A Simulation of a Debate Between Girard and Nietzsche

Rene Girard: Why do you worship power?

Friederich Nietzche: If one wants to create a god, one must proceed as if creating a man. One must conceive of the god as something one has never conceived before, something one has to create from nothing. One creates the idea of the god, then creates the god. The worship of power is the worship of the divine.

Rene Girard: What do you think is the task of humankind?

Friederich Nietzche: The task of humankind is to create the conditions for the Fall. The Fall is our destiny.

Rene Girard: Describe what you mean by the Fall.

Friederich Nietzche: Well, the Fall is the moment when we humans first realized our own power and potential. It is the moment when we first realized that we could create our own destiny. It is the moment when we first realized that we were not just victims of the gods, but that we could be the creators of our own fate. The Fall is the moment when we first became truly human.

Rene Girard: But such a moment would also be a moment of great danger, for it would mean that we could also destroy ourselves. To bring about the Fall would be to bring about our own destruction. Are you saying that we should seek our own destruction? That is the task of humankind?

Friederich Nietzche: No, I am not saying that we should seek our own destruction. I am saying that we should embrace our power and potential, and use it to create our own destiny. We should not be afraid of our own power, but use it to create a better world. We should not be afraid of the Fall, but use it to become truly human.

Rene Girard: Yes but what if we misuse our power and end up destroying ourselves? Is that not a risk we should be wary of? And knowing human nature, is not that a risk that has a great chance of happening?

Friederich Nietzche: You are correct. But what do you propose we do about it? Do you think that we should simply abandon our quest for power? Should we give up on our own destiny?

Rene Girard: I would like to change the subject for a moment and discuss your work on the will to power. You have said that the will to power is the most fundamental human drive. What do you mean by that? And why do you think it is the most fundamental drive?

Friederich Nietzche: The will to power is the most fundamental human drive because it is the drive to create our own destiny. It is the drive to become who we are meant to be. It is the drive to actualize our potential. We humans have always been driven by the will to power, but we have only recently begun to consciously embrace it.

Rene Girard: What does it mean to become truly human?

Friederich Nietzche: We are not just animals that happened to evolve into something more. We are something that was always meant to be. We are the heirs of a long lineage of beings that were constantly striving to become more than they were.

Rene Girard: In Thus Spoke Zarathustra, you mentioned the ‘superman’ – who is the counter point to the superman?

Friederich Nietzche: The superman is the highest type of human being, the one who has realized his full potential. The counter point to the superman is the herd animal, the one who conforms to the herd and does not strive to become more. The herd animal is content to live a life of mediocrity, while the superman strives to become more than he is.

Rene Girard: Yes, but do you realize that to become more is not necessarily a good thing? For example, the superman may strive to become more than he is, but what if he becomes too powerful and starts to rule over the weak? Or what if he becomes too self-centered and starts to neglect his own responsibilities? These are dangers that must be avoided if we want to create a society that is fair and equitable.

Friederich Nietzche: Well, the superman is only good if he is aware of these dangers. And he would not be superman if he were not aware of them.

Rene Girard: What you are describing is not a mortal.

Friederich Nietzche: You are right, Rene. I am not describing a mortal. I am describing a god. But it is a god that we will create. We will become something greater than we are. We will become the superman. And no matter what dangers may lie ahead, we must not turn away from our quest. For if we do, we will become like the herd animals, content to live in mediocrity.

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Related posts:

1. Chapter 4: The Background of Dynamic Psychiatry (The Discovery of the Unconscious)
2. Chapter 5: On the Threshold of a New Dynamic Psychiatry (The Discovery of the Unconscious)
3. On Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra Summary (8.4/10)
4. Mimesis and Science (8.8/10)