Nietzsche on fate and freedom

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2013
Beşkardeşler, Sedef
At face value, Nietzsche’s approach to the problem of free will may seem contradictory since he rejects both free will and determinism. However, a detailed analysis of Nietzsche’s texts will show that, while he uncovers the traditional and psychological background of both the belief in free will and unfree will, he develops his unique understanding of freedom and fate. To state more precisely, Nietzsche repudiates both an understanding of free will which is claimed to be a priorily possessed and also an idea of complete determinism in human action which relies on the causal interpretation of nature. Rather, what Nietzsche does is to propose a strong love of fate while trying to convince his reader of the inseparability of necessity and freedom. Moreover, by means of the notions of yes-saying and no-saying, Nietzsche advances a healthy attitude towards life, which is one of the main concerns of his philosophy. In this case, the matter would be to explore and differentiate what is necessary from what is contingent. Thus, the possibility of a more naturalistic approach to the matter of human freedom and necessity will be shown where the way is also open for an affirmative life.

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Citation Formats
S. Beşkardeşler, “Nietzsche on fate and freedom,” M.S. - Master of Science, Middle East Technical University, 2013.