The Consistency of Perspectivism and the Will to Power: Life-Affirmation in Nietzsche’s Philosophy

This paper examines the problem of consistency between perspectivism and the doctrine of the will to power in Nietzsche’s philosophy. Perspectivism denies universal truths and regards all forms of knowledge as interpretations from a particular standpoint, whereas the doctrine of the will to power asserts that life is a movement of the will, which seeks to overcome and dominate others. Although these two positions seem contradictory, this paper focuses on Nietzsche’s affirmation of the world under the perspective of growth, in which the diversity of interpretation itself is understood as an expression of power. In this sense, the will to power is not a privileged or ultimate truth but a concept that refers to the creative movement that generates stronger interpretations; therefore, it does not conflict with the negativity of perspectivism. Furthermore, as the “most life-affirming drive,” the will to power constitutes the core of Nietzsche’s attempt to overcome nihilism. Thus, Nietzsche’s proposition that “this world is [the] will to power” should be understood from the perspectivist view, which actively embraces the plurality of life; the two are not opposed but rather integrated in their shared aim of affirming life.