I often consider a lengthy explanation of a painting, but it’s usually like explaining the punchline of a joke. First, let’s get this out of the way: Nietzsche’s writings were co-opted and twisted by his sister and the Nazis, so he gets a bad rap. The Übermensch (Overman or Superman) is often tied to a misinterpretation of Nietzsche’s concept of will to power. Some mistakenly read this as might making right. For me, the real takeaway from Nietzsche is not the control of others, but of the self. Nietzsche was aware of the necessity of humanity growing up – being and doing good because of internal integrity rather than external mysticism. The idea is not uniquely atheist. Rabbi Kushner explores this in his book, How Good Do We Have to Be?. C.S. Lewis writes along these lines in Mere Christianity. I’m sure there are more examples, these are just two that I read when I was first forming my internal faith.
