I teach you the Übermensch. Man is something to be surpassed. What have you done to surpass mankind? –Nietzsche
Analyze the following sources and come to our next session with written responses to the questions below.
Required Sources:
- The Wiki entry on the ubermensch just to get started
- A short passage from Nietzsche’s Thus Spake Zarathrusta, Towards the Ubermensch
- A passage from Blood Meridian, pages 248-249 or a professional reading of this passage (for you aural learners)
Optional Sources:
- A Wiki entry which summarizes Blood Meridian
- A link from the University of Virginia which describes the real Glanton Gang
- A video discussion of Blood Meridian from an undergraduate class at Yale (The American Novel Since 1945 with Professor Hungerford)
- Nietzsche’s Thus Spake Zarathrusta (entire book online for free)
Response Questions:
1. Define and describe the concept of the ubermensch.
2. Apply the definition and description from #1 to characters throughout history, both real and imagined. Think: Omar from The Wire, Kurtz from Heart of Darkness, Tyler Durden in Fight Club, Dexter, etc.
3. Assess the functions and dysfunctions of the pragmatic applications of the ubermensch philosophy.
4. How does Judge Holden personify the Nietzsche’s ubermensch?
