Nietzsche versus Gandhi Essay - 1378 Words

Friedrich Nietzsche and Mahatma Gandhi, two mammoth political figures of their time, attack the current trend of society. Their individual philosophies and concepts suggest a fundamental problem: if civilization is so diseased, can we overcome this state of society and the sickness that plagues the minds of the masses in order to advance? Gandhi and Nietzsche attain to answer the same proposition of sickness within civilization, and although the topic of unrest among both may be dissimilar, they have parallel means of finding a cure to such an illness as the one that plagues society. Nietzsche’s vision of spiritual health correlates directly with Gandhi’s image of industrialism and the self-sufficiency. This correlation prevails by†¦show more content†¦Gandhi claims that â€Å"passive resistance, that is soul force, is matchless†¦ How then can it be considered a weapon of the weak?† (Gandhi 49) By Gandhi’s standards, it cannot be conside red weak if standing up against laws that are disliked; those that are truly weak attempt to find the answer behind brute force. Gandhi claims that â€Å"passive resistance cannot proceed a step without fearlessness† and strength of mind. By this standard, brute force, not passive resistance contributes to the sickness of civilization by being void of mental strength. The professional occupations of man contribute to the spiritual sickness of civilization. Nietzsche isolates the priests as the â€Å"most evil enemies† stating that their hatred is both â€Å"spiritual and poisonous† (Nietzsche 33). The reason for such a lustrous claim is that Nietzsche believes that priests are responsible for influencing the decisions of the general public, brainwashing the masses to blindly believe church doctrine. Nietzsche accuses the priests and Jewish population of creating a â€Å"radical revaluation of their enemies’ values, that is to say, an act of the most spiritual revenge† (Nietzsche 33-34). By reshaping and convincing the masses to believe as the church believes; the priests are contributing to the sickness of civilization. According to Nietzsche, priests do not allow people to think on their own and therefore lull them into a mindless state of blind acceptance. The sickness of civilization, asShow MoreRelatedNietzsch e and Gandhi, Society1414 Words   |  6 PagesFriedrich Nietzsche and Mahatma Gandhi, two mammoth political figures of their time, attack the current trend of society. Their individual philosophies and concepts suggest a fundamental problem: if civilization is so diseased, can we overcome this state of society and the sickness that plagues the minds of the masses in order to advance? Gandhi and Nietzsche attain to answer the same proposition of sickness within civilization, and although the topic of unrest among both may be dissimilar, theyRead MoreGodards Breathless Essay Questions1553 Words   |  7 PagesVanishree Gandhi Godard’s Breathless 4. In a world where there are no ultimate reasons for action, how does Michel find freedom to act and to live creatively? Why does Patricia, who shares Michel’s nihilistic world-view, draw the opposite conclusion from it? Why is she only capable of negative freedom expressed as independence in the course of the film? In the movie Breathless, written and produced by Jean-Luc Godard, is a French film about a thief named Michel Poiccard, who spends his time in Paris