Zarathustras Three Metamorphoses, Applied to Modernism Essay

The 1859 publication of Darwin’s On the Origin of Species had dramatic consequences, among them the creation of doubt about God’s place in a world where species independently evolve and continually change. Darwin had not merely questioned God; he had shaken one of the core Christian beliefs: that God had created a flawless and unchanging earth. When Darwin’s ideas were not scientifically disproven, the basis of Christianity itself was called into question. That questioning continued as scientific discovery advanced. The traditional view and place of God became less and less applicable to modern life, triggering an onset of nihilism in many as the foundations of their lives were chipped away by scientific progress. Scholars and†¦show more content†¦Gooding-Williams identifies two essential reasons for this â€Å"desertifying† effect of Christian-Platonic values on life. First, â€Å"they identify as wrong or sinful† certain aspects of human life that Nietzsche thinks are vital (34). For example, this vaue system discourages willing and value-creation by claiming all authority in those areas. As a result, these instincts are repressed in humans, who â€Å"would rather will nothingness than not will,† finally resulting in a denial of life, which is seen as unhealthy by Nietzsche (Nietzsche, On the Geneaology of Morals 163). Second, they â€Å"favor †¦ the universal rule of one and only one value scheme,† blocking efforts by individuals to exercise their natural wills to power by creating their own values (Gooding-Williams 35). Out in that desert, the camel sheds his load, and becomes the lion spirit. Unlike the obedient, load-bearing camel, the lion asserts his own will and â€Å"lordship in its own wilderness† (Nietzsche, Thus Spake Zarathustra). In order to truly become his own master as he desires, the lion must triumph over the dragon, representative of the God and value system he is deserting, which claims that â€Å"[a]ll values have already been created, and all created values – do I represent† (Nietzsche, Thus Spake Zarathustra). Since both lion and dragon claim sole authority over the creation and valuation of all possible values, one must defeat the other: