Single Idea 24117

[catalogued under 20. Action / B. Preliminaries of Action / 2. Willed Action / d. Weakness of will]

Full Idea

All lower drives must be present and have fresh force if the highest ones want to exist and exist in abundance: but control of the whole must be in firm hands! otherwise the danger is too great.

Gist of Idea

We need lower and higher drives, but they must be under firm control

Source

Friedrich Nietzsche (Unpublished Notebooks 1882-84 [1883], 14[03])

Book Reference

Nietzsche,Friedrich: 'Fragments from the period of 'Zarathustra' (v 14)', ed/tr. Loeb/Tinsley [Stanford 2019], p.429


A Reaction

This is unusual, because he speaks of the Self as little more than the currently dominant drive, but here he postulates a controller of the drives, a ringmaster. A-krasia means lack of control. Nietzsche wants en-krateia.

Related Idea

Idea 24107 Once a drive controls the intellect, it rules, and sets the goals [Nietzsche]