The superman theory was expressed in the writings of both Nietzsche and Hegel.
Although the main idea of the theory was the same, their views on life differed. .
Nietzsche was openly and profoundly hostile to most forms of morality and .
religious thought. He declared "war" on them because he though they devalued all .
naturalistic values. Nietzsche stressed the difference between "higher types" and "the .
herd." In his book, Thus Spake Zarathustra, he proclaimed the superman to be the .
meaning of the earth, representing the overcoming of all too human. He wanted to direct .
the public's attention to the emergence of higher humanity capable of endowing existence .
with a human redemption and justification. His major psychological theory was his "will .
to power", meaning that people want to gain power and take control over their unruly .
passions. He thought that the self-control exhibited by ascetics and artists was a higher .
form of power than the physical bullying of the weak by the strong. The main point of .
his theory was the passionate person who learns to control passions and use them in a .
creative manner.
Unlike Nietzsche, Hegel was a much more religious man. He too believed that .
one must be an individual but have social consciousness. He stressed the importance of .
historical understanding. Hegel was famous for his dialectic. It stated that history .
followed a course that was necessary, also that it represented some sort of progress, and .
that is will eventually be replaced by its opposite. He thought that the attempt to achieve .
satisfaction through the external pursuit of power tends to be rejected in favor of the .
attempt to achieve an inner state of harmony. .
Hegel and Nietzsche's theories compliment each one another because one leads .
into the other. Nietzsche added to Hegel's theory and emphasized the importance of .
individuality.
