NIETZSCHE IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS:

THE TRAGIC PHILOSOPHER IN THE TRAGIC SYSTEM

Abstract

This article aims to establish a dialogue between the thoughts of philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche and critical theories of International Relations. Nietzschean thought focuses on criticizing metaphysical idealism and the moral structuring of society, developing concepts such as Übermensch, Will to Power, Death of God, and Eternal Return, which will be addressed. In the field of International Relations, Nietzsche's thought interacts with various other concepts of theories, able to make associations and analogies, endowed with certain contextual liberties, with the thought of the school of political realism.

The realist theory of international relations is one of the most enduring and influential approaches in the field of international politics, just like Nietzsche's philosophy. Highlighting the system's anarchy as an essential part of relations among the various actors, the struggle for influence and power to ensure survival is constant, a clash of political forces capable of establishing analogies with the struggle for Will to Power present in tragic philosophy, where individual impulses clash with the social values of modernity. It is up to the States, unable to impose themselves politically, as well as individuals, who are induced to submission and inferiorization, to rebel in favor of autonomy and emancipation, achieving a place of economic or political prominence in the System, and moral prominence. Attached to this is the need for individuals and States to recognize their reality, motivating them for such movement, until they achieve their place of Übermensch.

Nietzsche developed a complex and multifaceted philosophical thought. However, the political analysis in his philosophy is underdeveloped, as his focus would be on criticizing human souls subjected to tearing and conformist social values. Thus, the parallel established between tragic and political thought contains a radical criticism of existing political structures, seeking to encourage a reevaluation of the moral and social foundations that sustain these structures, serving as a critique of the political structure that pervades society. However, both the philosophy of Zarathustra’s creator and the realist theory stimulate individuals and States to transcend the limitations imposed by the macrostructure, due to the need for their fuller affirmation.