Nietzsche and the Crisis of Masculinity

Nietzsche on masculinity, and “Far-right” natalism. That’s what on the schedule for today’s livestream article reading. Thanks for watching!

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[ArmwrestlingJoe]

Nietzsche has been extremely impactful on my life. It always amazes me how someone who lived 2 centuries prior can influence us today at such a deep level

[GeorgeDunn]

The article on Nietzsche and masculinity was interesting. Thanks for sharing it, Michael. I would add just one thing: though Nietzsche is routinely called a misogynistic, Laurence Lampert argues (persuasively, I think) that he actually holds a very positive view of women. His pairing of Dionysus and Ariadne is, among other things, an affirmation of male-female complementarity. Sexual difference is real, but it's wrong to interpret that in a way that denigrates femininity. What Nietzsche hates above all is the demand placed on modern women that they must be just like men, playing by male rules and measuring themselves by male standards of success. This demand harms women, because it robs of them of their best weapons.

[justin-fractionalhub]

It was reading David Goggins for me that sparked the Higher Man mindset. Now I've discovered Nietzsche.

[RoyalistKev]

Nietzsche has captured my imagination lately, so thank you for the video, Michael.

[jamm_affinity]

I think what drove me to Nietzsche is the herd mentality in our culture. Anyone who ever thinks about culture realizes that at any given moment, we have social forces trying to control our behavior and opinions. These are basically infectious memes that spread through imitation and the everlasting tyranny of normies. I for one am absolutely sick of all authority other than my own authority over my own body and mind. Reading Nietzsche to me feels like reclaiming something that modern society tries to beat out of me through the gravitational force of normalization.

It’s not even just about leftism, even traditional Christianity is so feminine and castrated in my opinion. It looks like an older form of leftism to me.

Jesus is not a good male role model. If Jesus walked the earth to day preaching about social justice the right would laugh at him and deny him. We don’t need some soy boy preaching about equality. This is not vitalizing.

[mrbs]

Thank you for the content Michael. Would be interested in hearing a review on “The Machiavellians” by James Burnham.
You have probably talked about it before since it has been circulating in the dissident sphere for quite some time.
However, I just finished it and can now affirm the hype.
Thanks again for all the S-tier videos

[lacanian_lifter]

On the night I had brain surgery (left frontal craniotomy, awake, cancer, stage 3), I listened to a reading of “The Depressed Person”, by David Foster Wallace and laughed alittle. 1 year out and life is better than ever before.

[zenden]

Different countries have different degrees of declining testosterone. With the USA, it is a particularly serious decline. To the point the collapsing civilisations have rising testosterone, I would say that it is hard to prove one way or the other; but in our community most people do not see our civilisation as on the brink of collapse. We may indeed be on borrowed time and about to go over the ledge, but that is not a general perception. So a cultural basis for its rise or fall is problematic. Easier to make a nutrition and life style argument.

[oumod_]

“Nietzsche said there is no innate human essence, let alone for men or women.” - lol Judith Butler must have gotten Nietzsche confused with Sartre or de Beauvoir.

[victoryovergravity]

The article on Nietzsche absolutely infuriated me. That guy's life was shaped by feminism and it's clear that he can't see outside of this "lens". To use a term like "quasi-nonbinary" in discussion of Nietzsche is appalling! To put that kind of language on him is devious as hell. Academia is so corrupt that only scholarly oxen remain! Goddamn if he doesn't understand that Nietzsche like Plato said a human being becomes who it is in their nature to become--not in some social performance--then I can't fathom how he has a PhD.

[ArmwrestlingJoe]

Masculinity and “being a man” in the 20th century and early 21st I would say would be defined as being a provider, good father and a reliable member of the community (suburban America). With the economic independence of women, aided by birth control, and men not needed to be the sole provider anymore, the definition of what it means to be a man is up in the air and to be discovered

[evolassunglasses]

Fascinating.
Off topic. Just found a great book from Arktos, Pagan Imperialism by Evola.
Highly recommend it.

[JeffWildZug]

Hi Michael - it would be interesting if hear your perspective on Jordan Peterson’s new Academy. I believe his first course is on Nietzsche.

[takeahnase_]

I guess an interesting question is to what extent increasing technological development (robotics, AI) make it harder for men to reclaim to reclaim / redefine masculinity than might otherwise be the case.

[ArmwrestlingJoe]

Writers in my life that impacted me in that “assertive maleness” way would be Nietzsche, Mishima and Kaczynski. I spent time contemplating what links them together and I think it’s their unceasing drive to express their individual experience no matter the cost. I think this is the most masculine thing one can do.

[afareus]

For me it wasn't Nietzsche but directly Homer :) His Iliad is still my favourite book! It's same if i should choose between Platon and Nietzsche: Homer, Homer and Aischylos 😁

[zeljkop]

Formerly people were not permitted to think freely. Now they are permitted but not capable. Now they consider freedom that what they are ought to think. - Oswald Spengler

[smallscreentv]

If Neitsche is inverted Platonism then it is by definition feminine because to invert Plato is to invert reason as the ruler of the soul and replace it with the passions.

Men = reason

Female = emotions

[Cptyankee]

My introduction to positive masculinity was indeed Dr. Peterson. Was he at UoT when you were there, and if so did you have any memorable interactions?

[PaulThronson]

Allowing a stranger to identify how they want isn't necessarily people "conforming for fear of retribution" it could also (at least in my case) people not instantly contradicting someone whose "truth" could be subjective, unless there is a good reason for it. That is different than being in an academic settings where people people are expected to share and discuss their ideas with the agreement others who want to participate try and understand them in good faith. The fact that people are afraid to share what they think in that setting is strong evidence that academia has failed them in the essence of what a liberal education means.