Fredrich Nietzsche and Thomas Hobbes
In regards to the issues of Christianity, Human Nature, and Morality philosophers Fredrich Nietzsche and Thomas Hobbes express radical views that are completely in opposition to one another. Hobbes' philosophy is dominated by loyalty to the crown, riddled with references to the Christian scriptures, and centered on a belief that life is "nasty, brutish, and short." (Leviathan) Nietzsche's philosophy is dominated by the pessimistic views of Arthur Schopenhauer and his belief that the human race is nothing more than a herd. Nietzsche believes that God is inert and thus "the enemy of life." (Anti-Nature) Both Hobbes and Nietzsche look at the world in a completely different light. Hobbes was a Christian who defended the bible, while Nietzsche refers to Christianity as being a great curse, one of stupidity in fact. "There is nothing we envy less than the moralistic cow and the fat happiness of the good conscience...peace of soul, the Christian desideratum." (Anti-Nature) On the topic of human nature Hobbes thought life to be the "war of every man, against every man." (Leviathan) Nietzsche, on the other hand, took a nihilistic approach and declared that human nature is simply a euphemism for inertia, cultural conditioning, and what we
Nietzsche and Hobbes both shared the view that human nature changed depending on the situations a person found him/herself in. Nietzsche, however, thought that human nature was nothing more than cultural conditioning on a mass scale. The human race, in Nietzsche's mind, should be the development of a class of human beings that is not part of the herd, which hinders mankind's development. Nietzsche believed that morals are one of the root problems of society, Hobbes on the other hand defends Christian morality in Leviathan; he believes that only a society with a strong moral base is capable of keeping the wicked nature of man in check. Hobbes was a hypocrite, he believed that a King could violate God's laws if the violations were in the best interest of the state. Hobbes maintained that everything must be done to protect the commonwealth of the state; even morals could be tossed aside for the advancement of this commonwealth. Hobbes' views on morality were strictly biblical, straight out of Exodus. Nietzsche, however, held morality as an impediment to the development of a new and better civilization; after all how could a religion that believes in turning the other cheek proclaim any intelligence? "If thy eye offend thee, pluck it out." (Anti-Nature)
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Approximate Word count = 881
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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