Book Two: A Criticism of the Highest Values That Have Prevailed Hitherto
V: Concerning the Slander of the so-called Evil Qualities§387 The whole idea of the hierarchy of the passions: as if the only right and normal thing were to be led by reason whereas the passions are abnormal, dangerous, half-animal and moreover, in so far as their end is concerned, nothing more than desires for pleasure —
Passion is deprived of its dignity (1) as if it only manifested itself in an unseemly way and were not necessary and always the motive force, (2) inasmuch as it is supposed to aim at no high purpose, merely at pleasure —
The misinterpretation of passion and reason as if the latter were an independent entity and not a state of relationship between all the various passions and desires; and as though every passion did not possess its quantum of reason —