god is dead god remains dead and we have killed him friedrich nietzsche wrote in 1882
to understand what the german philosopher meant and what he thought of men morality and society
as a whole we collaborated with professor stephen hicks on this sprout special series
part one god is dead for thousands of years humans have been religious
but in the modern world religion has become a shadow of its former self
nietzsche's dramatic phrase god is dead is meant to capture the shocking quality of this revelation
for those raised religiously religion personalized the world
it gave them a sense that the world had a purpose and that they were part of a larger plan
it gave them the comfort that despite appearances we are all equal and cared for and that upon death
instead of a cold grave a possible happily ever after ending awaits
but in the modern world we find it increasingly hard to believe those values we have seen the
dramatic rise of science which has offered less comfortable answers to questions religion
traditionally had a monopoly on we have thrown off the shackles of feudalism with its unquestioning
acceptance of authority and have become more individualistic and naturalistic in our thinking
but in historical time all of this has happened very quickly for millennia we have been religious
but come the 19th century even the average man had heard that religion may have reached
the end of its journey for most of us even the suggestion of this hints at a crisis
imagine a 13 year old who is awakened in the middle of the night to be told by strangers
that both his parents have died he is suddenly an orphan for as long as he can remember his mother
and father were present in his life looking after him and guiding him now they are gone and ready or
not he is thrust into that world alone how does the young teen handle that sudden transition
culturally nietzsche says we are like that young teen for as long as we can remember our society
has relied upon god the father to look after us but now suddenly we are orphaned
we wake up one morning to discover that in our heart of hearts our naively childhood
religious beliefs have withered so now whether we like it or not a question
creeps into our minds how do we face the prospect of a world without god and religion
in the 19th century says nietzsche most people did not face that question well
most people avoid the issue sensing that even to raise it would be to enter dangerous territory
life without religion is too scary to contemplate so they retreat to a safety zone of belief
and repeat nervously the formulas they have learned about faith
slightly better to nietzsche but not much are the socialists of the 19th century
socialism is on the rise and many socialists accept that god is dead but then they are very
concerned that the state take god's place and look after them the mighty state will provide for us
and tell us what to do against the mean people of the world think of it this way the judeo-christian
tradition says this is a world of sin in which the weak suffer at the hands of the
strong that we should all be selfless and serve god and others especially the sick and helpless
and that in a future ideal world heaven the lion will lie down with lamb and the
inescapable power of god will bring salvation to the meek and judgment to the wicked
the socialist tradition says this is a world of evil exploitation in which the strong take
advantage of the weak but we should all be selfless and sacrifice for the good of others
especially the needy from each according to his ability to each according to his need
and the forces of history will necessarily bring about a future ideal world that will
end all harsh competition empowering the oppressed and eliminating the evil exploiters
both religion and socialism thus glorify weakness and need both recoil from the world as it is
tough unequal harsh both flee to an imaginary future realm where they can feel
safe both say be a nice boy be a good little girl share feel sorry for the little people
and both desperately seek someone to look after them whether it be god or the state
so where asks nature are the men of courage who is willing to stare into the abyss who
can stand alone on the icy mountain top who can look at tiger in the eye without flinching
to be continued
nietzsche who was born in 1884 was not only a fierce critic of
church and socialism but also nationalism and anti-semitism his strong moral stance
meant that he openly condemned many of his intellectual friends
and even broke his relationship with his own sister who married a notorious anti-semite
so what are your thoughts on nietzsche do you agree with his understanding of the world we
live in for more information about this extraordinary man
and his impact on our society check the descriptions below
there you'll also find a link to stephen hicks full account of the german philosopher
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