The “Eternal Recurrence” of the Overman On the Teaching Proclaimed by Zarathustra
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.66581/c7cew780Keywords:
Zarathustra, overman, last man, eternal recurrenceAbstract
Thus Spoke Zarathustra occupies a pivotal position in Nietzsche’s oeuvre. The work brings together two of Nietzsche’s most decisive ideas: the overman (Übermensch) and eternal recurrence. The overman is not merely an ideal opposed to the “last man”; it is also the figure through which the hatred of time is overcome. This is the point at which the concept of the overman becomes internally connected with eternal recurrence. The overman affirms the past, wills entry into the ring of eternal recurrence, enters each coming moment as a creator, and thereby confers meaning upon existence. Zarathustra is both the teacher of the overman and the teacher of eternal recurrence. Nietzsche’s two key ideas can therefore be fully understood only within the narrative of Zarathustra’s preaching and descent among human beings.
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