Abstract

This study was written to help show the similarities that exist between Aristotle's (great-souled man) and Nietzsche's (übermensch) conceptions of the ideal man, more specifically megalopsuchia (greatness of soul). This is to show that Aristotle's model is still the skeleton of modern conceptions of moral greatness. It is formatted as a compare and contrast study with a presentation of both their philosophies and then a comparison in the concluding chapter on specific themes. The main texts that are used for Aristotle are the Nicomachean Ethics and the Politics , while Nietzsche's main text of reference is Thus Spoke Zarathustra . For each philosopher there is an introductory section to help illustrate how their conceptions of greatness of soul fit and what role they play. Their conceptions of the ideal man are extensively studied with relation to their philosophy of morality and eudaimonia. It is believed that at first the similarities between the two are quite substantial, but with further reflection, we notice that the differences that lie in their views of worldviews, nobility, becoming, gift-giving, and values are too great to be reconciled. This is then an exercise to show how the view of what is morally good has changed throughout the history of philosophy, the modern view is then no longer akin to the roots of its discipline, at least when it comes to the notion of the ideal man and moral greatness.