Kant and Nietzsche on self-legislation and the rational will

What is it about?

Friedrich Nietzsche’s wonted derision of Immanuel Kant has long-obscured the striking parallels between the two philosophers’ moral thought. Through a comparative critique of Kant’s Groundwork of a Metaphysic of Morals and Nietzsche’s Thus Spake Zarathustra, this essay will disclose how the autonomous, self-legislating, rational will that drives the Kantian categorical imperative is as pivotal to the ethical project at the heart of Nietzsche’s Thus Spake Zarathustra as it is to Kantian ethics.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

Because the rational dimension in Nietzsche's thought has long been overshadowed by his philosophy of will to power. Nietzsche's vision of the Uebermensch is predicated on a ruthless rational will.