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What exactly is Nietzsche’s übermensch?

Nietzsche’s Übermensch (the super man), Letzter Mensch (last man), der Wille zur Macht (will to power), and the Nietzschean ‘crisis of nihilism’ are top-down concepts developed by Nietzsche for his analysis of humanity. These terms are difficult to understand because one has only Nietzche’s words to use to define and interpret them.

Allow me to develop these terms from a bottom-up perspective. The language will be more familiar and accessible. To begin, we must define reason—the very bottom. Read the complete definition here.

• In short, it is that ABSOLUTE Truth exists but is indeterminant.

From this definition, the following conceptual model for thinking is produced:

Discussion:

1. Habit thinking is the SELF (area 1). Here, decisions are made in the service of the SELF. Habits are acquired at first from others, and then later, as modified by operant conditioning within the brain. Habits are affirmed (proved true) by the SELF. That is, habits are verified that they meet the necessary condition for truth by applying the other beliefs and processes of the SELF. The SELF is decision-making and action.
2. Reason is the pursuit of truth (area 2). Understanding is produced in reason with the survival of successful hypotheses—i.e. models of understanding. Hypotheses are disproved in reason to meet the sufficient condition for truth. Yet, models (hypotheses) are predictive and thereby used consciously to govern and direct the SELF (external input to the SELF). In reason, understanding is produced, not decisions in the service of the SELF. A person is motivated to understand (reason) by either desire or curiosity.
3. FREE WON’T (See Benjamin Libet) is how habit or SELF is halted (other than by habit failure), and the process of reason is subsequently (potentially) undertaken (see red text above). Free Won’t is a person’s one and only act of free will. It was experimentally established by neuroscientist Benjamin Libet in his ground-breaking research on consciousness.

Now, to connect the above items to Nietzche’s concepts:

• Übermensch — The person possessing a growing library of models produced by the process of reason. Models (hypotheses) are predictive and reusable. Over time, a reasoning person’s mind acquires a substantial library of understanding models warehoused within their prefrontal cortex. The model library, as it grows, enables a so empowered person to understand increasingly complex systems or situations. “This is the emerging Übermensch.” Not only does the Übermensch’s understanding grow, but, since models or used to make models, the Übermensch’s underlying capacity to understand grows.
• The Last Man is a nihilistic (i.e., reason unmodifiable) SELF;
  • Nihilism is a philosophy, or family of views within philosophy that rejects generally accepted or fundamental aspects of human existence, such as objective truth, knowledge, morality, values, or meaning. Different nihilist positions hold variously that human values are baseless, that life is meaningless, that knowledge is impossible, or that some set of entities do not exist or are meaningless or pointless—In other words, a COMPLETE REJECTION of the definition for reason provided herein;
• The will to power is free won’t (i.e., rejection or cessation of habit) driven by desire (or curiosity).

Nietzche could have used the above definition for reason. His concepts are great.