Nietzsche & Plato Essay, Research Paper
According to Plato and Nietzsche, humans are in oppressive situations from which they need to be released from in order to reach their potential. Zarathustra began his mission at the age of thirty by retreating into the wilderness, he stayed there for ten years until one morning when he rose with dawn, stood before the sun, and spoke to the “great star.” Zarathustra decides that it is time for him to spread his wisdom, he must descend out of his cave, and he must go down into the depths, just as the star does every night behind the sea bringing light to the underworld. I believe much of this imagery is borrowed from “The Allegory of the Cave” in Plato’s Republic. According to Plato, and enlightened thinker is a man who struggles free of the chains of illusion in an underground cave. One who learns by ascending to the world above and viewing things with the help of the light of day, then, finally discovering the gracefulness of truth by gazing at the sun. Once man has grasped this truth, he feels a need of responsibility to go back down into the cave filled with illusions and free the oppressed prisoners of the falsehood they have been taught. This is what Nietzsche means by “going down.”
When Zarathustra arrived at the nearest town, he spoke with the people. He asked them, “What is the greatest thing you can experience? Is it the hour of the great contempt?” (Nietzsche 42) I believe that Nietzsche is speaking on his view of human condition. Nietzsche is describing the point where one realizes that their earlier principals were petty and mean so they aim for something higher. Unfortunately some people are blinded by the norms that society sets for them so they can not see the truth. They will not listen to the words of a newcomer (Zarathustra) because their rules have already been set and they must abide by them. Zarathustra states that man is a polluted river, society pollutes the mind when they forbid man to explore his inner self to find truth. The people, who Zarathrustra is speaking to have been taking over by pride, their minds revolve around their culture. These people lack the knowledge of the outside world, there are many possibilities to what one might become, these people do not realize that there is hope when there is a goal. Nietzsche views the towns people as having potential to grow, all they need is light to shine upon their face and they too can become the Superman that Zarathustra speaks of.
Plato speaks of men trapped in a cave who are led to believe that fantasy is reality, they are led to believe what they sees is real because they do not know any better. The prisoners in the cave were chained in a dark cave, facing a wall that reflected shadows from a blazing fire and puppets on the other side. When they hear voices they think the voices are coming from the shadows and not the men who are speaking at the top of the cave, these voices make the shadows even more realistic. They do not question or doubt the fact that what they see may not be as real as they suppose. This is their reality, the prisoners are ignorant to what may exist outside the cave, they are oblivious to the fact that there is an outside world which they were never taught of. None of the prisoners would even dare to see what is at the top of the cave; the truth on the outside would ruin their reality on the inside. These prisoners do not have the knowledge to realize that the truth lies within them, they too can become what Nietzsche describes as a Superman. Plato states, “The power and capacity of learning exists in the soul already” (Plato 89).
You may be asking yourself, what is this Superman that Nietzsche speaks so frequently of. He is the greatness of all goods, if I am the river he is the sea, but remember this, rivers do flow into the sea, meaning we all have the potential to become this great being. Then there is the Ultimate Man, a possibility of what we can become. The Ultimate Man has found happiness, he has found love, warmth, admiration, and he is clever, but not wise. I believe the possibility of becoming a Superman or an Ultimate Man already exists within us. The soul must be moved or turned to find the truth, the truth is universal and eternal, and it will never be untrue. All human beings are capable of knowing the truth, but we have to have the desire to seek for it. I believe that Zarathustra was the force sent out to turn the souls of the towns’ people so that they can find truth and peace within themselves. Then they will understand the man of whom Zarathustra speaks of, they will have the knowledge to believe that man is a bridge, he is one possibility going across to another.
After the Ultimate Man begins the movement to the Ubermensch, this movement involves what Zarathustra describes as The Three Metamorphoses. The Ubermensch is the will to power the highest level of human development. There are three stages of the spirit, starting from the camel to a lion and later a child. Each stage has its own virtue. I believe the camel represents strength, emotional strength, strength that excludes the presence of pride. Loving all those around us, even those that we despise, and giving without any expectation of receiving. Next is the change into the lion that represents a journey for freedom, freedom to become the lord of his own desert. He must fight the great dragon, which is full of values, the beast has the power to capture these values and create his own by creating his own freedom. Who else, but a lion can steal these values as if it were his prey, wanting badly to become his own master, ruler of his domain. Then finally the lion turns into a child. Why, what can a child do that a preying beast can not? Children are innocent, they do not boast, they hold no pride, they are the key that unlocks the gateway to the future. Once opening that door life becomes a new beginning, the innocent child may wonder through the valleys of truth, knowledge, strength, and courage, innocently stumbling upon happiness. Man who is full of pride will never find the possibility of what he can transform into, those who turn their back on Zarathustra will never reach the highest level of human development, they wont even be able to conceive of that notion.
The path to potential lies in the hands of man. He needs to be wise, wise enough to realize that what he sees in his sheltered live may not always be real. When someone challenges that reality he should not search for the answers on the surface of the norms which he abides by, instead dig deep inside, search for the truth which his heart desires. One must be open to new ideas; one must have the desire to seek potential, to seek change and to believe in it when it is found. Man does not need to do this alone, he can find companions, it is easier for two people to stand up for what they believe in rather than one man to do it alone, the second man holds proof or solid evidence to the findings of the first man. If two prisoners from the bottom of caved traveled to the top, into the light, together they would experience the same pain that may later turn into pleasure. They may then turn to one another and share there experiences, when realizing that there experiences are the same they can challenge the inside world to what has now been found on the outside.
Man has the potential to rise above other men; all he needs is the strength to stand up for what he believes and the strength to question what may not be a reality. All Zarathustra needed was one follower, one man who believed he could transform into a higher being. That one could have turned into two, three, four, etc… The towns’ peoples pride stood in the way of their wisdom, they did not want to challenge the norms set by their culture. Zarathustra could have given man the potential to grow, to expand his knowledge, to seek for what his heart has always desired, love, happiness, innocence, admiration, courage, or truth. The potential for the prisoners in the cave lies in taking the first step forward to see what is on the outside and to challenge it against what they have been taught. The potential for change within the towns people was the idea of challenging ones pride, letting ones mind journey through the knowledge that there heart has always desired. Seeking for the truth with the help of another man, another man who is wise and who will not be fooled or discouraged by the shallow and intelligible comments of others. The towns’ people potential to transform through the metamorphoses lay upon the tongue of Zarathustra,
I believe that both Plato and Nietzsche both have one goal, to spread wisdom, to recharge the power of learning that already exists in every man, and most important, creating a personal meaning to your own life. They both want to help man find the desire to seek for his own personal truth. Both of these philosophers are trying to tell us that wanting to know why something exists, how true it is, and if it is attainable is all a part of our human nature. Our human nature sometimes needs to thrive on creating its own values, its own beliefs, its own morals, these should not be installed in the mind of man, he must create them himself as he journeys through life. You can not tell me the meaning of life, I create that myself, and I am the founder of my purpose in life. All the prisoners needed was the wisdom to distinguish between what was real and what was not, if they had found this wisdom within themselves they could have created a new beginning for themselves on the outside and in the light. The towns people had no faith, they were to blind to see that the truth lie within themselves, they were never taught to seek for what there heart desired, they were never taught to challenge the beliefs of others against there own.
It is very important to aspire anything that may be at stake or something that one is deprived of because to aspire is to lead, to lead is to open the gateway for those that have failed on there journey for some courage. When one aspires he will do anything to seek what he believes to be true; he is therefor bound to break some laws. What does lawbreaking tell us about this man? He is rejecting old values while creating new ones. Not only is he a creator but he has paved a pathway for others who in time will be aspiring for what they believe in. They too will break the previous laws creating new ones thus giving the next generation the strength, courage, and wisdom they need to seek what there hearts and minds desire.
I believe the most important danger that might deter one from aspiring to their potential is there own pride. Pride is always there; it alters ones decision making. It seems as though it can never be suppressed. Pride can derail ones journey for truth; it can stop the metamorphoses of a new beginning. Pride does not help gain knowledge, it limits it. Pride will cause a man perform foolish acts. Pride has no innocence; pride leaves you in a limited fantasy type world. Nietzzsche states, “I wish I were wise! But I am asking for the impossible: therefor I ask my pride always to go along with my wisdom! And if one day my wisdom should desert me-then may my pride too fly with my folly” (Nietzsch 53)