[Footnote 2: This probably refers to Kant's celebrated table of twelve categories. The four classes, quantity, quality, relation, and modality, are each provided with three categories.--TRANSLATOR'S NOTE.] 13. Nihilism represents an intermediary pathological condition (the vast generalisation, the conclusion that there _is no purpose_ in anything, is pathological): whether it be that the productive forces are not yet strong enough--or that _decadence_ still hesitates and has not yet discovered its expedients. _The conditions of this hypothesis_:--That there is _no truth_; that there is no absolute state of affairs--no "thing-in-itself." _This alone is Nihilism, and of the most extreme kind._ It finds that the value of things consists precisely in the fact that these values are _not_ real and never have been real, but that they are only a symptom of strength on the part of the _valuer,_ a simplification serving the _purposes of existence._ 14. _Values and their modification_ are related to the _growth of power of the valuer._ The measure of _disbelief_ and of the "freedom of spirit" which is tolerated, viewed as an _expression of the growth of power._ "Nihilism" viewed as the ideal of the _highest spiritual power,_ of the over-rich life, partly destructive, partly ironical. 15. What is _belief_? How is a belief born? All belief assumes that _something is true._ The extremest form of Nihilism would mean that _all_ belief--all assumption of truth--is false: because no real world is at hand. It were therefore: only an _appearance seen in perspective,_ whose origin must be found in us (seeing that we are constantly in need of a narrower, a shortened, and simplified world). This should be realised, that the extent to which we can, in our heart of hearts, acknowledge appearance, and the necessity of falsehood, without going to rack and ruin, is the _measure of strength._ In this respect, Nihilism, in that it is the _negation_ of a real world and of Being, might be _a divine view of the world._ 16. If we are disillusioned, we have not become so in regard to life, but owing to the fact that our eyes have been opened to all kinds of "desiderata." With mocking anger we survey that which is called "_Ideal_": we despise ourselves only because we are unable at every moment of our lives to quell that absurd emotion which is called "Idealism." This _pampering_ by means of ideals is stronger than the anger of the _disillusioned one._ 17.