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Comparing Nietzsche And Freud On Crime And Punishment

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Conception of civilization in Nietzsche and Freud in relation to crime and punishment Nietzsche critiqued modern civilization since the entire scheme of modern society went against his philosophy. Nietzsche was afraid modern society and religion would bring the individuals to nihilistic voids, as they would eventually turn into uninteresting herds of controlled animals. Nietzsche wishes the individuals to achieve self-awareness, in that individuals would act upon themselves for what they truly want, instead of following the social construct. This state of achieving the higher self was defined as being the “overman”, which was achieved by redefining one 's world, in a purely personal manner. Thus in some sense, Nietzsche would agree that great men are “criminals” since they act in a way that is not deemed “good” in society and stay true to what they desire. As Nietzsche states, “A rebel can be a miserable and contemptible man; but there is nothing contemptible in a revolt as such--and to be a rebel in view of contemporary society does not in itself lower the value of a man. There are even cases in which one might have to honor a rebel, because he finds something in our society against which war ought to be waged--he awakens us from our slumber” (The Will to Power, pg 391). However, the state often suppresses these “criminals” from acting as the overman by demanding rules, which create fear and guilt and prevent individuals from heightening oneself and also prevent

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