Book Two: A Criticism of the Highest Values That Have Prevailed Hitherto
III: General Remarks on Morality§303 Mankind, a small eccentric species of very excitable animals, which — fortunately — has had its day. Life in general on earth is a matter of a moment, an incident, an exception that has no consequence, something which is of no importance whatever to the general character of the earth; the earth itself is, like every star, a hiatus between two nothingnesses, an event without a plan, without reason, will, or self-consciousness -— the worst kind of necessity, stupid necessity -—. Something in us rebels against this view; the serpent vanity whispers to us, “All this must be false, because it is revolting -—. Could all that not be mere appearance? And man in spite of all, as Kant says -—”.