PHILOSOPHY

Nietzsche’s Fundamental Component of Human Identity: The Will to Power

Do you have what it takes to overcome obstacles and strive for greatness?

Alejandro Betancourt
Bottomline Talks
Published in
3 min readJul 21, 2022

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Photo by ShotPot from Pexels.

“My humanity is a constant self-overcoming.” — Friedrich Nietzsche

In his book “Beyond Good and Evil,” German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche discussed the will to power — a fundamental component of human identity.

He claimed that it is the main driving force in humans, aiming at intensifying power and creativity. This idea underpins Nietzsche’s notion of eternal recurrence and metaphysics.

It is a dynamic energy in constant change and striving, which may be seen in the form of encounters with challenges.

In essence, it is what makes us human.

Contrasted with living for procreation, pleasure, or happiness, the will to power summarizes all man’s struggle against his surrounding environment and his reason for living in it. It is a never-ending journey towards becoming the best version of ourselves.

Nietzsche’s philosophy can be seen as an attack against Christianity, which he saw as a slave morality that denies one’s will.

He believed that for progress in society, people must have the will to power — to strive for dominance over others through their desires.

Do you have what it takes to overcome obstacles and strive for greatness?

According to Nietzsche, the answer lies in our will to power.

This fundamental component of human identity drives us to intensify our power and creativity.

So ask yourself: do you have the will to power?

If not, what are you waiting for? It’s time to start striving for greatness.

After all, that’s what makes us human.

“One loves ultimately one’s desires, not the thing desired.” — Friedrich Nietzsche

Nietzsche’s Theory of the Will to Power with His Concept of Eternal Recurrence

The will to power is also the foundation of Nietzsche’s theory of eternal recurrence.

Eternal recurrence is the concept that everything that has happened will happen again an infinite number of times.

This includes every event and every person’s thoughts and actions. In other words, you have lived your life an endless number of times before, and you will live it again an infinite number of times in the future.

The difference is that you do not remember your past lives because they are so far in the past.

For Nietzsche, eternal recurrence is a way of affirming life.

He believed that if we accept that our lives will happen repeatedly, we can live our lives to the fullest and not worry about the future because we know everything will happen again.

So next time you find yourself struggling against something — whether it’s a problem at work, a complex relationship, or your inner demons — remember that it is part of your journey towards self-improvement and self-discovery.

Embrace the challenge and use it as an opportunity to grow and become even stronger. After all, that’s what the will to power is all about.

If you’re interested in learning more about Nietzsche’s philosophy, I recommend reading Beyond Good and Evil. He discusses the will to power in more detail and how it relates to his concept of eternal recurrence.

What do you think of Nietzsche’s concept of the will to power? Do you agree that it is a fundamental component of human identity? Let me know in the comments below!

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© Alejandro Betancourt, 2022. All Rights Reserved.

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Alejandro Betancourt
Bottomline Talks

Entrepreneur, Investor, Executive Coach & Author. Single Dad sharing insights on Mindset, Philosophy, and Self-Improvement.