Friedrich Nietzsche On The Secret Ingredient For Happiness
Friedrich Nietzsche was one of the great philosophers of the 19th century.
Taking himself “philosophize with a hammer”, Nietzsche analyzed the way people think about a topic, took out his hammer and went to work.
One of his targets was the most famous theory about the role of happiness in life.
That sounds interesting.
Happiness should not be your goal
In Nietzsche’s days, the doctrine of ‘utilitarianism’ was the most widely held view about the role happiness in life. Utilitarian philosophers such as Jeremy Bentham (1748–1832) and John Stuart Mill (1806–1873) argued that happiness-maximization should be the goal of behavior and the guide for deciding how to act. Nowadays, celebrated philosophers like Peter Signer advocate a form of utilitarianism.
The idea that happiness-maximization is the criterion one should use in deciding what to do and how to act has probably been the most popular ethical view throughout history.
In opposition, Nietzsche insists that happiness should not be your goal.
For example, in his magnum opus — Thus Spoke Zarathustra — his protagonist declares:
“Do I strive after happiness? [No,] I strive…
