Tuesday 14 August 2012

Severe Self-love

Absolutely.

'Nietzsche loathed capitalism and capitalists (and the cultural and aesthetic vulgarity he saw as their legacy) and also despised what he called "the selfishness of the sick" (Thus Spoke Zarathustra) and the "self-interested cattle and mob" (Will to Power).  What he admired was "severe self-love," the kind "most profoundly necessary for growth" (Ecce Homo).  "Virtue, art, music, dance, reason, spirituality"--all the things "for whose sake it is worthwhile to live on earth" (Beyond Good and Evil)--all demand such severe self-love, and for this reason, and this reason only, Nietzsche wanted to disabuse those capable of such excellences of their false consciousness about the morality of altruism.'

Not Angels' writing.  Angels' syntax isn't transparent enough, prose clear or simple enough.  It's here:
the usual suspect.

7 comments:

Sackerson said...

It's not you're fault that your writing is too sophisticated for me, HG. Don't be put off by my lack of elegance.

Is it a coincidence that someone was having a go at poor old pop-eyed Ayn Rand yesterday?

Sackerson said...

P.S. As in: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/aug/13/paul-ryan-ayn-rand-romney

Sackerson said...

P.S. Typo in first comment: I didn't mean "you're"; I meant "yore".

Nick Drew said...

By all means, love your neighbor as yourself. But first be such as loves himself

that's another of his ...

Nick Drew said...

I didn't mean neighbor, I meant ...

Weekend Yachtsman said...

This (including the linked article) strikes me as a slightly-dressed-up version of the 18th Century aristocrat's disdain for "trade" in any form.

"People who make money, or want to make money, are just so, so, vulgar, don'cha think?"

&c...

dearieme said...

Why is it only Americans who pay any heed to Ayn Rand?