Similarities Between Nietzsche’s Overman and Emerson’s Over-Soul
In Friedrich Nietzsche’s On the Genealogy of Morals, Nietzsche examines and deconstructs morality. Nietzsche does not accept the moral structure religion imposes on its followers, as humans should be able to decide individually how they will conduct their lives. In his deconstruction of morality, Nietzsche also targets other philosophers, such as Kant and Plato, for the same reasons he rejects religion. Despite his negative outlook on religion, and certain philosophical ideas, Nietzsche was still influenced by the ideas and concepts presented by religion and philosophy. One possible influence is Ralph Waldo Emerson, an American transcendentalist. Although Emerson and Nietzsche appear to have very different beliefs, Nietzsche’s writings are often reminiscent of Emerson’s Essays. Nietzsche’s Zarathustra and On the Genealogy of Morals present the overman, or Ubermensch, who appears to be very similar to Emerson’s over-soul. Nietzsche did read Emerson. He says in the appendix of the Genealogy of Morals, "Emerson with his essays has been a good friend and cheered me up even in black periods: he contains so much skepsis, so many 'possibilities' that even virtue achieves esprit in his writings" (Genealogy of Morals 339) Regardless, exploring the similarities between Nietzsche’s Zarathustra and On the Genealogy of Morals and Emerson’s The Over-Soul, can show how a similar philosophical idea can be embraced by two very different people, with two very different concepts of human existence.
Before a comparison can be made between Nietzche’s overman and Emerson’s over-soul, an analysis of the overman is required to establish the basis of this comparison. The prologue in Nietzsche’s Zarathustra provides a good summary of the overman. Zarathustra, the main character, speaks to the people of the marketplace about the overman in this paragraph,
“Behold, I teach you the overman. The overman is the meaning of the earth. Let your will say; the overman shall be the meaning of the earth! I beseech you, my brothers, remain faithful to the earth, and do not believe those who speak to you of otherworldly hopes! Poison-mixers are they, whether they know it or not. Despisers of life are they, decaying and poisoned themselves, of whom the earth is weary: so let them go.” ( Zarathustra 13)
Zarathustra says that the overman is the earth, or the truth, and the otherworldly ideas (think of these as other “earths”) are false, and poisonous to those who follow them. The overman is a higher being who has escaped these otherworldly ideas, and has ventured on his own in order to create an independent existence. The overman desires to escape these otherworldly ideas because they cause one to live a finite existence, which is a false existence. A true existence is one in which a person is not bound by moral restraints, and thus does not have finite ends. The overman also accepts eternal recurrence, which is the acceptance of life as it is (violent, unfair, etc.). But rather than weeping, or becoming nauseous over this fact, the overman laughs and accepts life as it is. In other words, he sees life from a different perspective, and from this perspective creates his own morals, his own existence. So, the overman transcends the old morality in order to create a new existence of the overman’s choosing.
A summary of the overman deserves a summary of the over-soul if a comparison is to be made later. Emerson sees the over-soul as some sort of transparent, divine connection between all individual souls, in which one can only possess if he or she is knowledgeable of this over-soul. He states, “We see the world piece by piece, as the sun, the moon, the animal, the tree; but the whole, of which these are the shining parts, is the soul.” (The Over-Soul 190) The over-soul is the sum of all parts of existence. However, Emerson states that the majority of people are not taught about the over-soul, rather their perception is clouded by material wealth, and the inner workings of the church. Only by withdrawing into the self, in order to listen to nature and god, can a person become one with, and possess the over-soul.
The overman and the over-soul, although somewhat different, are similar in that they both possess a change in perspective and an understanding of truth. When the overman or higher being accepts the eternal recurrence, he or she must accept the pain and suffering that is involved in life for what it is, rather than try to fight or change it. The over-soul requires a similar shift in perspective. To posses the over-soul, one must realize that god is not within the church, but is within nature, and is the accumulation of all existence. The one in pursuit of the over-soul must break away from the traditional concepts of Christianity and form a new perspective. Both of these new or different perspectives require the unveiling of the truth. In order to change perspectives the person in search of the overman or the over-soul must acknowledge the truth. So, truth is the element that shifts one’s perspective. For the overman the truth is, life will never change from it’s current position, in which pain and suffering is involved. And for the over-soul, the truth is that god is within nature and cannot be found within society or the inner workings of the church. Perspective and truth are the broad themes that tie together Nietzsche’s overman, and Emerson’s over-soul.
To begin a more in depth comparison between the overman and the over-soul, the reader will observe the connection between Nietzsche’s “Will to Power,” and the concept of power behind Emerson’s over-soul. In Nietzsche’s Genealogy of Morals he states, “Thus the essence of life, its will to power, is ignored; one overlooks the essential priority of the spontaneous, aggressive, expansive, form-giving forces that give new interpretations and directions, although ‘adaptation’ follows only after this . . .” (Genealogy of Morals 79) For Nietzsche, the “will to power” is that element which brings the true essence of life, or a true reality, which has been ignored by society. The absence of the “will to power” leads one astray from the spontaneity of life, and from creating one’s own life. The “will to power” pushes one to find truth.
Emerson has a similar concept of power, which he calls an “overpowering reality,” that embodies the same concept as the “will to power.” Emerson says, “. . . that overpowering reality which confutes our tricks and talents, and contains every one to pass for what he is, and to speak from his character and not from his tongue, and which evermore tends to pass into our thought and hand and become wisdom and virtue and power and beauty.” (The Over-Soul 189) Emerson is saying that there is an overpowering reality that can move a person to rid his or herself from the veil of society, and embrace his or her true reality. In return this person will acquire wisdom, virtue, power, and beauty. Both Nietzsche and Emerson acknowledge that there is some force that pushes and enables one to seek a new perspective of truth: the overman or the over-soul.
Once one has been pushed into seeking a new perspective of truth, both Nietzsche and Emerson agree that some sort of metamorphosis must occur before one can achieve the desired state. Nietzsche says, “ Of the three metamorphoses of the spirit I tell you: how the spirit becomes a camel; and the camel, a lion; and the lion, finally, a child.” ( Zarathustra 25) The camel is the state in which most people are in while they are under the influence of the herd, or when they posses the old concept of morality. The camel is burdened by morality, yet takes on this burden. However, when the “will to power” has begun to push the seeker in the right direction, a second metamorphosis occurs. The camel now becomes the lion. The lion represents the second stage in which the person fights against morality. The final push for the “will to power” is towards the form of the child. The child represents a new beginning. The child laughs at the old ways, and is young and innocent enough to play with his or her own concept of morality. The child is able to see the truth.
Emerson’s metamorphosis is not as complex, but proposes the same concept. Emerson says, “The soul’s advances are not made by gradation, such as can be represented by motion in a straight line, but rather by ascension of state, such as can be represented by metamorphosis, - from the egg to the worm, from the worm to the fly.” (Emerson 194) The soul does not advance towards the over-soul in three stages, as in Nietzsche’s metamorphosis, but in several pulses. So, each pulse brings one closer to the truth, and in the end the seeker has gone through a metamorphosis. Both Nietzsche and Emerson realize a metamorphosis must occur in order for the seeker to obtain the truth: the overman or the over-soul.
Part of the process in seeking the overman or the over-soul is shaking away the old ideas, which veil the truth. Nietzsche believes that those within common society (the herd) are poisoned by their overburdened morality. One can free his or herself from this society by searching for the overman. He says, “Verily, a polluted stream is man. One must be a sea to be able to receive a polluted stream without becoming unclean. Behold, I teach you the overman: he is this sea; in him your great contempt can go under.” (Zarathustra 13) Aspiring to the overman de-pollutes one’s stream and shakes off the old concepts of morality present in traditional society. Nietzsche explains the effect of the herd mentality in The Genealogy of Morals. He states, “. . . instincts of wild, free, prowling man turned backward against man himself. Hostility, cruelty, joy in persecuting, in attacking, in change, in destruction - all this turned against the possessors of such instincts: that is the origin of the ‘bad conscience.’” (Genealogy of Morals 85) The herd tries to constrain natural human desires and instincts because they feel this is the only way they can avoid, or cope with oppression from a higher authority. However, Nietzsche says if humans break away from this mentality, then they will free themselves to create their own reality.
Emerson shakes off these “old ideas” similarly to Nietzsche, but in a different context. He says, “When we have broken our god of tradition and ceased from our god of rhetoric, then may God fire the heart with his presence.” (The Over-Soul 207) The traditional idea of Christianity is, for Emerson, the problem. He says people should dig further than the surface layer that the church and society present. If this is done, then the original truth of Christianity will be found. Another quote suggests how one may shake traditional Christianity, “He must greatly listen to himself, withdrawing himself from all the accents of other men’s devotion. Their prayers even are hurtful to him, until he have made his own. Our religion vulgarly stands on numbers of believers.” ( The Over-Soul 20) By inverting one’s spirituality, one is able to focus attention on the self, and can find the true meaning of god, the over-soul. Nietzsche and Emerson are breaking away from tradition, and are trying to capture reality.
The seeker’s journey for the overman, and the seeker’s journey for the over-soul appear to embrace, relatively, the same idea and concept. Both Nietzsche and Emerson are pushing their readers to seek truth, question the traditional concepts of society, and see life from a different perspective, a different existence. Because of this, it seems both have achieved a similar formula for doing so. Both believe there is a power that initiates the desire for truth, and a metamorphosis that one must go through in order to ascend to the overman or over-soul, and obtain truth. Perhaps Nietzsche’s overman was influenced by Emerson’s over-soul. There seems to be enough evidence to support this statement. Either way, comparing Nietzsche with Emerson shows how similar concepts can evolve from very different modes of thinking.
Works Cited
Emerson, Ralph Waldo. “Emerson’s Essays.” The Over-Soul. New York: Harper and Row, 1926.
Nietzsche, Friedrich. “On the Genealogy of Morals.” New York: Random House, 1967.
Nietzsche, Friedrich. “Zarathustra.” New York: Penguin Books, 1978.
Before a comparison can be made between Nietzche’s overman and Emerson’s over-soul, an analysis of the overman is required to establish the basis of this comparison. The prologue in Nietzsche’s Zarathustra provides a good summary of the overman. Zarathustra, the main character, speaks to the people of the marketplace about the overman in this paragraph,
“Behold, I teach you the overman. The overman is the meaning of the earth. Let your will say; the overman shall be the meaning of the earth! I beseech you, my brothers, remain faithful to the earth, and do not believe those who speak to you of otherworldly hopes! Poison-mixers are they, whether they know it or not. Despisers of life are they, decaying and poisoned themselves, of whom the earth is weary: so let them go.” ( Zarathustra 13)
Zarathustra says that the overman is the earth, or the truth, and the otherworldly ideas (think of these as other “earths”) are false, and poisonous to those who follow them. The overman is a higher being who has escaped these otherworldly ideas, and has ventured on his own in order to create an independent existence. The overman desires to escape these otherworldly ideas because they cause one to live a finite existence, which is a false existence. A true existence is one in which a person is not bound by moral restraints, and thus does not have finite ends. The overman also accepts eternal recurrence, which is the acceptance of life as it is (violent, unfair, etc.). But rather than weeping, or becoming nauseous over this fact, the overman laughs and accepts life as it is. In other words, he sees life from a different perspective, and from this perspective creates his own morals, his own existence. So, the overman transcends the old morality in order to create a new existence of the overman’s choosing.
A summary of the overman deserves a summary of the over-soul if a comparison is to be made later. Emerson sees the over-soul as some sort of transparent, divine connection between all individual souls, in which one can only possess if he or she is knowledgeable of this over-soul. He states, “We see the world piece by piece, as the sun, the moon, the animal, the tree; but the whole, of which these are the shining parts, is the soul.” (The Over-Soul 190) The over-soul is the sum of all parts of existence. However, Emerson states that the majority of people are not taught about the over-soul, rather their perception is clouded by material wealth, and the inner workings of the church. Only by withdrawing into the self, in order to listen to nature and god, can a person become one with, and possess the over-soul.
The overman and the over-soul, although somewhat different, are similar in that they both possess a change in perspective and an understanding of truth. When the overman or higher being accepts the eternal recurrence, he or she must accept the pain and suffering that is involved in life for what it is, rather than try to fight or change it. The over-soul requires a similar shift in perspective. To posses the over-soul, one must realize that god is not within the church, but is within nature, and is the accumulation of all existence. The one in pursuit of the over-soul must break away from the traditional concepts of Christianity and form a new perspective. Both of these new or different perspectives require the unveiling of the truth. In order to change perspectives the person in search of the overman or the over-soul must acknowledge the truth. So, truth is the element that shifts one’s perspective. For the overman the truth is, life will never change from it’s current position, in which pain and suffering is involved. And for the over-soul, the truth is that god is within nature and cannot be found within society or the inner workings of the church. Perspective and truth are the broad themes that tie together Nietzsche’s overman, and Emerson’s over-soul.
To begin a more in depth comparison between the overman and the over-soul, the reader will observe the connection between Nietzsche’s “Will to Power,” and the concept of power behind Emerson’s over-soul. In Nietzsche’s Genealogy of Morals he states, “Thus the essence of life, its will to power, is ignored; one overlooks the essential priority of the spontaneous, aggressive, expansive, form-giving forces that give new interpretations and directions, although ‘adaptation’ follows only after this . . .” (Genealogy of Morals 79) For Nietzsche, the “will to power” is that element which brings the true essence of life, or a true reality, which has been ignored by society. The absence of the “will to power” leads one astray from the spontaneity of life, and from creating one’s own life. The “will to power” pushes one to find truth.
Emerson has a similar concept of power, which he calls an “overpowering reality,” that embodies the same concept as the “will to power.” Emerson says, “. . . that overpowering reality which confutes our tricks and talents, and contains every one to pass for what he is, and to speak from his character and not from his tongue, and which evermore tends to pass into our thought and hand and become wisdom and virtue and power and beauty.” (The Over-Soul 189) Emerson is saying that there is an overpowering reality that can move a person to rid his or herself from the veil of society, and embrace his or her true reality. In return this person will acquire wisdom, virtue, power, and beauty. Both Nietzsche and Emerson acknowledge that there is some force that pushes and enables one to seek a new perspective of truth: the overman or the over-soul.
Once one has been pushed into seeking a new perspective of truth, both Nietzsche and Emerson agree that some sort of metamorphosis must occur before one can achieve the desired state. Nietzsche says, “ Of the three metamorphoses of the spirit I tell you: how the spirit becomes a camel; and the camel, a lion; and the lion, finally, a child.” ( Zarathustra 25) The camel is the state in which most people are in while they are under the influence of the herd, or when they posses the old concept of morality. The camel is burdened by morality, yet takes on this burden. However, when the “will to power” has begun to push the seeker in the right direction, a second metamorphosis occurs. The camel now becomes the lion. The lion represents the second stage in which the person fights against morality. The final push for the “will to power” is towards the form of the child. The child represents a new beginning. The child laughs at the old ways, and is young and innocent enough to play with his or her own concept of morality. The child is able to see the truth.
Emerson’s metamorphosis is not as complex, but proposes the same concept. Emerson says, “The soul’s advances are not made by gradation, such as can be represented by motion in a straight line, but rather by ascension of state, such as can be represented by metamorphosis, - from the egg to the worm, from the worm to the fly.” (Emerson 194) The soul does not advance towards the over-soul in three stages, as in Nietzsche’s metamorphosis, but in several pulses. So, each pulse brings one closer to the truth, and in the end the seeker has gone through a metamorphosis. Both Nietzsche and Emerson realize a metamorphosis must occur in order for the seeker to obtain the truth: the overman or the over-soul.
Part of the process in seeking the overman or the over-soul is shaking away the old ideas, which veil the truth. Nietzsche believes that those within common society (the herd) are poisoned by their overburdened morality. One can free his or herself from this society by searching for the overman. He says, “Verily, a polluted stream is man. One must be a sea to be able to receive a polluted stream without becoming unclean. Behold, I teach you the overman: he is this sea; in him your great contempt can go under.” (Zarathustra 13) Aspiring to the overman de-pollutes one’s stream and shakes off the old concepts of morality present in traditional society. Nietzsche explains the effect of the herd mentality in The Genealogy of Morals. He states, “. . . instincts of wild, free, prowling man turned backward against man himself. Hostility, cruelty, joy in persecuting, in attacking, in change, in destruction - all this turned against the possessors of such instincts: that is the origin of the ‘bad conscience.’” (Genealogy of Morals 85) The herd tries to constrain natural human desires and instincts because they feel this is the only way they can avoid, or cope with oppression from a higher authority. However, Nietzsche says if humans break away from this mentality, then they will free themselves to create their own reality.
Emerson shakes off these “old ideas” similarly to Nietzsche, but in a different context. He says, “When we have broken our god of tradition and ceased from our god of rhetoric, then may God fire the heart with his presence.” (The Over-Soul 207) The traditional idea of Christianity is, for Emerson, the problem. He says people should dig further than the surface layer that the church and society present. If this is done, then the original truth of Christianity will be found. Another quote suggests how one may shake traditional Christianity, “He must greatly listen to himself, withdrawing himself from all the accents of other men’s devotion. Their prayers even are hurtful to him, until he have made his own. Our religion vulgarly stands on numbers of believers.” ( The Over-Soul 20) By inverting one’s spirituality, one is able to focus attention on the self, and can find the true meaning of god, the over-soul. Nietzsche and Emerson are breaking away from tradition, and are trying to capture reality.
The seeker’s journey for the overman, and the seeker’s journey for the over-soul appear to embrace, relatively, the same idea and concept. Both Nietzsche and Emerson are pushing their readers to seek truth, question the traditional concepts of society, and see life from a different perspective, a different existence. Because of this, it seems both have achieved a similar formula for doing so. Both believe there is a power that initiates the desire for truth, and a metamorphosis that one must go through in order to ascend to the overman or over-soul, and obtain truth. Perhaps Nietzsche’s overman was influenced by Emerson’s over-soul. There seems to be enough evidence to support this statement. Either way, comparing Nietzsche with Emerson shows how similar concepts can evolve from very different modes of thinking.
Works Cited
Emerson, Ralph Waldo. “Emerson’s Essays.” The Over-Soul. New York: Harper and Row, 1926.
Nietzsche, Friedrich. “On the Genealogy of Morals.” New York: Random House, 1967.
Nietzsche, Friedrich. “Zarathustra.” New York: Penguin Books, 1978.
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