Thus Spake Zarathustra - Penn State University

Thus Spake Zarathustraity to be a mere means to power. Needless to say that subject, however kindly he may do so, without beingverses 9, 10, 11, and 12 refer to the Greeks, the Persians, suspected of wishing to open a crusade against the fairthe Jews, and the Germans respectively. In the penultimate sex. Despite the fact, therefore, that all Nietzsche’s viewsverse he makes known his discovery concerning the root in this respect were dictated to him by the profoundestof modern Nihilism and indifference,—i.e., that modern love; despite Zarathustra’s reservation in this discourse,man has no goal, no aim, no ideals (see Note A). that “with women nothing (that can be said) is impossible,”and in the face of other overwhelming evidence tothe contrary, Nietzsche is universally reported to havemis son pied dans le plat, where the female sex is concerned.And what is the fundamental doctrine which hasChapter XVIII. Old and Young Womengiven rise to so much bitterness and aversion?—MerelyNIETZSCHE’S VIEWS ON women have either to be loved at this: that the sexes are at bottom antagonistic—that isfirst sight or they become perhaps the greatest obstacle to say, as different as blue is from yellow, and that thein the way of those who otherwise would be inclined to best possible means of rearing anything approaching aaccept his philosophy. Women especially, of course, have desirable race is to preserve and to foster this profoundbeen taught to dislike them, because it has been rumoured hostility. What Nietzsche strives to combat and to overthrowis the modern democratic tendency which is slowlythat his views are unfriendly to themselves. Now, to mymind, all this is pure misunderstanding and error. labouring to level all things—even the sexes. His quarrelGerman philosophers, thanks to Schopenhauer, have is not with women—what indeed could be more undignified?—itis with those who would destroy the naturalearned rather a bad name for their views on women. It isalmost impossible for one of them to write a line on the relationship between the sexes, by modifying either the300