Nietzsche on peace vs. truth

Steve Witham (sw@tiac.net)
Tue, 3 Sep 1996 23:23:02 -0400


Russell Earl Whitaker <whitaker@sgi.com> has been using this quote in
his signature:

>"Here the ways of men part: if you wish to strive for peace of
> soul and pleasure, then believe; if you wish to be a devotee
> to truth, then inquire..." - Nietzsche

I haven't read Nietzsche yet (coming up on my list) but from second-hand
reports the quote above seems to epitomize a big problem Nietzsche (and
others too, no question!) has: He can't reconcile peace with exploration,
doubt, questing for the truth, inquiry, self-transcendence, etc.

Nietzsche's solution seems to have been to run away from himself as fast
as he could. This seems like bee-in-bonnet, too-many-hot-peppers-for-lunch
behavior--I mean a symptom of a problem rather than something pursued for
its own value. A running-away instead of a going-after.

So I would like to ask the Nietzsche fans in the audience, first, whether
the idea that peace can be compatible with exploration, makes any sense to
you, and second, where I might concentrate my reading of N. to check
his position on this.

--Steve

--
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"The thought of intimacy is repulsive and out of the question."
--Henry Rollins