My Thoughts on “Beyond Good and Evil” by Friedrich Nietzsche

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This book was interesting, to be honest it was a challenge to read, but I am glad I persevered. Not necessarily because the book had a continual theme of ideas, more so that I am glad I got to see all of the perspectives in each aphorism.

1. To begin, this is the most profound thing I have ever read from a homeless guy. The introduction to the book gave me a brief history of Nietzsche’s life, and it was incredibly helpful in clarifying where Nietzsche’s ideas came from.

2. Specifically one idea with much emphasis in the book, Is the idea of the “free spirit” and the “herd.” Nietzsche heavily defends the “free spirit” which he describes as individuals who possess a critical and independent mindset, capable of transcending traditional morality and thought. And after looking at Nietzsche’s life, it seems like his free spirit mindset idea is merely a description of himself. No wonder he was a nihilist when he thought he could transcend all morality. He dives deeper into the “free spirit” by comparing it to the herd. Which in his eyes is essentially the majority of society which complies to conventional morals and doesn’t question or truly think. But he does justify his homelessness among the herd through the concept; The will to knowledge. Where he explains the only real reason a free spirit would enter the herd would be to gain understanding of the world.

3. Another concept highlighted in the book is the will to power. It is described in the quote at the top of the page. Nietzsche believes the will to power is a force that drives most of humanity’s actions. Nietzsche further explains his ideas with connecting ideas such as master-slave morality. Which to describe briefly is the technique and reason individuals wield their power over others.

4. The last concept I will illuminate is what I believe to be the core theme of the book. Where does morality come from? Nietzsche uses all of the terms I have described in this article and more to reveal his perspective on the question. But what I find extremely interesting how Nietzsche believes much of morality comes from the “mediocre man.” Conceptually it makes sense, humans sharing the most average temperament, values and personality should have the most influence on morality. Their strength in numbers outperforms the single free-spirit philosopher.

5. The book ends on a dreadful poem. It is about a man on top of a mountain complaining he doesn’t have any friends because he believes he is more intelligent than everyone else. Sound familiar?

Overall, I thought this book was very intriguing. It was extremely complex so following many concepts in the book was difficult. After putting together the disarrayed puzzle pieces in my mind. I can happily say I believe the ideas and concepts in this book were worthwhile. This doesn’t mean I enjoyed reading it in the moment, but if I had the “entertainment value reading” mindset, I wouldn’t know who Nietzsche was in the first place.

AI Artwork depicting the herd and the free spirit

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