meaningless, and that there are no inherent values, morals, or truths in the world around us.
The Übermensch, in part, is Nietzsche’s response to the problem of nihilism, which he believed to be a major threat to Western civilization.
With the decline of religion and the rise of scientific rationalism, Nietzsche believed that many people would struggle to find meaning in this new way of the world. Without God or any absolute values to guide them, he worried that many would fall into despair, believing that life has no purpose, that their lives had no meaning or value.
The Übermensch, however, offers an antidote to this risk. Instead of falling to nihilism, a person may create their own purpose. They may rise above the despair and meaninglessness that comes with the “death of God” and find a certain level of freedom that comes with self-creation.
The Übermensch is then an answer to the question: How do we find meaning in a world without inherent meaning?
The Challenge of Becoming the Übermensch
So how do we become an Übermensch?
I believe it’s important to recognize that Nietzsche’s Übermensch is not a state that one can achieve easily, if at all.
Much like the Stoic sage we discussed earlier, the Übermensch is an ideal, a state that shows us our potential—it’s something to strive towards, and even if we don’t reach it, we will likely be better of than where we were when we started.
If indeed we do decide to start upon the path to becoming the Übermensch we will find challenges, and much of these challenges will come because it requires us to continuously overcome ourselves. It requires a difficult level of self examination, the questioning of our beliefs, our values, our biases, and our preconceptions, especially those of which we have adopted from other people.
It also requires us to leave the comfortable road which is paved with the values and traditions of the past and venture off into the unknown.
Saying that, we can begin with the following:
The first step to becoming an Übermensch is to break free from the herd mentality—the tendency to conform to societal norms and follow the crowd.
Most people, Nietzsche argues, live as part of a “herd,” adopting the values, beliefs, and expectations handed down by society without ever questioning them. They live in a state of moral comfort, content to follow the paths set out by tradition, religion, and social expectation.
“He who cannot obey himself will be commanded,” Nietzsche warns.
Therefore, to become an Übermensch, you must first stop seeking validation from others and start living according to your own desires and principles.
Now, this doesn’t mean simply rebelling for the sake of rebellion. It means rejecting the unthinking obedience to established values that are not your own.
The Übermensch is independent, thinks critically about what they truly believe and value, rather than accepting what society tells them is right or wrong.
They question everything—authority, tradition, and even their own beliefs—until they discover their authentic self.
To achieve this, Nietzsche encourages us to engage in self-reflection.
Are your beliefs truly your own, or are they inherited from your family, religion, or culture?
Are your ambitions driven by societal expectations, or are they rooted in your own desires?
The Übermensch is someone who has the courage to confront these uncomfortable questions and, if necessary, reject the beliefs and values that do not resonate with them.
Conclusion:
To end, Nietzsche’s idea of the Übermensch isn’t just a philosophical idea; for some, it’s a call to action.
It reminds us of our potential, encourages us to reject the values that no longer serve our needs, and helps us to create something new.
