Comparison of the human philosophies of Aristotle and Nietzsche

The question of how one should live has drawn attention of philosophers and plenty of them has thought about this question throughout the history of philosophy. This thesis has the aim of revealing both the similarities which Aristoteles and Nietzsche have even though they are thought totally different from each other and dissimilarities they have based on the ages which they live and the building stones which affect their lives. Aristoteles treats people in an essentialist way and he seals their purpose of living as happiness. He especially emphasizes that the way to happiness passes through virtues and the virtue of wisdom, which emerges as a result of theoria activity, is the most perfect virtue among these virtues. In other words, according to him, the more theoria activities are involved in, the happier life will be. Nietzsche, on the other hand, sees life as will to power and thinks that only a strong person can lead an ideal life. According to him, religion, morality, politics, science and western metaphysics are the factors that make people weak, and for this reason, he thinks that one should keep himself beyond them and lead a life aimed at increasing his power. Nietzsche, who thinks that the will to power in man will never be exhausted, argues that the way to become a strong individual is possible by affirming the world he lives in, creating his own meaning in this world and with an anti-humanist attitude, leading a selfish life. In this thesis, we will try to show at what points the two great philosophers are similar and at what points they differ through various concepts on this problematic, which is still up-to-date today. Keywords: Aristoteles, Nietzsche, human, theory, power