THE UBERMENSCH

'The Madman' (inexplicitly) asks: Which is more important, knowledge or faith? Now, I'm not sure if Nietzsche ever directly states his opinion, but I think it's safe to say he's team knowledge all the way – after all, the guy said “God is dead.” Nietzsche takes a radical approach, and proposes an abandonment of faith altogether, in favor the acceptance of the world as our senses perceive it to be. In other words, Nietzsche rejects the notion of anything and everything 'otherworldly', and accepts only what meets the eye. He goes on to express his utter disdain for the herd and the herd-instinct, which Nietzsche believes weakens man, inhibits personal growth, and prevents each individual from valuing himself as anything more than just a function of the herd. Nietzsche's solution to the herd? The Ubermensch.

The Ubermensch is willing to risk everything for the sake of humanity's enhancement. The Ubermensch is both 'more than human and all too human', independent, not conscious, and above the herd. The Ubermensch is the next step in the evolution of humanity. He transcends the herd and his own consciousness, and establishes his own morals and values, completely independent of the herd. The Ubermensch exists in complete opposition to the last man, who is, according to Nietzsche, the “most contemptuous.” The last man is primarily focused on his own comfort and is so reliant on the herd, that he is incapable of becoming anything greater than himself.

For all their differences - and they've got a lot of differences – I think it's in this that Nietzsche and Kierkegaard find some common ground. Kierkegaard's life and mind centered around God and the 'leap of faith.' Although, Nietzsche denounced faith and Christianity and God altogether, I think his Ubermensch requires a sort of leap of faith as well. Maybe not a leap of faith in the traditional sense of the word 'faith,' and certainly not in Kierkegaard's sense of the word 'faith'. But faith in the individual. Faith in the individual's ability to transcend his consciousness and himself, and become something greater. Nietzsche saw man as a bridge. A bridge between beast and the Ubermensch. Nietzsche acknowledged that the men and women of his time were not ready for the Ubermensch, they were still too reliant on the herd.

So, now are we ready for the Ubermensch? If the Ubermensch becomes the overman the way Nietzsche posits – that is, by transcending himself and the herd and becoming a completely independent being – then no, I don't think we are ready for the Ubermensch. The way the world is today, with the ubiquity of the internet and social networking, it would be nearly impossible to truly escape the herd. Technology has made the world such as small place, we have become completely dependent on other members of the 'herd' from all around the globe to provide us with knowledge and news and entertainment and everything else that give our lives meaning. That being said, I think a more likely Ubermensch will emerge out of this technological dependence – something along the lines of a technological superintelligence by way of technological singularity. Technological Singularity is basically a futurist theory that proposes the emergence of a greater-than-human artificial intelligence via technological means. Now, I'm not a crazy computer wizard (I swear), but the world we live in just seems way more conducive to a technological Ubermensch.

So, who is the Ubermensch? How will know him when we see him? Nietzsche doesn't exactly state how we'll know, I guess it's just one of those 'you'll just know' kind of deals. I've never encountered anybody who even comes close to refusing the herd or transcending his/her consciousness, but I watched a documentary the other day about this guy named Faustino who has lived in Patagonia, in pretty much complete isolation for the past 40 years of his life. He rejects the herd, is completely independent, relying on nothing more than the land and his animals, and seems to have established his own set of morals (he shot his nephew because he was allegedly trying to steal his cattle). I think if anybody in our present world comes close to meeting Nietzsche's definition of the Ubermensch, it's Faustino.

P.S. Here's the link to that documentary if anybody is interested: http://www.vice.com/far-out/faustinos-patagonian-retreat-part-1