CxDxBooks #3: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Nietzsche: Philosopher, Psychologist, Antichrist

“Apart from the value of such assertions as “there is a categorical imperative in us,” one can always ask: What does such an assertion indicate about him who makes it? There are systems of morals which are meant to justify their author in the eyes of other people; other systems of morals are meant to tranquilize him, and make him self-satisfied; with other systems he wants to crucify and humble himself, with others he wishes to take revenge, with others to conceal himself, with others to glorify himself and have superiority and distinction,—this system of morals helps its author to forget, that system makes him, or something of him, forgotten, many a moralist would like to exercise power and creative arbitrariness over mankind, many another, perhaps, Kant especially, gives us to understand by his morals that “what is estimable in me, is that I know how to obey—and with you it SHALL not be otherwise than with me!” In short, systems of morals are only a SIGN-LANGUAGE OF THE EMOTIONS.”

The virtues Nietzsche praises are honesty, courage—especially moral courage—generosity, politeness, and intellectual integrity.

Nietzsche was concerned with how much hypocrisy, comfortableness and lack of self-discipline is hidden under the best-honored type of contemporary morality.

The quality of thought and insight in this book about Nietzsche’s philosophy deserves no fewer than ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️— however, in and of itself, this book is a work of criticism, jagged and somewhat dated, and written in a dense academic style that doesn’t arouse the kind of spontaneous joy that Nietzsche’s original philosophy does. Hence the mere ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating. A person of aesthetic refinement has to have standards!

As one author wrote in a letter to a friend: “I am sending you Nietzsche: learn to read and understand him. This is the best and finest thing I can send you.”