more from this thinker | more from this text
Full Idea
The basic tendency of the weak and mediocre of all ages is to weaken and pull down the stronger: chief means, the moral judgement.
Gist of Idea
The basic tendency of the weak has always been to pull down the strong, using morality
Source
Friedrich Nietzsche (The Will to Power (notebooks) [1888], §345)
Book Ref
Nietzsche,Friedrich: 'The Will to Power', ed/tr. Kaufmann,W /Hollingdate,R [Vintage 1968], p.189
A Reaction
Obviously this contains some truth. Morality is a vast trade union movement by means of which the weak seek power and security. And good luck to them, I say. Why is mass power any worse than aristocratic or oligarchic power?
122 | Moral rules are made by the weak members of humanity [Plato] |
23239 | The self is, apart from outward behaviour, a drive in your nature [Fichte] |
20956 | Ultimately, all being is willing. The nature of primal being is the same as the nature of willing [Schelling] |
24076 | A morality ranks human drives and actions, for the sake of the herd, and subordinating individuals [Nietzsche] |
20129 | All animals strive for the ideal conditions to express their power, and hate any hindrances [Nietzsche] |
4506 | There is a conspiracy (a will to power) to make morality dominate other values, like knowledge and art [Nietzsche] |
4514 | The basic tendency of the weak has always been to pull down the strong, using morality [Nietzsche] |
20353 | The 'will to power' is basically applied to drives and forces, not to people [Nietzsche, by Richardson] |