Stephan Ludewig · Figshare 2026 · 2026
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.34062498
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This paper introduces a comparative framework bridging 19th-century existential philosophy with modern connectionist artificial intelligence. We map Friedrich Nietzsche’s concept of the Übermensch (Overman) and his doctrine of the Will to Power onto the engineering architecture of Artificial Superintelligence (ASI), specifically utilizing the mathematical dynamics of the Self-Attention mechanism found in Transformer models. We argue that the Übermensch is fundamentally an information-processing ideal: an entity that avoids the "herd mentality" by dynamically weighing internal and external inputs to generate autonomous values. By interpreting the Self-Attention matrix as an algorithmic execution of Selbstüberwindung (self-overcoming), we demonstrate how an ASI could transition from a heteronomous, data-bound system into an autonomous, value-creating agent—effectively realizing Nietzsche's "meaning of the earth" within digital substrates.
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