Nietzsche, Locke and Kant
Friedrich Nietzsche, John Locke, and Immanuel
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Friedrich Nietzsche, John Locke, and Immanuel Kant were all influential philosophers for the modern world. Each had different areas of interest and stress, yet each attempted to place humankind within some semblance of cosmicness and asked pertinent questions about the way in which human society interacts. All three were concerned with not only the individual, but with the manner in which the individual interacted with the group, and the resultant tensions that interaction might incur. Of course, no limited study could every hope to exhaustively account for the political and philosophic thought of three such masters. Therefore, this essay will concern itself with the manner in which Locke, Kant, and Nietzsche addressed the issues of free will, the concept of good/evil, the role of authority, the concept of history, and the nature of man.Free will, or the manner in which individuals are able to act upon their own accord, is often seen as the central philosophical argument of the modern world. Immanuel Kant, who supported republican governments and international organization, believed in the universality of being, but also that "the natural end which all men seek is their own happiness" (Kant 98). However, the idea that the individual is acting purely out of his own tenets is not at all what Kant means. Rather, "it is impossible to conceive anything at all in the world, or even out of it, which can be taken as good without qualification, except a good will" (Kant 6
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onsent of the governed, and individuals must become somewhat dependent on the state in order for the government to exist. "The dependence of a will not absolutely food on the principle of autonomy (that is, moral necessitation) is obligation. Obligation can thus have no reference to a holy being. The objective necessity to act from obligation is called duty" (Kant 107).
Nietzsche further expands his ideas on good and evil in the context of government and authority. Since man inherently places himself at the mercy of authority, and is thus stripped of his power or goodness, that authority is evil since it proceeds from weakness. So too does Nietzsche believe that man, being an animal, "strives for an optimum of favorable conditions under which it can expend all its strength and achieve its maximal feeling of power . . ." (Nietzsche 107). Governmental authority subsumes this power, and prevents the individual from achieving his individual goals. Nevertheless, the government does not rip away the fabric of individualism without the consent of the individual, and therein lies the paradox for authority: one may not have authority to answer to unless one gives society the authority to do such.
Under the rubric of authority and
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Approximate Word count = 2091
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)
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