But among the forces reared by morality, there was truthfulness: this in the end turns against morality, exposes the teleology of the latter, its interest, and now the recognition of this lie so long incorporated from which we despaired of ever freeing ourselves, acts like a stimulus. We perceive certain needs in ourselves, implanted during the long dynasty of the moral interpretation of life, which now seem to us to be needs of untruth. THE WILL TO POWER 1901
Strategy provides a possibility for a more comprehensible and therefore more predictable world – All the moves could be better informed and judged – Tailored more effectively to the circumstances of the moment. Through the Bible, we are allowed to see the factors at work, that determine the course of history.
Story Context:
- Most iconic and basic biblical stories
- Opposite sides of a valley – armies between the Philistines and Israelites
- Philistines controlled the territory west of the Jordan River
- Earlier clashes – Israelites fared very badly and lost 4000 men
- Israelites learned lessons and returned to the laws of god – Thus, regained God’s protection
- Philistine Camp – emerged a Giant called Goliath
- Israelites recaptured the lost territory
- Prophet Samuel was still leading the country as a judge
- At one point, loud noise was sufficient to send the Philistines running away in a panic – They were chased and subdued
David:
- Invariably an underdog, yet the underdog status was illusory because David had God on his side
- Young with little credentials – Had a tale of killing a lion and bear who were after his limbs
- Discarded accoutrement (Armour/Shield) – He couldn’t take them without testing them
- Weaponry – 5 smooth stones and a sling
- Success depended not only on the first blow but also On the Philistine’s readiness to accept the final result.
- Combination of an unreliable trick with much more reliable faith
David rejected the conventions of combat – he knew he couldn’t defeat the giant on Giants term – So he rejected Saul’s armour. David was fast, speedy and unencumbered – as he depended on Accuracy and surprise.
Goliath
- Giant appearance – Large iron head
- Wielding a large spear
- Dressed in heavy brass armour
- Protected by a shield
- A Man of war since his youth
- Found David unimpressive even insulting – “Am I a dog that thou comest to me with staves?”
David had one chance with his sling, his first shot was vital. If he missed, probably there would be no second shot and no stun effect. David made a quick action to prevent recovery, as he unleashed his secret weapon fast, there was no chance for Goliath to respond.
Fight:
- The challenge was repeated daily for 40 days – Appeared to paralyze Israelites including Saul
- If Goliath was killed, the Philistines would serve the Israelites
- As soon as David was in position, he took a stone from his bag and slung the stone on Goliath’s forehead
- Took a Giant sword to kill and cut off his head
By killing the Goliath, David prevented him from getting up. David depended also that the Philistines were going to accept the result, not trying to recover honour in the face of such a sneaky attack, by turning the individual contest into a full battle. Without a plan B, If plan A failed, David would have been defenceless, so his tricks were one-time use only.
On the other hand, those very needs represent the highest values owing to which we are able to endure life. We have ceased from attaching any worth to what we know, and we dare not attach any more worth to that with which we would fain deceive ourselves – from this antagonism there results a process of dissolution. This is the antinomy: in so far we believe in morality, we condemn existence. THE WILL TO POWER 1901