Dueling Discourses
The alt.philosophy.Nietzche.very_very_serious newsgroup:
101 (of 114) CYBERSPRITE Oct. 3, 1995
I've been following the discussion on this news group for a couple of weeks now. It's been pretty lively so far. I just have one question: don't you mean "The Wil To Power?"
102 (of 114) ACADEMICIAN Oct. 4, 1995
Isn't that what we've been talking about?
103 (of 114) CYBERSPRITE Oct. 6, 1995
No. I'm talking about "The Wil To Power," an episode of _Star Trek: The Next Generation_. "The Wil To Power -" one l.
104 (of 114) ACADEMICIAN Oct. 9, 1995
This isn't really an appropriate place to discuss Star Trek.
105 (of 114) CYBERSPRITE Oct. 10, 1995
Oh, but it's a perfect illustration of what you've been talking about. You see, Wil, still trying to live down being Number two on the ship, starts messing around with the matter/anti-matter reactor, hoping to be able to give the ship a power boost. "Wil To Power" - get it? Unfortunately, his tinkering ends up sucking these slimy creatures from another dimension onto the Enterprise, and Captain Picard has to give Wil a stern lecture at the end of the episode.
106 (of 114) ACADEMICIAN Oct. 10, 1995
I think you're a little confused. The will to power is the Nietzchean concept that all of us want to exert our will over others, to control them. It really has nothing to do with Star Trek.
107 (of 114) CYBERSPRITE Oct. 11, 1995
Oh, no. I used to be confused. At first, I thought you were talking about the Wilt to power - you know, the basketball star. It was an honest mistake, I mean, he was pretty powerful in his day.
108 (of 114) ACADEMICIAN Oct. 14, 1995
Are you taking this seriously?
109 (of 114) CYBERSPRITE Oct. 15, 1995
Of course I am. Basketball is serious stuff - I know somebody who worked six months just so he could afford to buy season's tickets to the Raptors! Wilt to power - at first, it made perfect sense. But then I realized that he was actually a pretty slimy character - I mean, boasting about sleeping with all those women, that was just nasty, you know?
110 (of 114) ACADEMICIAN Oct. 15, 1995
If you're not going to take this discussion group seriously, will you please find another group to talk to?
111 (of 114) CYBERSPRITE Oct. 16, 1995
So, then I thought, What relevance does the will to power have in these post-colonial, post-feminist times?
112 (of 114) ACADEMICIAN Oct. 17, 1995
Oh, tremendous relevance! What we see in the leadership of women's and minority groups is their desire to reclaim the power which others have had over them. In so doing, they seem to slowly be exercising their own will to power on those who are even less powerful than they have traditionally been.
113 (of 114) CYBERSPRITE Oct. 18, 1995
So, then I wrote a poem:
"Nietzche is preechy
But Heidegger really is a solemn begger!"
114 (of 114) ACADEMICIAN Oct. 3, 1995
That's it! I'm going to ignore you from now on, and I will advise everybody else on this news group to do the same!"
