_The poor opinion_ he has of himself must be destroyed (_not_ in the
sense of the individual, but in the sense of the _natural_ man ...)--
The _contradictions_ in things must be eradicated, after it has been
well understood that we were responsible for them--
_Social idiosyncrasies_ must be stamped out of existence (guilt,
punishment, justice, honesty, freedom, love, etc. etc.)--
An advance towards "_naturalness_": in all political questions, even
in the relations between parties, even in merchants', workmen's, or
contractors' parties, only _questions_ of _power_ come into play:--
"what one _can_ do" is the first question, what one ought to do is only
a secondary consideration.
125.
Socialism--or the _tyranny_ of the meanest and the most
brainless,--that is to say, the superficial, the envious, and the
mummers, brought to its zenith,--is, as a matter, of fact, the logical
conclusion of "modern ideas" and their latent anarchy: but in the
genial atmosphere of democratic well-being the capacity for forming
resolutions or even for coming _to an end_ at all, is paralysed. Men
follow--but no longer their reason. That is why socialism is on the
whole a hopelessly bitter affair: and there is nothing more amusing
than to observe the discord between the poisonous and desperate faces
of present-day socialists--and what wretched and nonsensical feelings
does not their style reveal to us!--and the childish lamblike happiness
of their hopes and desires. Nevertheless, in many places in Europe,
there may be violent hand-to-hand struggles and irruptions on their
account: the coming century is likely to be convulsed in more than
one spot, and the Paris Commune, which finds defenders and advocates
even in Germany, will seem to have been but a slight indigestion
compared with what is to come. Be this as it may, there will always
be too many people of property for socialism ever to signify anything
more than an attack of illness: and these people of property are like
one man with one faith, "one must possess something in order _to
be_ some one." This, however, is the oldest and most wholesome of
all instincts; I should add: "one must desire more than one has in
order to _become_ more." For this is the teaching which life itself
preaches to all living things: the morality of Development. To have
and to wish to have more, in a word, _Growth_--that is life itself.
In the teaching of socialism "a will to the denial of life" is but
poorly concealed: botched men and races they must be who have devised
a teaching of this sort. In fact, I even wish a few experiments might
be made to show that in a socialistic society, life denies itself,
and itself cuts away its own roots. The earth is big enough and man
is still unexhausted enough for a practical lesson of this sort and
_demonstratio ad absurdum_--even if it were accomplished only by a vast
expenditure of lives--to seem worth while to me. Still, Socialism,
like a restless mole beneath the foundations of a society wallowing in
stupidity, will be able to achieve something useful and salutary: it
delays "Peace on Earth" and the whole process of character-softening of
the democratic herding animal; it forces the European to have an extra
supply of intellect,--that is to say, craft and caution, and prevents
his entirely abandoning the manly and warlike qualities,--it also saves
Europe awhile from the _marasmus femininus_ which is threatening it.
126.
The most favourable obstacles and remedies of modernity:
(1) Compulsory _military service_ with real wars in which all joking is
laid aside.
(2) _National_ thick-headedness (which simplifies and concentrates).
(3) Improved _nutrition_ (meat).
(4) Increasing _cleanliness_ and wholesomeness in the home.
(5) The predominance of _physiology_ over theology, morality,
economics, and politics.
(6) Military discipline in the exaction and the practice of one's
"duty" (it is no longer customary to praise).
127.
I am delighted at the military development of Europe, also at the inner
anarchical conditions: the period of quietude and "Chinadom" which
Galiani prophesied for this century is now over. Personal and _manly_
capacity, bodily capacity recovers its value, valuations are becoming
more physical, nutrition consists ever more and more of flesh. Fine
men have once more become possible. Bloodless sneaks (with mandarins
at their head, as Comte imagined them) are now a matter of the past.
The savage in every one of us is _acknowledged,_ even the wild animal.
_Precisely on that account,_ philosophers will have a better chance.
--Kant is a scarecrow!
128.
I have not yet _seen_ any reasons to feel discouraged. He who acquires
and preserves a _strong will,_ together with a broad mind, has a more
favourable chance now than ever he had. For the _plasticity_ of man has
become exceedingly great in democratic Europe: men who learn easily,
who readily adapt themselves, are the rule: the gregarious animal of
a high order of intelligence is prepared. He who would command finds
those who _must_ obey: I have Napoleon and Bismarck in mind, for
instance. The struggle against strong and unintelligent wills, which
forms the surest obstacle in one's way, is really insignificant Who
would not be able to knock down these "objective" gentlemen with weak
wills, such as Ranke and Renan!
129.
_Spiritual enlightenment_ is an unfailing means of making men
uncertain, weak of will, and needful of succour and support; in
short, of developing the herding instincts in them. That is why all
great artist-rulers, hitherto (Confucius in China, the Roman Empire,
Napoleon, Popedom--at a time when they had the courage of their
worldliness and frankly pursued power) in whom the ruling instincts,
that had prevailed until their time, culminated, also made use of the
spiritual enlightenment--or at least allowed it to be supreme (after
the style of the Popes of the Renaissance). The self-deception of
the masses on this point, in every democracy for instance, is of the
greatest possible value: all that makes men smaller and more amenable
is pursued under the title "progress."
130.
The highest equity and mildness as a condition of _weakness_ (the New
Testament and the early Christian community--manifesting itself in the
form of utter foolishness in the Englishmen, Darwin and Wallace). Your
equity, ye higher men, drives you to universal suffrage, etc.; your
"humanity" urges you to be milder towards crime and stupidity. In the
_end_ you will thus help stupidity and harmlessness to conquer.
_Outwardly_: Ages of terrible wars, insurrections, explosions.
_Inwardly_: ever more and more weakness among men; _events_ take the
_form of excitants._ The Parisian as the type of the European extreme.
_Consequences_: (1) Savages (at first, of course, in conformity with
the culture that has reigned hitherto); (2) _Sovereign individuals_
(where _powerful_ barbarous _masses_ and emancipation from all that
has been, are crossed). The age of greatest stupidity, brutality, and
wretchedness in the masses, and _in the highest individuals._
131.
An incalculable number of higher individuals now perish: but he who
_escapes their fate_ is as strong as the devil. In this respect we are
reminded of the conditions which prevailed in the Renaissance.
132.
How are _Good Europeans_ such as ourselves distinguished from the
patriots? In the first place, we are atheists and immoralists, but we
take care to support the religions and the morality which we associate
with the gregarious instinct: for by means of them, an order of men is,
so to speak, being prepared, which must at some time or other fall into
our hands, which must actually _crave_ for our hands.
Beyond Good and Evil,--certainly; but we insist upon the unconditional
and strict preservation of herd-morality.
We reserve ourselves the right to several kinds of philosophy which it
is necessary to learn: under certain circumstances, the pessimistic
kind as a hammer; a European Buddhism might perhaps be indispensable.
We should probably support the development and the maturation of
democratic tendencies; for it conduces to weakness of will: in
"Socialism" we recognise a thorn which prevents smug ease.
Attitude towards the people.. Our prejudices; we pay attention to the
results of cross-breeding.
Detached, well-to-do, strong: irony concerning the "press" and its
culture. Our care: that scientific men should not become journalists.
We mistrust any form of culture that tolerates news-paper reading or
writing.
We make our accidental positions (as Goethe and Stendhal did), our
experiences, a foreground, and we lay stress upon them, so that we
may deceive concerning our backgrounds. We ourselves _wait_ and
avoid putting our heart into them. They serve us as refuges, such as
a wanderer might require and use--but we avoid feeling at home in
them. We are ahead of our fellows in that we have had a _disciplina
voluntatis._ All strength is directed to the _development of the will,_
an art which allows us to wear masks, an art of understanding _beyond_
the passions (also "super-European" thought at times).
This is our preparation before becoming the law-givers of the future
and the lords of the earth; if not we, at least our children. Caution
where marriage is concerned.
133.
_The twentieth century._--The Abbé Galiani says somewhere: "_La
prévoyance est la cause des guerres actuelles de l'Europe. Si l'on
voulait se donner la peine de ne rien prévoir, tout le monde serait
tranquille, et je ne crois pas qu'on serait plus malheureux parce qu'on
ne ferait pas la guerre._" As I in no way share the unwarlike views of
my deceased friend Galiani, I have no fear whatever of saying something
beforehand with the view of conjuring in some way the cause of wars.
A condition of excessive _consciousness,_ after the worst of
earthquakes: with new questions.
134.
It is the time of the _great noon, of the most appalling
enlightenment_: my particular kind of _Pessimism_: the great
starting-point.
(1) Fundamental contradiction between civilisation and the elevation of
man.
(2) Moral valuations regarded as a history of lies and the art of
calumny in the service of the Will to Power (of the will of the _herd,_
which rises against stronger men).
(3) The conditions which determine every elevation in culture (the
facilitation of a _selection_ being made at the cost of a crowd) are
the _conditions_ of all growth.
(4). _The multiformity_ of the world as a question of _strength,_
which sees all things in the _perspective of their growth._ The moral
Christian values to be regarded as the insurrection and mendacity of
slaves (in comparison with the aristocratic values of the _ancient
world). _