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72 definitions

Friedrich NietzscheOn Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral SenseDictionaryish

The book's index

On Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral Sense

47 concepts · 72 definitions

A–Z · 47 concepts · 72 definitions
Definition.com

Truth (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a movable host of metaphors, metonymies and anthropomorphisms which after long usage seem to a people fixed, canonical and binding.

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Truth (n.) began ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠as a peace treaty: bored and needy, the herd fixed binding names for things to end the war of all against all.

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Truth (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠made of illusions we have forgotten are illusions: worn-out metaphors, coins that have lost their embossing and now count only as metal.

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Truth (n.) found ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠by reason is finding the thing you hid behind the bush exactly where you hid it.

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Intellect (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a master of deception, free only when it deceives without injuring — then it slips its slavery and celebrates its Saturnalia.

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Intellect (n.) has ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠no mission beyond human life; when it is over, nothing will have happened.

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Intellect (n.) was ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠given to the most unfortunate and ephemeral of beings merely as a device to detain them a minute in existence — without it they would flee life at once.

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Intellect (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠ordinarily a servant hunting booty for a needy master; liberated, it becomes the master and wipes the look of indigence from its face.

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Language (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠never a question of truth or adequate expression — otherwise there would not be so many languages.

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Language (n.) leaves ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠us like the deaf man staring at Chladni's sand figures, swearing he now knows what 'sound' means.

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Language (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠legislation: the first binding names for things are also the first laws of truth.

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Man (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a genius of construction who piles an infinitely complicated dome of concepts on running water — and so must build it like a spider's web.

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Man (n.) outbuilds ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the bee: the bee builds with wax gathered from nature, man with conceptual material he must first manufacture from himself.

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Man (n.) differs ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠from the animals only by his knack for volatilizing perceptual metaphors into a schema — dissolving an image into a concept.

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A Metaphor (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the work of the fundamental human drive — to dispense with that drive for an instant would be to dispense with man himself.

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A Metaphor (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠where language begins: a nerve stimulus leaps into an image, the image into a sound — each time overleaping one sphere into an entirely different one.

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A Metaphor (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠all we possess of things — trees, colours, snow, flowers — and it corresponds in no way to the original entities.

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Intuition (n.) in ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the intuitive man counts as real only the life disguised as illusion and beauty, and where he wins a culture takes shape in which even the clay jugs seem made for joy, not need.

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Intuition (n.) in ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the intuitive man suffers more often and more intensely, never learns from experience, and keeps falling into the same ditch, irrational in sorrow as in joy.

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Intuition (n.) has ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠no word: before it man grows dumb, or speaks only in forbidden metaphors and unheard-of combinations of concepts.

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Deception (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not what men hate; they hate only its unpleasant consequences — being harmed by fraud, not being defrauded.

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Deception (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠something man is invincibly inclined to welcome — he is enchanted with happiness when the actor plays more royally than any real king.

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Knowing (n.) was ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠invented by clever beasts on a cooling star — the most arrogant and mendacious minute of world history, but only a minute.

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Knowing (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a power so inflating that the most trivial thing in nature swells up like a balloon at its slightest puff.

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Abstraction (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠what makes hierarchy possible: castes, laws, privileges and boundaries can be built from schemata, never from vivid first impressions.

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Abstraction (n.) wards ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠off misfortune but never yields happiness.

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A Stoic (n.) seeks ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠nothing but truth and freedom from deception until misfortune comes, and then he performs his masterpiece of deception, a mask of dignified symmetrical features.

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A Stoic (n.) when ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a real storm cloud thunders above him wraps himself in his cloak and walks slowly out from under it.