Week 15-Weekly Edit LYU YANGCHENG여양승
2021008895
I. Summary of Contents
19th century philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche held a profoundly reflective position on "free will":
He believed that free will was a false myth, a product of human extreme conceit and vanity, attempting to attribute the ultimate responsibility for behavior to "causasui". True will does not have absolute autonomy, and people's actions are often influenced by power, impulse, and situation.
In Beyond Good and Evil, Nietzsche called free will "extreme stupidity" and believed that people's fantasy of freedom of will was nothing more than a psychological projection.
He pointed out that the significance of the existence of will does not lie in whether it is free, but in its strength: the key is whether the will can "dominate", "create", and "affirm itself".
Chance and necessity are intertwined in his philosophy: accidental events (such as luck) can be "assimilated" by the will, and once accepted, they also become a manifestation of the power of the will. This is an active affirmation of "fate": necessity is freedom.
Nietzsche's criticism of free will is both a philosophical (fatalistic) error and a psychological misunderstanding: it stems from the human illusion of control.
II. Interesting Viewpoints
1. Free will is not the problem itself, but the "illusion" of responsibility
Nietzsche broke the tradition of equating free will with moral subject. He believed that people wanted to "take responsibility for everything" just to get rid of the responsibility of God, environment, and chance, and thus attempted to become "self-cause". This is actually a kind of psychological escape.
2. Differences in the views of freedom between "strong" and "weak"
Nietzsche directed the concept of free will to the power structure: the weak claimed "this is my choice", but they disguised their powerlessness in moral self-deception; the strong pushed the world through the power of will, and could "summon and embrace" both chance and necessity, which was closer to true freedom.
3. "Redemption" of chance and acceptance of fate
Unlike fatalism, Nietzsche did not completely deny chance. He advocated that we should not resist chance, but "dance" with it: this reflects his positive affirmation of the will of life-freedom is not about choosing to escape, but about actively welcoming it.
4. Freedom and necessity are not opposites
In the actions of artists and creators, those forces regarded as "necessary" are the realization of freedom. Freedom does not need to completely abandon necessity, but can demonstrate creativity and dominance in necessity.
III. Discussion questions
1. Is free will really a "fiction"?
If human behavior is indeed determined by biology, society, and psychology, what basis can we find for moral responsibility?
2. Does responsibility absolutely come from "free choice"?
Nietzsche denied free will, but did not exclude responsibility. How should we re-understand the moral concept of "responsibility"?
3. The relationship between chance and necessity draws a free curve?
In your life experience, have you ever faced an accident (chance) but turned it into growth or creation (necessity) because of the power of your inner will?
4. Is "strong" freedom suitable for everyone?
In Nietzsche's philosophy, the "strong" are free because of the power of their will; but most people may need more moral "freedom of choice". Can these two freedoms be harmonious?
5. When will becomes power, are we still free?
Nietzsche believed that "freedom" is realized in power and initiative. Does this mean that our understanding of freedom should shift from "display of ability" to "power structure"?
When will becomes power, are we still free?
ReplyDeleteNietzsche believed that "freedom" is realized in power and initiative. Does this mean that our understanding of freedom should shift from "display of ability" to "power structure"?
You ask if freedom should be understood more in terms of power structure rather than ability. That’s a key distinction:
Display of ability: Suggests freedom as competence or skill within existing conditions (e.g., “I’m free because I can choose my job or express myself”).
Power structure: Suggests freedom as the power to shape those conditions (e.g., “I’m free because I determine what a job or self-expression means”).
Nietzsche leans toward the latter. To him, freedom is not doing what you can, but becoming who you are—and that requires dominating internal and external constraints, even reshaping values, which is a form of power.