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926 definitions

Friedrich NietzscheWritings from the Late NotebooksDictionaryish

The book's index

Writings from the Late Notebooks

445 concepts · 926 definitions

A–D · 107 concepts · 202 definitions
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Morality (n.) itself, ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠as honesty, compels us to negate morality.

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Morality (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠armour, a shield: a sign that a man is not yet fully grown — the grown man has weapons and attacks; scales and plates become feathers and hair.

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Morality (n.) was ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the great antidote to nihilism: the Christian moral hypothesis gave man absolute value against his smallness in the flux of becoming.

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Morality (n.) taught ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the oppressed to hate and despise the rulers' fundamental trait, the will to power — and if they learned their own hatred was also power-will, they would lose their last privilege.

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Nihilism (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠one way out — the world we revere and the world we live — and are — have come apart; we must abolish either our reverence or ourselves, and the latter is nihilism.

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Nihilism (n.) in ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠its first form comes from looking for a meaning in everything that isn't there, until the searcher loses courage — shame at having deceived oneself for far too long.

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Nihilism (n.) might ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠be a divine way of thinking, as the denial of a true world and of being.

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Nihilism (n.) in ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠its radical form is the conviction that existence is untenable by its highest values, with no right to posit a divine beyond — itself a consequence of truthfulness, and so of belief in morality.

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God (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠far too extreme a hypothesis — life in Europe is no longer so uncertain that we need it.

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God (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠now something man is strong enough to be ashamed of believing in — and he may once again play the devil's advocate.

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God (n.) as ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a suffering and all-seeing total sensorium would be the greatest objection to being — luckily no such summating power exists.

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God (n.) should ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠be stripped of the highest goodness, unworthy of a god, and of the highest wisdom, the philosophers' vanity — God as the highest power is enough.

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Virtue (n.) as ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠I understand it demands no recognition, uses no propaganda, lets no one judge it — and does precisely what every herd legislation forbids.

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Virtue (n.) no ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠longer meets with belief; to market it afresh, sell it as adventure and excess — for the unscrupulous it may now be what it never was: a vice.

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Virtue (n.) would ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠be the most expensive thing on earth: in the end it would give us the earth as an infirmary, with 'everyone to be everyone else's nurse' as the pinnacle of wisdom.

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Virtue (n.) makes ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a man a lower species because he is then not a 'person' — his value comes from fitting a fixed schema; he can be compared, he has peers.

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Consciousness (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a small segment of an organism's total life and only one more means of its expansion — making it the measure of life is the fundamental mistake of all philosophy.

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Consciousness (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠kept under control by instincts least of all, and so errs longest and most thoroughly — the degeneration of life is conditioned by its capacity for error.

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Consciousness (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not the management but an organ of the management — developed for communicability, while a managing committee of chief desires votes unseen.

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Consciousness (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the hand with which the organism reaches out furthest — and like a general who must not know too much, it must above all be a drive to exclude.

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Truth (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠ugly.

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Truth (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the kind of error without which a particular kind of living creature could not live.

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Truth (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not what life needs — it needs only that something be held true.

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Truth (n.) began ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠as a command: 'thus it shall be' hardens over generations into 'thus it is', and only later gets called truth.

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Christianity (n.) we ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠have outgrown not by living too far from it but too near — our stricter piety itself forbids us to remain Christians.

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Christianity (n.) did ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠one essential thing psychologically: it raised the temperature of the soul in the colder, nobler races — the most wretched life can become rich when its temperature is raised.

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Christianity (n.) preached ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠unselfishness and love, yet in fact intensified individual egoism to the extreme — belief in individual immortality, souls too important to be sacrificed.

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Christianity (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a romantic hypochondria of those unsteady on their feet.

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The Will to power (n.) makes ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a quantum of power essentially a will to violate and to defend oneself against being violated — not self-preservation; think away its radiation of power-will and the atom itself is thought away.

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The Will to power (n.) at ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠its highest imprints upon becoming the character of being.

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The Will to power (n.) can ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠only express itself against resistances — it seeks what will resist it, as protoplasm sends out pseudopodia, feeling its way.

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The Will to power (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not a being, not a becoming, but a pathos — the most elementary fact; what remains when number, subject and motion are removed are dynamic quanta in tension with all others.

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Thinking (n.) as ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠theorists of knowledge posit it simply doesn't occur: it is an arbitrary fiction made by selecting one element of the process and subtracting all the others.

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Thinking (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠almost a trial at law: the thought is drawn from the crowd, set on its feet, cross-examined with witnesses — and I am allowed to watch only a while.

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Thinking (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not what happens within but just a sign language for the balancing out of the affects' power.

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Thinking (n.) takes ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠apart what is really one; in reality nothing is added or divided, and two halves of a thing do not equal the whole.

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Pleasure (n.) and ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠unpleasure are the oldest symptoms of all value judgements — not their causes.

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Pleasure (n.) and ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠unpleasure are the stupidest possible means of expressing judgements: a Yes or No abbreviated to passionate wanting-to-have or pushing-away — final phenomena, not causes.

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Pleasure (n.) lies ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not in the satisfaction of the will but in its unsatisfaction: the will wants to move forward, mastering again and again what stands in its way.

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Pleasure (n.) comes ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠in two kinds: falling asleep — the only pleasure left to the exhausted, the happiness of nihilistic religions — and conquest, the pleasure of the rich and vital.