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The philosophical concept of the eternal return is a powerful idea that has fascinated many thinkers throughout the centuries, most notably Friedrich Nietzsche in modern times. This concept is fundamentally based on the idea that everything that exists in the universe, including events, experiences, individual lives and so on, continually repeats itself ad infinitum.
The Nietzschean Approach
In his essay titled “Thus Spoke Zarathustra,” published in 1883, Friedrich Nietzsche emphasizes the concept of the eternal return. He presents it as a metaphysical hypothesis that humanity would do well to consider, akin to Pascal’s wager on God two centuries earlier (this analogy is my own, not the philosopher’s). Nietzsche suggests that each individual should imagine that their life, actions, thoughts and feelings repeat eternally, just like everything else in the universe. He argues that one should embrace this hypothesis as an evaluative tool for determining whether they are living a life worth living. If one were to relive every moment of their life infinitely, they should accept it with inner strength and without remorse or regret.
In the Nietzschean perspective, the concept of the eternal return, distinct from certain Eastern beliefs in reincarnation or metempsychosis, encourages living every moment authentically, making responsible decisions, shedding inhibiting morality, creating one’s own worldview and embracing existence in all its complexity. Considering the concept of the eternal return should paradoxically help individuals overcome the fear of repetition and monotony by finding value in every moment lived and to be relived.
On the Question of Natural Selection
In the 19th century, concurrently with Friedrich Nietzsche, the naturalist paleontologist Charles Darwin placed the concept of natural selection at the heart of evolutionary biology. In brief, life on earth is marked by natural variation passed down through generations via reproduction and DNA. Environments and ecosystems present challenges and limited resources. Only beings with advantageous selective traits have a better chance of surviving, reproducing and passing on these favorable traits to their descendants. Over generations, these favorable traits become more prevalent and accumulate within populations, while less advantageous traits tend to diminish, leading to gradual adaptation to the environment. Over time, the process of natural selection leads to the preservation and strengthening of strong populations while weakening or eliminating weaker and disadvantaged populations.
At the Intersection of Nietzsche and Darwin: The Return of Homo Sapiens
This perspective helps us understand the survival of our direct ancestor, Homo sapiens. The survival and dominance of Homo sapiens over other Homo species that coexisted at various points in human history, such as Homo neanderthalensis and Homo erectus, result from a complex interplay of evolutionary and environmental factors. However, the distinct and advantageous traits of Homo sapiens played a crucial role. Homo sapiens possessed cognitive abilities for abstract, symbolic and creative reasoning, allowing them to organize into hunting and working groups, cooperate, create tools and ensure the survival and continuity of their communities. Additionally, Homo sapiens were mobile, capable of traveling long distances and adapting to new and challenging environments. But perhaps their most advantageous trait, which contributed to their dominance and “natural selection,” was their capacity for violence—an undeniable and exceptionally brutal form of violence when compared to other Homo species.
When we look at the world today, despite humanity’s progress on various fronts, we cannot ignore the return of Homo sapiens, as per Nietzsche’s hypothesis of the eternal return. Isn’t it evident? Just look at the Russo-Ukrainian war, the conflicts in Armenia and Azerbaijan, Myanmar, Yemen, Ethiopia, the Sahel region, Afghanistan, Nigeria, South Sudan, Haiti, Syria and so on, to witness the resurgence of violent and cruel Homo sapiens.
Moreover, since October 7, the war between Israel and Hamas has brought Homo sapiens back into the spotlight in all its savage and ferocious glory. When we see the images of Hamas attacking the kibbutz, assassinating people in their sleep, taking hostages as if they were rugby balls, and witness Israeli bombings with white phosphorus (despite international condemnation since January 2008) on Gaza’s civilians, who have been deprived of clean water, electricity, food and aid of all kinds by the Israelis, when we learn about the civilians in Gaza being trapped at the Egyptian borders while the enemy continues to unleash its attacks, when we realize that no “rules of war” are being followed, when we learn that Israel is arming its settlers in the West Bank for imminent combat parallel to Gaza, when we see the suicidal actions of Hamas, and when we observe the indifference of the West and the impotence of the UN Security Council, it becomes clear that Homo sapiens, the victor of natural selection, is resurfacing like a vampire returning eternally to the scenes of bloodshed.
To paraphrase Racine, “Homo sapiens is entirely attached to its prey.”
