To understand the book, it is first necessary to understand what Nietzsche means by 'The Will to Power'. Denneson describes this as a 'psychological presupposition' which assumes "that humans are always attempting to inflict their wills upon others" (Denneson, 1). When considering the use of the term 'ubermensch' or 'overman' in this work, it is also necessary to understand exactly what Nietzsche means by this term. This is seen by many as the way in which he refers to a 'superhuman'. In the past, many comparisons wre made between Nietzsche's overman and the Nazi idea of the superior race. However, this has been re-evaluated by many scholars, and the comparison is no longer seen in the same light. The overman is seen as the next step up from normal humans; this creature could even be interpreted as the next step up the evolutionary ladder.

The overman is not isolated to just this work; we see Nietzsche talk about this c

reature in other works such as Thus Spoke Zarathustra and The Antichrist. The idea is not new, but at best, it is still controversial (Cross, 1). The Will to Power, which results from these two books, contains various metaphors and generalizations which display contradictions and tensions (Harman, 2). The philosophies which underlie all of Nietzsche's writing are themselves contradictory; they both celebrate and embrace the humanity of man, whilst holding it in contempt and insulting it at the same time (Cross, 7).

The perception of the comand over power is an interesting one; it is not the straight forward meaning of control over others, but also the control over one's self. In The Will to Power, Nietzsche sees those who look to improve themselves as looking to the 'will to truth'. However, he argues that in doing this, they are not really seeking new values, but that htey are trying to find a way of bringing all men under the same code of understanding. In effect, they are bringing them all further to the weaknesses for which he blames Christianity.

This reflects his view that the current evolutionary process has been halted by man's weakness, and that it can only be restarted and the overman be attained by drastic measures (Cross, 10). However for man to change, he must want to change. See how he treats his fellow man with contempt. Yet, even in his own writing, this is a contradiction;

The passive man does not display obedience to himself, but to society. The overman is obedient to himself, arguably hte hardest type of obedience. Therefore, the will to power is the power to set one's own values and one's own goals. The power is therefore not any type of physical brute force, but a strong and enduring self-determination. This shows the dichotomy that Nietzsche puts forward-- for how can a man full of self-loathing and sickness, aware of his own weaknesses, ever become this self-determanist creature, yet still aware of his faults (Cross, 7)?

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1435
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)