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Single Idea 20373

[catalogued under 24. Political Theory / C. Ruling a State / 2. Leaders / d. Elites]

Full Idea

A good and healthy aristocracy ...accepts with a good conscience the sacrifice of innumerable men who for its sake have to be suppressed and reduced to imperfect men, to slaves and instruments.

Gist of Idea

A healthy aristocracy has no qualms about using multitudes of men as instruments

Source

Friedrich Nietzsche (Beyond Good and Evil [1886], §258)

A Reaction

Something similar might be said of a democracy - that a slavelike workforce is needed to create the great universal goods we all want and need. Do the aristocrats want sacrifices for great art, or for wild parties and fox hunting?

Book Reference

Nietzsche,Friedrich: 'Beyond Good and Evil', ed/tr. Hollingdale,R.J. [Penguin 1973], p.174