The echoes of the übermensch: cyborgs, posthumans, and contemporary subjects

Abstract

This article supports the following hypothesis: most of the theoretical conceptualizations that attempt to account for contemporary subjectivity at the beginning of the twenty-first century are explicitly or surreptitiously reworkings of the concept of superman. From cyborgs to posthumans, passing through a wide range of contemporary subjects, it can be seen that the concept of the Übermensch has provided the keys to problematize the scenario of abstract universalism. These positions propose a particular and specific form of life as an alternative to the dichotomies and hidden worlds with which metaphysics built the subjects of the past. However, these proposals have overlooked something fundamental. To demonstrate this, we propose a review of Nietzsche and these concepts in order to propose a new way to think about life.