Walking the Tightrope

Some of the best scholars of Nietzsche’s work readily place HH in the context of his later, more mature concepts, particularly the Will to Power, which is something we shall consider much later. For now, it is sufficient to note that the foundation for grander ideas all began with this comparatively modest effort. “In Human, All Too Human and in notes of that period – to summarize – Nietzsche sought to explain the following phenomena in terms of the will to power: our tendency to conform rather than realize ourselves; the elevation of gratitude to the status of a virtue; the desire of neurotics – and perhaps also others – to arouse pity; Christian self-abasement; and striving for independence and freedom. Of all these sundry manifestations of the will to power, Nietzsche probably approved only of the striving for freedom.” ( Kaufmann , page 186) “The essential purpose of Human, All Too Human is to explain reality without reliance upon metaphysical ideas, and by explaining it to arriv...