The politics of Friedrich Nietzsche

In this thesis I explore the political dimensions of Friedrich Nietzsche's thought. I argue that his doctrines of the death of God and the will to power have strong political implications. According to Nietzsche, the death of God results in the complete loss of meaning, or nihilism, concerning all of our previously held beliefs. In this condition of nihilism, though, there exists the possibility for the emergence of great human beings, or "higher" men. The "higher man," who is marked with spiritual strength, is able to emerge due to his ability to organize and unify his instincts. The degree to which one can do this establishes one's order of rank. The order of rank, consequently, extends from the individual onto society and politically translates into Nietzsche's notion of castes. As a result, the highest caste, made-up of "higher" men, establishes an aristocracy to promote the cultivation of more "higher" men. This is Nietzsche's aristocracy.