Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm, 1844-1900; Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm, 1844-1900 -- Criticism and interpretation; Philosophy
the early dissemination of Jewish ethics. But with these passages the
student need not seriously concern himself. They are speculative and
non-essential.
Nietzsche's criticism of the effects of Christian virtues, however,
did not begin in "The Antichrist," although this book is the final
flowering of those anti-Christian ideas which cropped up continually
throughout his entire work. This religious antipathy was present even
in his early academic essays, and in "Human, All-Too-Human" we find him
well launched upon his campaign. No book of his, with the exception of
his unfinished pamphlet, "The Eternal Recurrence," is free from this
criticism. But one will find all his earlier conclusions and arguments
drawn together in a compact and complete whole in the present volume.
Nietzsche's accusation against Christianity, reduced to a few words,
is that it works against the higher development of the individual;
that, being a religion of weakness, it fails to meet the requirements
of the modern man; in short, that it is _dangerous._ This conclusion
is founded on the principle of biological monism. Nietzsche assumes
Darwin's law of the struggle for existence, and argues that the
Christian virtues oppose not only this law but the law of natural
selection as well. By this opposition the race has been weakened,
for self-sacrifice, the basis of Christian morality, detracts from
the power of the individual and consequently lessens his chances for
existence. Furthermore, the Christian ideal in itself is opposed to
progress and all that progress entails, such as science and research.
Knowledge of any kind tends to make man more independent, and thereby
reduces his need for theological supervision. As a result of the
passing over of power from the strong to the weak, in accordance with
the morality of Christianity, the strength of the race as a whole is
depleted. Furthermore, such a procedure is in direct opposition to
the laws of nature, and so long as man lives in a natural environment
the only way to insure progress is to conform to the conditions of
that environment. Nietzsche therefore makes a plea for the adoption
of other than Christian standards--standards compatible with the laws
of existence. He points out that already the race has been almost
irremediably weakened by its adherence to anti-natural doctrines,
that each day of Christian activity is another step in the complete
degeneration of man. And he asserts that the only reason the race
has maintained its power as long as it has is because the stronger
members of society, despite their voiced belief, do not live up to the
Christian code, but are continually compromising with it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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