What Nietzsche Taught

ive and analytical thinking, was no doubt expected. No man could so effectively rattle the bones of the older gods, could so wantonly trample down the tenets strengthened by the teachings of cent

publisher requesting its immediate printing. The publisher, however, failing to attach any importance to the document,

ple nihilism of prevailing customs which occupied him in his former essays. In his earliest beginnings we can see evidences of the direction his teachings were to take. His books up to the last were mainly developments and elaborations of the thoughts which were in his mind from the first. Though often vaguely conceived and unco-ordinated, these thoughts were the undeniable property of his own thinking. Although there have been many attempts to trace eclecti

expediency, it follows that, since the means of expediency change under varying conditions, morality must change to meet the constantly metamorphosing conditions of society. And since the conditions of life are never the same in all nations, moral codes must likewise adapt themselves to geography in order to[Pg 88] fulfil their function. The existing code of morals, namely: the Christian doctrine, grew out of conditions which were not only different from those in which we live to-day, but in many instances diame

the aphorisms contained in this work are devoted to an evaluation of theological modes of conduct, stumbling blocks are thrown in the path of an acceptance of Jewish ethics which the most sapient of modern ecclesiastics have been unable to remove. Out of certain aphorisms found here grew "The Antichrist" which is the most terrible and effective excoriation that Christianity has eve

ars we philosophers used to build on as the safest of all foundations.... I began to undermine our faith in morals." It is true that from the beginning of history there has existed a ruling scale of values determining the acts of humanity. Morality implies the domination of certain classes which, in order to inspire reverence in arbitrary dictates, have invested their codes with an authority ot

ant figure, Herbert Spencer, endeavoured to refute the possibility of a biological basis in thought and thus to avoid an acquiescence to the Darwinian research. John Fiske, an avowed evolutionist, indirectly repudiated the scientific origin of philosophy; and likewise most of the lesser thinkers, following the exposition of Darwin's theories, refused to apply to man the biological laws governing the animal kingdom. Balfour and Huxley sensed the incongruities and variances in this new mode of thinking, and strove to bridge the chasm between natural science and human conduct, and to construct a syste

fore the tribunal of biology Nietzsche arraigns and tries every phase of his thought, whether it deals with physical phenomena, ethical conduct or with abstract reasoning. Philosophy, for centuries divorced from science, is here clothed in the garments of scientific experimentation; a relationship is established between these two planes of rationalism and empiricism which have always been considered by other thinkers as detached and unrelated. Nor does Nietzsche ally himself, either consciously or unconsciously, with such philosophers as Bruno and Plato (who stood bet

areful and intricate surgery. He points out the great heretics of history as examples of the men who, looked at through[Pg 92] the eyes of contemporaries, were "wicked" men, but who, under different environmental circumstances, were considered "good." He denies the static hypothesis on which morality is built, and postulates the theory that immorality is not without its place in the development of the reason. He is

nconsistencies between modern social needs and those virtues held in the highest reverence. He finds that deportmental means made use of by weak and subjugated peoples of ancient times to protect themselves against hostile invaders, are retained and practised to-day by nations whose position has been reversed to one of domination. In short, he points out that certain moralities have, by the alteration of national and racial conditions, become irrelevancies. Consequently there is often a compromise between ethical[Pg 93] beliefs and ethical practices-a compr

ge ideals follows in the train of the superman's appearance, and the first comments of this philosopher in his criticism of woman are set down. In this latter regard Nietzsche has been unfairly interpreted by those who have considered his attitude toward woman superficially or without relating it to his general theories. It would be wel

poses a social régime in which aristocratic culture will be set apart from mere utilitarian culture by very definite boundaries. He argues that not only is this disassociation in accord with the instincts of mankind, but that, as a workable theorem, it adequately answers the needs of present conditions. The slave-morality and the master-morality which he develops in his later works are defined tentatively and suggested by inference

s the advance of science. He devotes pages to the blowing to pieces of metaphysical air-castles. But, as I have previously pointed out, he is in no sense of the word a materialist; nor is his assumption of the world that of the realists. Life to Nietzsche[Pg 95] is an eternal struggle toward-no goal. The lessons the world has to teach are as so much false doctrine. The meaning of life-the so-called absol

l pages. But they always pertain to a single idea. Occasionally they are in the form of a brief conversation; at other times they are short queries. One of these aphorisms is entitled "The Battle Dispensary of the Soul," and this is what follows: "What is the most efficacious remedy? Victory." That is all-brief, and perhaps, on first reading, inconsequent. But study it a moment, and you will find in it the nucleus of a great revolutionary doctrine. On the other hand, turn to aph

ROM "THE D

e free man is immoral, because it is his will to depend upon himself and not upon tradition: in all the primitive states of humanity "evil" is equivalent to "individual," "free," "arbitrary," "unaccustomed," "unforeseen," "incalculable." In such primitive conditions, always measured by this standard, any action per

ld not be considered and valued, as is still customary, in so diff

her, had no other resource-if they were not really mad-than to feign madness, or actually to become insane.[Pg

it was afterwards found impossible to re-establish the law, and people gradually became accustomed to the change, the epithet was

d weaves all his higher feelings (reverence, sublimity, pride, gratitude, love) into an imaginary world: the so-called higher world. And even t

ceptions. The first-mentioned are powerful before the action, and the latter especial

r grandfather and grandmother more than the gods

o the painful feeling of cowardice, or else the pleasurable feeling of humility, in case

s nearest to[Pg 98] ourselves, around and within us, gradually begin to manifest their wealth of

of all things will he be able to know himsel

her order as there is for the ant and the earwig to enter into kinship with God and eternity at the end of their career on earth. What is to come will drag behind it t

live for a certain space of time without Christianity! They owe it to their faith that they should thus for once take up their abode "i

k or by crook be driven to despair-only a very small number of men can be brought

hurch in all things erotic: it is due to the Church that[Pg 99] love stories, even in our own time, have become the one common interest which appeals to all cl

alt in Protestant pulpits; in what a clumsy fashion the preacher takes advantage of his security from interruption; how

nd an eternal swan-song above the waves u

f he were instead of vanity, the desire for power, the ambitious,

anity, egoism or resignation, dismal fanaticism or thoughtlessness. It may, again, be an act of des

changes and transformations, oc

hat there is any true reason why they should feel so,[Pg 100] should not, of course, deny-unless I were a fool-that many actions which are called immoral should be avoided and resisted; and in the same way that many which are called moral should be performed and encou

one that is neither high nor low, but quite an individual happiness. Evolution does not make happiness its goal; it aims merely at evolution, and nothing else. It is only if humanity had a universally recognised goal that we could propose to do this or that: for the time being there is no such goal. It follows that the pretensions of morality should not be brought into any relation

sidered us as capable of making and holding[Pg 101] agreements and contracts, by assuming that we were their like

which others have not only conceded to me,

on is the desire to subj

this and wish to give it a name, we call it cause and effect,-fools that we are! as if in this we had understood or could understand anything! For, of course, we have seen not

are on the whole insignificant, to justify the nature of pity which, as has already been stated, is prejudicial. Supposing that it prevailed, even if only for one day, it would bring humanity to utter ruin. In itself the nature of pity is no better than that of any other craving; it is only where it is called for and praised-and this happens when people do not[Pg 102] understand what is injurious in it, bu

re not to measure the "higher" and "lower" degrees of morality once more by moral yardsticks; for t

te thus, which certainly exists and wishes as a consequence to be explained? It is the result of a few intellectual blunders; and supposing that we were able to free ourselves from these errors, what would then become of "moral actions"? It is due to these errors that we have up to the present attributed to certain actions a value superior to what was theirs in reality: we

the marriages of men would cause me m

y, so that in cases where it is now contracted it would not usually be allowed in future! Are not the majority of marriages such that we should not care to have the

els himself offended when he has his attention drawn to some one with the remark, "He may be useful to you some time"; where people do not feel ashamed of paying a visit to ask for somebody's intercession, and where they do not even suspect that by such a voluntary submission to these morals, they are

bour," I see the same secret[Pg 104] arrière-pensée as I do in the praise bestowed

re actions performed out of sympathy for others," I see the social

harpest spur which urges them onwards is their need for the feeling of power-a need which rises not only in the s

leaves him, he likewise wishes by his aspect of constant serenity and civility of disposition, even in the most

d not dishonourable for people who have been born and reared in aristocratic circles to enter the domain of knowledge, where they may secure more intellectual consecrations and learn chivalric services even higher t

k without worrying-but they are urged on day and night by a terrible impatience at seeing their wealth pile up so slowly, and by an equally terrible longing and love for these heaps of gold. In this impatience and love, however, we see re-appear once more that fanaticism of the desire for power which was stimulated in former times by the belief that we were in the possession of truth, a fanaticism which bore such beautiful names that we could dare to be inhuman with a good consci

r morality.... In reality ... you only appear to sacrifice yourselves; for y

as dignity-are all[Pg 106] pretences adopted by those who are timid at heart: they wish to make themselves feared (themselves or the things

y the criminal; it is not a form of expiation; but, on the

ied with itself, it involuntarily strives after gentleness-this is its distinctive charac

actual sum of our physical power. Falsehood, if not actually the mother, is at all events the nurse of kindness. In the same way, honesty has been brought to maturity by the need for a semblance of honesty and integrity: in hereditary aristocracie

y give men everything possible-health, food, shelter, enjoyment-but they are and rem

g

s, but only races which have become purifi

young wife is dull, although she thinks quite the contrary! not to spea

rom the very beginning has made such ravages among them as their most ferocious enemy-and who ends by even claiming affectionate feelings fr

for any expression of this kind would give rise to some contempt; and

ind it necessary to avoid women

hen he is taught to value the like-minded

has been furthered to a greater

quently set in motion readily and gracefully, is called the soul-men are looked upon as void of

g

our attention from the fundamental aim of

lustre of these theories for the sake of their reputation. They adopt them instinctively without by any means feelin

ove a case, we must also t

ho must extirpate their carnal instincts, because the

er may perhaps call it your cowardice! One thing, however, is certain, and that is, that you will never take a trip round the world

towards ourselves or other men, or towards ideas and imaginary beings. Its most common modes of manifestat

se we have accustomed ourselves to it, and in the third place because we have contracted it-that is to say, in

as committed, but because of the shame and annoyance caused him either by som

mies" had to be invented by the Jews, the best haters that ever existed; and the finest glorificati

f them; Men turn pale at the thought that they may not be worthy of

a second passion.-The soul of the Christian who has freed himself from sin is generally ruined afterwards b

d by those morals is simply the feeling that they are far too good and great for this world, and that they are

red by one who is in full

the exception"-whoever thinks thus has made[Pg 110] conside

th, and even habitual dissimulators and thieves, who give

nding side by side with man, and that no woman was allowed to put forward the claim of being the

autocracy and omnipotence of truth: it is sufficient for me to know that it is a great power. Truth, however, must meet with opposition and be able to fight,

ly that they may exercise a daily claim upon us! They certainly would not tolerate us if we wished to claim rights over them, and still less if we wished to be right! In short, let u

erstood!-those actions, for example, which have some intrinsic value, both in good and evil. The more highly an age or a nation values its indiv

keeps on deceiving continuously, and feigns an equality which in reality does not exist. And all this is done so instinctively that women who love deny

ther attract power to its side, or else side with po

and its judgment upon life.... The reverence which we feel for an old man, especially if

passion an argume

piness? Have you acted foolishly with great and little fools? Have you really undergone the delusions and woe of the good peo

tten over the door of the

g

ar: his victory over power remains without witnesses, and hence also without songs and singers. The

ing about "willing" and "creating" should be cast to the winds! True and ideal selfishness consists in always watching over and restraining the soul, so that our productiveness ma

brave in the face of our enemy; generous towards the vanquished; pol

terrible delusion, and useful only to a limited extent; just as it is also a delusion that everything is guilt which is felt as such. I

efficacious rem

with those minds which are prevented from changing th