Winners and losers in the fierce battle of life. Nietzsche, Herbert Spencer, and Ludwig von Mises

Abstract

In this paper we will examine certain connections which, in our opinion, have not been considered with sufficient attention. We will argue that there is a deep affinity between the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche, the social Darwinism of Herbert Spencer, and some conceptions of the Austrian Ludwig von Mises. More space will be given to the German philosopher, to prove that his moral and political conceptions coincide to a great extent with the Spencerian theses. And, at the same time, it will be demonstrated that in the ideas of Mises, one of the fathers of what has come to be called neo-liberalism, there are unmistakable Nietzschean resonances.