A "Will to Power" and it's possible misusage.

Ack, I knew this topic was too stupid be end up being posted in. Ignore me.

edited 29th Jan '11 6:29:36 AM by Ukonkivi

Will to Power...

Will to Power...

Hmm...

-search-

You mean this? and not this, right?

K'

I have found strength where one does not look for it: in simple, mild, and pleasant people, without the least desire to rule—and, conversely, the desire to rule has often appeared to me a sign of inward weakness: they fear their own slave soul and shroud it in a royal cloak (in the end, they still become the slaves of their followers, their fame, etc.) The powerful natures dominate, it is a necessity, they need not lift one finger. Even if, during their lifetime, they bury themselves in a garden house![

Neato, never heard of this before.

I don't think it's all that likely to be misused, it seems pretty straightforward.

As for whether or not I'd believe it, I figure it has truth to it, but not enough as to make it a universal truth/law about humans or nature.

D'oh, now I wonder what was in the OP.

I've heard that Will To Power is supposed to be interpreted as the desire to be awesome, and then actually acting on it. Nothing having to do with traditional power, necessarily, although traditional power may be involved when being awesome.

I thought the point was that everything simply wants control/might/life/whatever, and that desire is a driving force on pretty much everything.

It's kind of redundant though, when you think about it. It's basically saying that "we want what we want" or that we "do what we intend to do because we want to".

Well, plenty of people do things that they do not want to do.

But part of his point is that people do things they don't want to do in order to get what they want.

In other words, the kindest, sweetest, old lady you know is actually selfish and power hungry deep down. After all, who would suspect grandma?

Um.

achievement, ambition, the striving to reach the highest possible position in life

I'm interpreting "highest possible position" to not be social/political. Because if it were social/political, it would contradict that thingy you copypasted there.

I thought it was some sort of over-arching and semi-ambiguous principle.

... I'm having difficulty understanding what kind of point you're trying to say in this thread.

So am I.

Then again, I have no idea what Nietzsche was trying to say either so...

I'm pretty sure he was trying to say "be awesome".

I like that.

-is awesome-

For a colorful dramatization of Nietzsche's philosophy, you should go to Gurren Lagann.

The message would be: do what you "want" to do, deep inside, not what "impulses", "earthly desires", "circumstances", "outside pressures and coercions, especially peer pressure" try to influence you into doing. Many of us act against our better judgement or against our greater aspirations by letting base instincts. uncontrolled passions. and what other people say.

Know what you want. And do it.

I WANT TO KILL PEOPLE!

-stabs Ardiente-

I don't think this ideology blows over too well. Though I suppose one can work from the idea that humans are fundamentally good, but even then that's a little random. After all, someone can genuinely believe something that hurts others.

edited 29th Jan '11 6:07:23 PM by TheMightyAnonym

That's assuming your ideology holds that hurting others is objectively bad.

Ceter paribus, from a Golden Rule perspective, it is.

Suicides and masochists.

Those aren't others. And unless your social impact is a net negative, it is still a bad idea to kill yourself. If hurting yourself makes you function at a higher level... does it still count as "hurting oneself"?

edited 1st Feb '11 1:18:08 PM by Ardiente

A will to seek power, to have mastery over ones self not mastery over others.

Mastery over others is usually a nice bonus if you have a goal that involves more people than yourself.

I follow a Will to power as part of the ubermensch, If one seeks power over others then they are seeking both the herd, and mastery morality both are things for the ubermensch to overcome. Not that the ubermensch my not have followers for those very reasons, he/she just wont seek power over them. They may give him/her that power though.