Nietzsche - Key Concepts and Terms (Vocabulary)

Vocabulary flashcards summarizing key Nietzschean terms, concepts, and works from the notes.

Friedrich Nietzsche

19th‑century German philosopher (born 1844) who critiqued Christianity, developed the idea of self‑overcoming (Selbstüberwindung) and the Übermensch, and wrote influential works such as The Birth of Tragedy and Thus Spoke Zarathustra.

Selbstüberwindung

Self‑overcoming; the process by which a great‑souled person rises above circumstances to embrace whatever life throws at them.

Übermensch

The Overman or Superman; Nietzsche’s ideal of a person who transcends limitations to realize their true potential.

Sklavenmoral

Slave morality; Nietzsche’s label for Christian morality as protecting people from envy, fostering weakness, purity, obedience, and forgiveness.

Die Herde

The herd; Nietzsche’s term for the masses who lack the stomach to pursue their true desires.

God is Dead

Nietzsche’s provocative claim that belief in God has died; not celebrated, but leaves a gap to be filled by culture, philosophy, and art.

Culture replace Scripture

The idea that philosophy, art, music, and literature should fill the place once held by religious scripture as guides to life.

Two narcotics in European civilization

Christianity and alcohol; Nietzsche argues both numb pain and hinder people from changing their lives.

Never drink alcohol

Nietzsche’s stance that one should abstain from alcohol, drinking only water (milk only as a special treat); part of his broader critique of self‑control and life energy.

Envy

A natural element of life; should be acknowledged and used as a guide to what you could become rather than forbidden.

Live dangerously

A principle for a fulfilled life, expressed as taking risks and embracing challenging paths (e.g., building cities on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius).

Pilate

The Roman governor Nietzsche cites as the only person in the New Testament worth respecting.

Greek tragedy

Viewed by Nietzsche as a practical, therapeutic model for catharsis and moral education in life.

Major works

Key Nietzsche texts including The Birth of Tragedy; Human, All Too Human; The Gay Science; Thus Spoke Zarathustra; Beyond Good and Evil; and On the Genealogy of Morals.

Turin horse incident

The event that precipitated Nietzsche’s mental breakdown: he saw a horse being beaten in Turin, embraced it, crying that he understood the horse; he never recovered.