I Give You the Übermensch

The real one. Accept no imitations!

One of the most notoriously misunderstood concepts in the history of philosophy is Friedrich Nietzsche’s Übermensch. The word “Übermensch” is too often mistranslated into English as “superman” but the German word “Über” means “over” not “super.” We need to be clear on that distinction to understanding what Nietzsche really meant by the Overman.

Nietzsche’s Übermensch is not a man, or race of men, possessing superior powers. (No, women didn’t factor into Nietzsche’s thinking.) The Übermensch is neither…