[jkyle]

Well, to be fair to the author Übermensch is a term coined by Nietzsche in Thus Spake Zarathustra.

While it was coopted by the Nazis, the meaning as conveyed by Nazis was very different from how Nietzsche used it.

The Nazis felt that they were the Übermensch. It wasn't something to achieve or become. They also thought of it in racial terms, whereas Nietzsche's formulation couldn't be further from something as shallow as race.

Nietzsche was also a staunch and very vocal critic of National Socialism and anti-semitism.

To be critical of the OP, though, he does seem to refer to the concept of Übermensch as meaning "superior man" which is closer to the shallow interpretation of the Nazis rather than the way that Nietzsche used it. He clearly intended it as meaning "intensely human" or "over man" where 'over' is a spacial pun on life's position with reference to death. And presented it as a contrast to Christians who are obsessed with what happens after we stop being human in the after life.

Anyway, as an admirer of Nietzsche's writings I felt compelled to add context as Übermensch is not Nazi terminology and I would hope that's not how he intended its use.

[_cpancake]

That's why I said "popularized by," not "invented by." The Nazis co-opted a lot of things that weren't theirs, but they're now known for being used by the Nazis. The swastika is a good example: definitely not invented by the Nazis, but popularized and pretty much taken over by the Nazis.