Ideas from 'Human, All Too Human' by Friedrich Nietzsche [1878], by Theme Structure
[found in 'Human, All Too Human' by Nietzsche,Friedrich (ed/tr Faber,Marion) [Penguin 1994,0-14-044617-6]].
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1. Philosophy / A. Wisdom / 1. Nature of Wisdom
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14857
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The highest wisdom has the guise of simplicity
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1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 7. Despair over Philosophy
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14854
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Deep thinkers know that they are always wrong
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1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 8. Humour
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14833
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Comedy is a transition from fear to exuberance
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3. Truth / A. Truth Problems / 3. Value of Truth
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14853
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Truth finds fewest champions not when it is dangerous, but when it is boring
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3. Truth / A. Truth Problems / 7. Falsehood
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24075
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Convictions, more than lies, are the great enemy of truth
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11. Knowledge Aims / B. Certain Knowledge / 1. Certainty
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14858
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Being certain presumes that there are absolute truths, and means of arriving at them
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12. Knowledge Sources / E. Direct Knowledge / 2. Intuition
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14830
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Intuition only recognises what is possible, not what exists or is certain
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16. Persons / C. Self-Awareness / 2. Knowing the Self
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20378
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Just as skin hides the horrors of the body, vanity conceals the passions of the soul
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20. Action / C. Motives for Action / 3. Acting on Reason / b. Intellectualism
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14820
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People always do what they think is right, according to the degree of their intellect
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14856
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Our judgment seems to cause our nature, but actually judgment arises from our nature
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21. Aesthetics / A. Aesthetic Experience / 3. Taste
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14842
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Why are the strong tastes of other people so contagious?
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21. Aesthetics / B. Nature of Art / 4. Art as Expression
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14835
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Artists are not especially passionate, but they pretend to be
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22. Metaethics / A. Ethics Foundations / 1. Nature of Ethics / g. Moral responsibility
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14807
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The history of morality rests on an error called 'responsibility', which rests on an error called 'free will'
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14824
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It is absurd to blame nature and necessity; we should no more praise actions than we praise plants or artworks
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14823
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Ceasing to believe in human responsibility is bitter, if you had based the nobility of humanity on it
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22473
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Nietzsche said the will doesn't exist, so it can't ground moral responsibility [Foot]
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22. Metaethics / A. Ethics Foundations / 2. Source of Ethics / b. Rational ethics
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14812
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Intellect is tied to morality, because it requires good memory and powerful imagination
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22. Metaethics / A. Ethics Foundations / 2. Source of Ethics / f. Übermensch
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14810
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Originally it was the rulers who requited good for good and evil for evil who were called 'good'
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22. Metaethics / B. Value / 2. Values / f. Altruism
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14831
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No one has ever done anything that was entirely for other people
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22. Metaethics / B. Value / 2. Values / g. Love
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14855
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Simultaneous love and respect are impossible; love has no separation or rank, but respect admits power
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22. Metaethics / B. Value / 2. Values / h. Fine deeds
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14815
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We get enormous pleasure from tales of noble actions
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22. Metaethics / C. The Good / 2. Happiness / d. Routes to happiness
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14849
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We can only achieve happy moments, not happy eras
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23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 1. Virtue Theory / b. Basis of virtue
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14818
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First morality is force, then custom, then acceptance, then instinct, then a pleasure - and finally 'virtue'
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23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 1. Virtue Theory / d. Virtue theory critique
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20103
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You are mastered by your own virtues, but you must master them, and turn them into tools
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23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 2. Elements of Virtue Theory / c. Motivation for virtue
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14817
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The 'good' man does the moral thing as if by nature, easily and gladly, after a long inheritance
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23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 3. Virtues / a. Virtues
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14809
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All societies of good men give a priority to gratitude
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23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 3. Virtues / c. Justice
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14816
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Justice (fairness) originates among roughly equal powers (as the Melian dialogues show)
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23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 3. Virtues / f. Compassion
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14821
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Apart from philosophers, most people rightly have a low estimate of pity
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20112
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Pity consoles those who suffer, because they see that they still have the power to hurt
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23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 4. External Goods / d. Friendship
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14841
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Many people are better at having good friends than being a good friend
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14843
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Women can be friends with men, but only some physical antipathy will maintain it
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23. Ethics / E. Utilitarianism / 1. Utilitarianism
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14811
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In Homer it is the contemptible person, not the harmful person, who is bad
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23. Ethics / F. Existentialism / 1. Existentialism
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20111
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We could live more naturally, relishing the spectacle, and not thinking we are special
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23. Ethics / F. Existentialism / 4. Boredom
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14844
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People do not experience boredom if they have never learned to work properly
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23. Ethics / F. Existentialism / 5. Existence-Essence
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14808
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Over huge periods of time human character would change endlessly
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24. Political Theory / A. Basis of a State / 3. Natural Values / c. Natural rights
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14822
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If self-defence is moral, then so are most expressions of 'immoral' egoism
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24. Political Theory / B. Nature of a State / 1. Purpose of a State
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14838
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The state aims to protect individuals from one another
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24. Political Theory / B. Nature of a State / 5. Culture
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14852
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Culture cannot do without passions and vices
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24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 5. Democracy / b. Consultation
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14846
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If we want the good life for the greatest number, we must let them decide on the good life
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25. Social Practice / A. Freedoms / 1. Slavery
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14819
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Slavery cannot be judged by our standards, because the sense of justice was then less developed
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25. Social Practice / D. Justice / 2. The Law / a. Legal system
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14847
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Laws that are well thought out, or laws that are easy to understand?
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25. Social Practice / D. Justice / 3. Punishment / a. Right to punish
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14814
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Execution is worse than murder, because we are using the victim, and really we are the guilty
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25. Social Practice / E. Policies / 1. War / a. Just wars
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14836
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People will enthusiastically pursue an unwanted war, once sacrifices have been made
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25. Social Practice / E. Policies / 5. Education / a. Aims of education
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14845
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Don't crush girls with dull Gymnasium education, the way we have crushed boys!
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25. Social Practice / E. Policies / 5. Education / b. Education principles
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14839
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Interest in education gains strength when we lose interest in God
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14848
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Education in large states is mediocre, like cooking in large kitchens
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25. Social Practice / E. Policies / 5. Education / c. Teaching
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14834
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Teachers only gather knowledge for their pupils, and can't be serious about themselves
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26. Natural Theory / D. Laws of Nature / 1. Laws of Nature
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14825
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In religious thought nature is a complex of arbitrary acts by conscious beings
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26. Natural Theory / D. Laws of Nature / 11. Against Laws of Nature
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14826
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Modern man wants laws of nature in order to submit to them
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29. Religion / A. Polytheistic Religion / 2. Greek Polytheism
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14827
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The Greeks saw the gods not as their masters, but as idealised versions of themselves
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29. Religion / B. Monotheistic Religion / 4. Christianity / a. Christianity
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14813
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Science rejecting the teaching of Christianity in favour of Epicurus shows the superiority of the latter
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14832
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The Sermon on the Mount is vanity - praying to one part of oneself, and demonising the rest
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14850
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Christ was the noblest human being
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14837
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Christ seems warm hearted, and suppressed intellect in favour of the intellectually weak
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29. Religion / D. Religious Issues / 1. Religious Commitment / a. Religious Belief
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14828
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Religion is tempting if your life is boring, but you can't therefore impose it on the busy people
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