Beyond Good and Evil
- tags
- Philosophy
- keywords
- morality
- author
- Friedrich Nietzsche
Motivation for reading
He’s the one that paved the way for existentialism, and he’s work is heavily referenced in Camus' work… I have long wanted to read about him.
Background
Memo Quote
Ch1-3
As little as the act of birth comes into consideration in the whole process and procedure of heredity, just as little is “being-conscious” as opposed to the instinctive in any decisive sense; the greater part of the conscious thinking of a philosopher is secretly influenced by his instincts and forced into definite channels. And behind all logic and its seeming sovereignty of movement, there are valuations, or to speak more plainly, physiological demands, for the maintenance of a definite mode of life.
Ch1-4
To recognize untruth as a condition of life; is certainly to impugn the traditional ideas of value dangerously, and a philosophy that ventures to do so, has thereby alone placed itself beyond good and evil.
Ch1-6
In the philosopher, on the contrary, there is absolutely nothing impersonal; and above all, his morality furnishes a decided and decisive testimony as to who he is,—that is to say, in what order the deepest impulses of his nature stand to each other.
- I guess it’s universally true for everyone, not only for philosophers. That a person’s morality shows where his true nature stands…
Ch1-9
this is an old and everlasting story: what happened in old times with the Stoics still happens today, as soon as ever a philosophy begins to believe in itself. It always creates the world in its own image; it cannot do otherwise; philosophy is this tyrannical impulse itself, the most spiritual Will to Power, the will to “creation of the world,” the will to the causa prima.
- Philosophy is the “will to power”, the impulse to “creation of the world”, and the will to the cause of all causes. (Isn’t it the will to the truth even though it probably only is the creation of its own imagery? )
Impression
- Nietzsche seems particularly unsatisfied with Kant’s philosophy of morality (which is
absolute)… see quote.
Reading log
<2022-12-24 Sat> : Reading Progress : 10%
- It seems Nietzsche has a better impression for < Sensualism> than for Plato’s view of the world, where even the external work is the work of a person’s perception.
<2022-12-08 Thu> : Reading Progress : 7%
- Nietzsche’s hope to Psychology
<2022-12-03 Sat> : Reading Progress : 7%
- Nietzsche’s criticism of Kant is really acute…
<2022-11-22 Tue> : Reading Progress : 5%
- This passage (ch1-10) is too hard to understand T-T
<2022-11-21 Mon> : Reading Progress : 5%
- Nietzsche turns to Stoics…
<2022-11-20 Sun> : Reading Progress : 4%
- Nietzsche turns his criticism on Greek philosophers.
<2022-11-19 Sat> : Reading Progress : 4%
- The 6th point consists of a long sentence and is so hard to understand…
<2022-11-19 Sat> : Reading Progress : 3%
The spectacle of the Tartuffery of old Kant, equally stiff and decent, with which he entices us into the dialectic by-ways that lead (more correctly mislead) to his “categorical imperative”—makes us fastidious ones smile, we who find no small amusement in spying out the subtle tricks of old moralists and ethical preachers.
<2022-11-18 Fri> : Reading Progress : 3%
- Nietzsche points out that thinks are not sovereign in movement and any seemingly logical deduction are not free from value judgement,
- To recognize the untruth as a condition of life…
<2022-11-16 Wed> : Reading Progress : 2%
- Ch1S2, Nietzsches questions why the values have to steam from good but not from evil more destructive motives… but I don’t understand the meaning of the antithesis of value so I am very confused about the paragraph…
<2022-11-16 Wed> : Reading Progress : 1%
- I was attempted to read it faster then realize I can’t understand anything if reading at that pace… So my current goal is to read at least one section a day and build a more solid understanding of the book.