Plato's philosopher and Nietzsche's Overman
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Two important similarities and two important differences between Plato's Philosopher and Nietzsche's Overman.
For Plato, the Philosopher is 1. A man of wisdom, pursues knowledge with an insatiable curiosity and distinguishes between knowledge and belief. 2. He is a ruler, different from the ruled or the masses, that is, he is a different breed of man.
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Solution Summary
Both Plato and Nietzsche have similar views of the philosopher as a unique kind of breed who rules or should rule the world. But whereas Plato's focus is otherworldly, for Nietzsche, the focus should be this earth since there is no other world apart from this one. And so, whereas the Overman for Nietzsche is the meaning of the earth, for Plato the Philosopher is the one who contemplates the world of Forms. But whereas the Overman is for Nietzsche the meaning of the earth, for Plato the Philosopher is one who contemplates the Forms which are in the world of Forms, essentially different from this sensible world.
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Similarities:
For Plato, the Philosopher is
A.. A man of wisdom, pursues knowledge with an insatiable curiosity and distinguishes between knowledge and belief. B. He is a ruler, different from the ruled or the masses, that is, he is a different breed of man. That was why he advocated that philosophers should become kings or kings should become philosophers. C. Awake, that is, not dreaming or in illusion.
A. For Nietzsche too, the Overman will be a man of infinite wisdom, surpassing what is currently known as wisdom. B. For Nietzsche, the overman is also a ruler of the earth, a different kind of breed. C. The Overman (is) will also be the "meaning" of the earth, not an illusion.
It must be kept in mind that the overman is an ideal for Nietzsche, so in that sense, he is like Plato's ...
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