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Single Idea 2893

[filed under theme 22. Metaethics / B. Value / 2. Values / c. Life ]

Full Idea

In every age the wisest have passed the identical judgement on life: it is worthless.

Gist of Idea

In every age the wisest people have judged life to be worthless

Source

Friedrich Nietzsche (Twilight of the Idols [1889], 1.01)

Book Ref

Nietzsche,Friedrich: 'Twilight of the Idols and The Anti-Christ', ed/tr. Hollingdale,R.J. [Penguin 1972], p.29


A Reaction

I guess he was having a bad day. Since the whole universe is clearly 'worthless', this judgement must in some sense be correct. But I love my books.


The 10 ideas with the same theme [how and why we might value life itself]:

Human beings are not majestic, either through divine origins, or through grand aims [Nietzsche]
In every age the wisest people have judged life to be worthless [Nietzsche]
A philosopher fails in wisdom if he thinks the value of life is a problem [Nietzsche]
Value judgements about life can never be true [Nietzsche]
The value of life cannot be estimated [Nietzsche]
When we establish values, that is life itself establishing them, through us [Nietzsche]
To evaluate life one must know it, but also be situated outside of it [Nietzsche]
The sacred in every human is their expectation of good rather than evil [Weil]
The sanctity of a human life depends either on being of our species, or on being a person [Singer]
What matters is not intrinsic value of life or rights, but worthwhile and desired life, and avoidance of pain [Glover]