The State as a Cold Monster
Nietzsche’s Critique of Institutional Authority and Its Impact
A state? What is that? Well! open now your ears unto me, for now will I say unto you my word concerning the death of peoples.
A state, is called the coldest of all cold monsters. Coldly lieth it also; and this lie creepeth from its mouth: “I, the state, am the people.” It is a lie!¹
The state, an entity often glorified as a guardian and genuine representative of the peoples contained within thrives on the suppression of individuals and collective potential. To Nietzsche, the state embodies a paradox. States professes to be the embodiment of the public will, yet often acts in contradiction to the interests and welfare of those it claims to serve. Over time as the state reinforces it’s claim as representative it not only lies, but also plunders the accomplishments and virtues of it’s citizens to bolster its own prestige and authority.
He views the very essence of a state’s existence as inherently tied to the erosion of cultures and communities. By substituting organic social frameworks with artificial constructs of control, the state not only stifles creativity and growth but also develops a culture of excess. In this distorted reality it’s citizens, human beings, are reduced to mere cogs in a machine, surplus to the…
