There's A Lesson in this Excerpt Applicable to Today

“To demand of strength that it should not express itself as strength, that it should not be a desire to overcome, a desire to throw down, a desire to become master, a thirst for enemies and resistances and triumphs, is just as absurd as to demand of weakness that it should express itself as strength.”

Friedrich Nietzsche, Basic Writings of Nietzsche, Genealogy of Morals, First Essay, Section 13, pg. 481, Translated and Edited by Walter Kaufmann

Posted by on 06/03 at 03:05 AM

  1. Fred Nietzsche: To demand of strength that it should not express itself as strength, that it should not be a desire to overcome, a desire to throw down, a desire to become master, a thirst for enemies and resistances and triumphs, is just as absurd as to demand of weakness that it should express itself as strength.

    This statement would seem to be at odds with your position as an Anarchist.

    To demand of strength that it should not express itself as … a desire to become master … is just as absurd …

    Posted by  on  06/03  at  06:05 AM

  2. Though I posted the above with the current situation in Iraq and Afghanistan in mind, applying the excerpt to an individual, and specifically an anarchistic leaning individual, is not an at odds position.  Individuals who aspire to independence, must be a master of themselves, they will accumulate herd mentality enemies, who must be resisted, and, if an individual’s strength is up to the task, the individual will triumph.

    Posted by  on  06/03  at  10:57 AM

  3. Well, the wolf doesn’t know why he is a wolf, and the deer doesn’t know why he is a deer. That’s just the way that God made them.

    Similarly the Master doesn’t need to know why he is the Master, and the Slave doesn’t need to comprehend why he is the Slave. That is just their nature as Individuals.

    Of course I guess you could be trying to tell me that the reason the master is the Master is because he does understand?

    Posted by  on  06/03  at  11:47 AM

Name:

Email:

Location:

URL:

Smileys

Remember my personal information

Notify me of follow-up comments?

Submit the word you see below:


Next entry: Now That's A Big Axe

Previous entry: Teach the Children Well

<< Back to main