Examine the extent to which Nietzsche’s ideas provide a coherent alternative to liberal democracy.

The first 200 words of this essay...

Examine the extent to which Nietzsche's ideas provide a coherent alternative to liberal democracy.

The work of Friedrich Nietzsche offers a very different form political philosophy from those works that liberal democracies worldwide have built themselves around. It is perhaps this alternative view of the world that has lead to such a great interest in his works. A closer review of the practical nature of the ideas put forward however may suggest that the ideas may not be able to form a coherent alternative to liberal democracy.

It can be argued that the main ideas on which liberal democracy are based are the notion of a social contract, a belief in progress, the faith placed in material wealth, human rights, equality and of course a belief in democracy (Owen 1995 p5). At some stage during his writings Nietzche attacked all of these aspects. Nietzsche sights that the whole political process is just a mask to cover the will of political leaders to gain power for themselves thus making Liberal Democracy a sham.

The main focus of Nietzsche's political writing is on the idea that politics is simply a way for people to exercise power over