Nietzsches Critique of Liberalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Nietzsches Critique of Liberalism - Essay Example Against the backdrop of liberalism movement that was taking place in the late 17th century and early 18th century, Nietzsche claimed that democracy only worked to protect the rights of the majority, which included the general population compared to the liberal idea that democracy worked to protect the rights and interests of individual people (Ansell-Pearson, 1994). This view on liberalism strikes the right chord because, in every sense, democracy in the modern world is based on the rights of the majority against the rights of individuals. This means most constitutions, the world over, claim to protect the rights and privileges of individuals yet, on the other hand, the rights of the majority overrules. It is only in exceptional cases, which often involve the affluent in society, that this view is applied. The rich are always given their rights when they demand them. The idea of liberalism emphasized on protecting the rights of every individual, but according to Nietzsche, these individuals’ are usually the rich people in society. The liberals did not protect the rights of the general citizenry as they claimed. Instead, they were clustered in one group and their rights were determined as a whole’. Nevertheless, the rights of the majority came in as a second priority since the liberals focused on securing the rights of the affluent in society. This means that the poor or middle income had no say; since the rich people were the main decision and policy makers because only their voice counted in key decision making. This notion created a slave mentality among such liberal states. According to Peters, et al (2003), Nietzsche also believed in the mastery of oneself. He believed that human beings should define their live according to themselves and rid themselves pity of the weak members of the society. In order for an individual to succeed in a society, he should not be tied to any equality standards, but be allowed to go grow beyond boarders in tandem with their abilities. This means that liberalism hindered the growth of individuals since it placed standards and emphasized on equality among individuals, yet each individual has the ability to grow beyond the average. He believed that liberalism emphasized on equality among members of the society, yet in the real sense not every human being has the same potential as the other. He envisioned a society where, individuals would have their own independence and