essays-ccs/nietzsche.md
2019-06-11 17:28:27 -07:00

6.3 KiB

Why Nietzsche is terrible

Instead of writing up a longer, meandering argument against Nietzsche's philosophy, I found that his quotations themselves make the strongest argument for why he makes a terrible role model for the left.

The core concepts of his philosophy, Masculine virtue, the Superman, Will to Power, Anti-democracy, Anti-Socialism, Reverence for hereditary Aristocracy (whether Teutonic, or Roman), Warrior heroes, Anti-feminism, Anti-Christianity / Buddism, are shown through his quotes.

It shouldn't be surprising that this proto-incel, lover of masculinity and war, who decried democracy, socialism, and feminism, who revered the Teutonic and Roman conquerors, would make fertile material to be used by the Nazis, even if he wasn't anti-semitic himself.

Great man / Aristocracy

Will this aristocracy be a caste, and their power hereditary? For the most part yes, with occasional openings to let in new blood. But nothing can so contaminate and weaken an aristocracy rich vulgarians, after the habit of the English aristocracy; As it was such intermarriage that ruined the greatest governing body the world has ever seen: the aristocratic Roman senate.

Not Mankind, but Superman is the goal.

The European man nowadays [...] glorifies his qualities, such as public spirit, kindness, deference, industry, temperance, modesty, indulgence, sympathy, by virtue of which he is gentle, endurable, and useful to the herd, as the peculiarly human virtues.

[...] In spite of all, what a blessing, what a deliverance from a weight becoming unendurable, is the appearance of an absolute ruler for these gregarious Europeans of this fact the effect of the appearance of Napoleon was the last great proof; the history of the influence of Napoleon is almost the history of the higher happiness to which its worthiest individuals and periods.

The Superman can survive only by human selection, by eugenic foresight and an ennobling education.

Intellect alone does not ennoble; on the contrary, something is always needed to ennoble intellect. What then is needed? Blood [referring to hereditary aristocracy].

Those races that cannot bear this philosophy are doomed; and those that regard it as the greatest blessing are destined to be the masters of the world.

Anti-feminism

Women are considered profound. Why? Because we never fathom their depths. But women aren't even shallow.

From the beginning, nothing has been more alien, repugnant, and hostile to woman than truth—her great art is the lie, her highest concern is mere appearance and beauty.

Woman's love involves injustice and blindness against everything that she does not love... Woman is not yet capable of friendship: women are still cats and birds. Or at best cows...

Woman! One-half of mankind is weak, typically sick, changeable, inconstant... she needs a religion of weakness that glorifies being weak, loving, and being humble as divine: or better, she makes the strong weak--she rules when she succeeds in overcoming the strong... Woman has always conspired with the types of decadence, the priests, against the 'powerful', the 'strong', the men.

On Wagner:

[I've grown] tired with disgust of all that is feminism and undisciplined rhapsody in that romanticism, that idealistic lying, that softening of the human conscience, which had conquered here one of the bravest souls.

Man shall be educated for war, and women for the recreation of the warrior; everything else is folly.

Man is for woman a means; the end is always the child. But what is woman for man? ... a dangerous toy.

Here is little of man; therefore women try to make themselves manly. For only he who is enough of a man will save the woman in woman.

It is dangerous to try equality with a woman; she will not be content with that; she will be rather content with subordination if the man is a man. Above all, her perfection and happiness lie in motherhood.

Anti-Socialism

With feminism come socialism and anarchism; all of them the litter of democracy; if equal political power is just, why not equal economic power? There are some that preach my doctrine of life but at the same time are preachers of equality. ... I do not wish to be confounded with these preachers of equality. For within me justice saieth: "Men are not equal", "We wish to possess nothing in common".

How can the superman arise in such a soil [democracy]? And how can a nation become great when its greatest men lie unused, discouraged, perhaps unknown? Such a society loses character; imitation is horizontal instead of vertical; not the superior man but the majority man becomes the ideal and the model; everybody comes to resemble everybody else; even the sexes approximate - the men become women and the women become men.

A high civilization is a pyramid; it can stand only upon a broad base; its prerequisite is a strongly and soundly consolidated mediocrity.

Europe is threatened with a new Buddhism. [...] The whole of the morality of Europe is based upon the values which are useful to the herd.

Socialism is envy: They want something which we have.

Only a man of intellect should hold property.

Railing against the Collectivism of Eastern philosophies:

The world has been Orientalized long enough; and men now yearn to be Hellenized.

Pro-war

A good war halloweth any cause.

I felt for the first time that the strongest, highest Will to Life does not find expression in a miserable struggle for existence, but in a Will to War, a Will to Power, a Will to Over-Power!

What is good? To be brave is good, [and] All that increases the feeling of power, the will to power, power itself, in man. What is bad? All that comes from weakness.

A herd of blond beasts of prey, a race of conquerors and masters, with military organizations, with the power to organize, unscrupulously placing their fearful paws upon a population perhaps vastly superior in numbers, ... this herd founded the State. The dream is dispelled which made the State begin with a contract. What has he to do with contracts who can command, who is master by nature, who comes on the scene with violence.

Does anybody at last understand, will anybody understand what the Renaissance was? The transvaluation of Christian values, the attempt undertaken with all means, all instincts and all genius to make the opposite values, the noble values triumph. [...] Caesar Borgia as Pope. ... Do you understand me?