Freud and Nietzsche on Human Nature and Society

Freud and Nietzsche on Human Nature and Society

After intensive analyzation of reading Civilization and It’s Discontents by Sigmund Freud and Beyond Good and Evil by Friedrich Nietzsche, I feel as if both Freud and Nietzsche offered virtually identical views of human nature and of the society in which they lived. In my paper I intend to prove how this is so. The Freudian view of humanity is quite pessimistic. According to his ideology, people act only in order to satisfy their needs, regardless of how noble their intentions may seem. Their actions stem either from hunger, which is the internal need to preserve the individual/ego, or from love, i.e. when a person utilizes external objects to satisfy his desires. And even when humans try to impose some form of rational thought over their desires, they fail miserably. While the concept of civilization was constructed to protect people, according to Freud “Civilization is built to reduce suffering, yet civilization is the cause of our misery.” This being the case, the only impact rational thought has, is to cause further pain and suffering, as opposed to acting based on instinctual desire alone, which gives a person the chance at some pleasure, even if for a short while. While Freud’s picture tends to be more animalistic, Nietzsche’s view is slightly less cynical. Although he states that our civilization is based upon suffering, it is that exact suffering which can help us achieve new heights. According to him, our nature is divided into two aspects – creature and creator. The creator in us is unrelenting in the quest for knowledge, even if that knowledge will only cause more suffering; while the creature in us is content with far less, but hates those who rise above their ‘rank’ in life. It is up to each individual to choose which form of suffering he prefers – that of the ignorant creature who despises that which he cannot comprehend; or the suffering of the creator, caused both by the