Ubermenschlichkeit

Über menschlichkeit is a German phrase, meaning "about humanity." It is also the title of a book by German sociologist Leopold von Wiese, Gedanken Über menschlichkeit, or Thoughts about Humanity (1915). This book expresses some of Wiese's biggest views about the important of "interhuman" social behavior that shapes society, claiming that building relationship is the most important aspect of building a community.
==Significance to Stevens==
In "The Surprises of the Superhuman" (1918), Stevens writes, "If it [the palais de justice of chambermaids] were lost in Übermenschlichkeit, / Perhaps our wretched state would soon come right" (lines 3-4). Because Über menschlichkeit is capitalized, the reader can assume that Stevens is referring to Wiese's recent publication. Some scholars believe that this poem reflects Stevens's reading of Nietzche, which poses a sharp contrast to Wiese's sense of justice in Über menschlichkeit. Perhaps Stevens preferred Wiese's views over Nietzche's.
==Sources and Further Reading==
The Free Dictionary's entry on Leopold von Wiese
Bates, Milton J. Wallace Steves: 'A Mythology of Self. 1985: University of California Press.