What is noble? Who are aristocrats?
Aristocracy is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class. The meaning of the term “Rule of the best”.In Beyond good and evil, Nietzche dives deep into aristocrats’ personality and psychology, and asks “What is noble?”
One must not resign any humanitarian illusions about aristocratic history.
Aristocrats are:
- Psychological barbarians – more complete men or beasts – Barbarians with every terrible meaning of the word
- Believe in long scale of gradation of rank – require slavery in some form
- Men of prey with desire for power against weaker, more moral, peaceful races
- The cause of every elevation in society
- Formed higher, rarer, and more extended states of the soul
- Doesn’t lower themselves as a function of kingship or commonwealth
- Accept with a good conscience the sacrifice of the common – For their sake, The rest must be suppressed, reduced to imperfect men, to slaves and instruments
Aristocrats’ fundamental belief is that society is not allowed to exist for its own sake. Society exists only as a foundation so that aristocrats can elevate themselves to their higher existence and exhibit their intense happiness. E.g.: The desire for freedom of the commons, is a symptom of aristocrats miscalculation.
The noble:
- Determine value – creator of value
- Passes judgments – doesn’t require approval
- Feels plentitude, of overflowing power, happiness of high-tension
- Helps the unfortunate from an impulse generated of abundant power
- Takes pleasure in subjecting himself to severity and harshness
- Knows how to: Honor, speaks, and keep silence
- Have Profound reverence for age and tradition – anti newcomers and “modern ideas”
- Has duties only to equals
- Artful in revenge and retaliation
- Has the ability and obligation to exercise prolonged gratitude and revenge
- Has a necessity for enemies – To be a good friend
- Unwilling to renounce responsibilities
- Doesn’t share duties
- Praise only where one doesn’t agree
- Have profound self-respect to his soul
- Has a trusting attitude
The noble doesn’t know what vain is, although he seems to be that. He doesn’t care if people think good or bad about him, however, thinks if people regard good about him it may be useful, and they can have “good” thoughts, precisely as he determines – for that he doesn’t call it vain.
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