Arrogance according to Nietzsche

Amirani

“Arrogance on the part of the meritorious is even more offensive to us than the arrogance of those without merit: for merit itself is offensive.” - Friedrich Nietzsche

I've been thinking about this quote for a while and am looking for alternative opinions. What is your understanding of Nietzsche's view on merit?

18AD

NiallSparky wrote: »

“Arrogance on the part of the meritorious is even more offensive to us than the arrogance of those without merit: for merit itself is offensive.” - Friedrich Nietzsche

I've been thinking about this quote for a while and am looking for alternative opinions. What is your understanding of Nietzsche's view on merit?

Where's the quote from? I'd assume it has to do with people thinking they can bestow power on others or have it bestowed upon them. As if power was something you earned rather than something you simply already had. For one is never uncertain of one's own power and wouldn't require or acquire it through merit.

krd

Where is the quote from?........Do you have it in the original?

Meritorious, is a funny word in English. It's derogatory. The "merit" is an undeserving merit.

The "merit" is someone sitting on lots of committees, being around long enough. And then getting awarded a leadership position on the basis of merit. Not on the basis of their abilities.

So, the English word is confusing, because, it's usage is/was sarcastic - but at the same time referring to a specific form of "merit".

Amirani

It's from 'Human, All Too Human', published in 1878. It's available here.

I had never heard of that meaning of meritorious, it certainly puts the quote in a more straightforward light. Interesting that it would have quite a different sort of connotation in its common usage today.

krd

NiallSparky wrote: »

It's from 'Human, All Too Human', published in 1878. It's available here.

I had never heard of that meaning of meritorious, it certainly puts the quote in a more straightforward light. Interesting that it would have quite a different sort of connotation in its common usage today.

A few things. One, they're aphorisms, and not absolutes. Two, Nietzsche is often being sarcastic - or there is some kind of ironic insinuation. Three, because of Nietzsche's sarcasm, the work of the translators was even harder - and the translations may suffer because of the translator may not have "got" the original aphorism.


You would need the original German, and a German speaker who knows what the subtleties in the original German were, to explain it. At the same time, it's an aphorism and the meaning is not absolute.

I used to really hate aphorisms, and I still do. And it's funny, because Nietzsche hated their generality too (I don't have the exact quote - I think it's in Good and Evil. ) He hated them, but he wrote enough of them. Because people f'ing love aphorisms. Aphorisms are never absolute, and they're often paradoxical.

The tragedy with Nietzsche is that his philosophy was a kind of neo-stoic, with no absolutes - but it got co-opted into this awful idea of the Aryan Nazi Superman.

For not having absolutes, he's mistaken for being a nihilist.

For being critical, he's mistaken for being a pessimist.*

For being taken too seriously, people mistake the jokes for not being jokes.


*there's a quote I can't find, where Nietzsche says of Schopenhauer, that he was called a pessimist, but that Schopenhauer played the violin, and how could any man who was a pessimist play the violin.



Anything Nietzsche has to say, has to be taken with a pinch of mustache wax.

Gary L

I think Freddy's point here is that people who are cocky and have good reason to be are hated twice, because resentment of talent is commonplace in his eyes.

Torakx

In Thus spake Zarathustra he talks a lot aout the lower man or soemthign similar. A man who lowers himself to the beggars position when the rest are trying to be kings.
In that sense, merit is offensive to the lower man. And whats more offensive than a lower man who is arrogant about the position he takes(completely negates said position).
More arrogant than a pretender who is simply ignorant.

Thats my take anyway.