Nietzsche's Critique of the Instinct of Self-Preservation as the "Cardinal Instinct" of a Living Being
Abstract
The article deals with Nietzsche's criticism of the thought that the most basic drive of a living being is the drive for self-preservation, and Nietzsche's formulation of a rival theory that the true active essence of a living being is will to power, not selfpreservation. The article tries to capture the meaning of this critique in the context of Nietzsche's work.
It shows that this effort to redefine life is an effort to lay the groundworks for a new conception of the human - since the human is, too, a living being - which would be more conducive to spiritual and cultural growth of mankind, i.e., to human self-realization. At the same time, the article interprets Nietzsche's thoughts from the standpoint of epistemological perspectivism, which Nietzsche himself upholds, and shows that, although Nietzsche presents his definition of life in an "objective" sounding manner, it is still a "mere" expression of his own perspective.
The article argues that, however, this does not diminish the validity of Nietzsche's claim, since in his philosophy the main importance is not attached to the facticity of given claims, but rather to the measure to which they promote human self-realization.