Book Two: A Criticism of the Highest Values That Have Prevailed Hitherto
A Criticism of the Words: Improvement, Perfecting, Elevation§395 — “Illness makes men better”, this famous assumption which is to be met with in all ages and in the mouth of the sage quite as often as in the mouth and maw of the people, really makes one ponder. In view of discovering whether there is any truth in it, one might be allowed to ask whether there is not perhaps a fundamental relationship between morality and illness? Regarded as a whole, could not the “improvement of mankind” — that is to say, the unquestionable softening, humanising and taming which the European has undergone within the last two centuries be regarded as the result of a long course of secret and ghastly suffering, failure, abstinence and grief? Has illness made “Europeans “better”? Or, put into other words, is not our modern soft-hearted European morality, which could be likened to that of the Chinese, perhaps an expression of physiological deterioration?
It cannot be denied, for instance, that wherever history shows us “man” in a state of particular glory and power, his type is always dangerous, impetuous and boisterous and cares little for humanity; and perhaps, in those cases in which it seems otherwise, all that was required was the courage or subtlety to see sufficiently below the surface in psychological matters, in order even in them to discover the general proposition: “the more healthy, strong, rich, fruitful and enterprising a man may feel, the more immoral he will be as well”. A terrible thought, to which one should on no account give way. Provided, however, that one take a few steps forward with this thought, how wondrous does the future then appear! What will then be paid for more dearly on earth, than precisely this very thing which we are all trying to promote, by all means in our power the humanising, the improving and the increased “civilisation” of man? Nothing would then be more expensive than virtue: for by means of it the world would ultimately be turned into a hospital: and the last conclusion of wisdom would be, “everybody must be everybody else’s nurse”. Then we should certainly have attained to the “Peace on earth”, so long desired! But how little “joy we should find in each other’s company”! How little beauty, wanton spirits, daring and danger! So few “actions” which would make life on earth worth living! Ah! and no longer any “deeds”! But have not all the great things and deeds which have remained fresh in the memory of men and which have not been destroyed by time, been immoral in the deepest sense of the word?