V. Human Nature and SocietyA. Human Nature
Nietzsche insists that human beings constitute a transitional, not a final stage of development. Consequently, human beings cannot become too complacent about or satisfied with their achievements without endangering their claim to be human. They must constantly strive to surpass themselves and to prepare the way for what Nietzsche calls “the superman” or “overman” if they want to avoid slipping back to a subhuman level.
In the prologue to Nietzsche’s Thus Spake Zarathustra (Prologue 4), Zarathustra says,
“Man is a rope, stretched between beast and Superman – a rope across an abyss,
a dangerous looking back, a dangerous shuddering and stopping. What is great in man is that he is a bridge and not a goal; what can be loved in man is that he transcends and descends.”
Risks, suffering, sacrifice, reevaluation of values, indomitable spirit, self-assertion, and a willingness to face life without rancor are evident when true human beings act. In effect, humanity itself resides with the noble person.
