36 pages • 1 hour read
Friedrich Nietzsche, Ed. Walter Kaufmann, Transl. R.J. HollingdaleThe Will to Power
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1901A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Book 1Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Book 1, Part 1 Summary: “Nihilism”
Nietzsche begins The Will to Power by introducing nihilism, one of the central concepts of the text and his philosophy. He defines nihilism as “the radical repudiation of value, meaning, and desirability” (7) or, more precisely, “the conviction of an absolute untenability of existence when it comes to the highest values one recognizes” (9). Nihilism signifies the destruction of those values that had previously given life meaning. And Nietzsche is clear about what those are: the Christian moral values that dominated Europe for nearly two millennia. He aims to understand why belief in these values is diminishing and how to find meaning in life in their absence.
Nietzsche’s readers might suppose that the chief obstacle to Christian faith is the difficulty of human life. How could a loving God allow such suffering? Nietzsche says it is a mistake to consider an increase in distress “whether of the soul, body, or intellect,” as the cause of nihilism (7). Rather, the root of disbelief is in the logic of Christianity itself. For, based on Paul’s teachings, Christianity established itself by insisting on the truth of its doctrines. Its theology was presented not as inspiring 
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