Every profound spirit needs a mask: even more, around every profound spirit a mask is growing continually, owing to the constantly false, namely shallow, interpretation of every word, every step, every since of life he gives. (Nietzsche, "The Free Spirit" in BGE, section 40)
Though Beyond Good and Evil has been read by students and scholars for more than a century, there continues to be much debate about the book's coherence. One difficulty obvious to experienced and new readers alike is how to know when to take Nietzsche's prose as expressing a position and when to recognize his expressions as "masking" very different positions. One way to see this difficulty in action is to try to figure out what Nietzsche "would say" in response to the sorts of ethical dilemmas and scenarios we've been discussing throughout this part of the course.
For example, suppose you're planning an ISP with a teacher you especially like, and in the midst of the planning you ask him/ her whether the ISP will fulfill a particular departmental requirement. The teacher says he/she isn't sure but will check with the Dean. The teacher subsequently reports that it's "no problem" and you go ahead with the ISP and it's terrific. All seems well until its graduation time and it turns out that the Registrar shows you as missing a course satisfying that particular departmental requirement. You call the Dean and tell her about the ISP, and she says she remembers speaking with your teacher about it and that she most definitely didn't give it the OK. In other words, the teacher didn't tell you the truth when he/she said there was "no problem." On the other hand, the ISP really was worthwhile and you manage to take a 5th course in the second semester of your senior year and graduate on time.
Now to the questions:
Nietzsche's Beyond Good and Evil, parts 5-7
We'll discuss these chapters with the help of Jeffrey's, Manu's and Neil's presentations/questions, while keeping in mind the question of what sorts of actions Nietzsche is prescribing as well as critiquing.
For Monday:: Read pps. 389-427 in The Basic Writings of Nietzsche (i.e. part 9 of Beyond Good and Evil).