in the same spirit, when he says, "In politics and in trade, bruisers and pirates are of better promise than talkers and clerks"; and again, "In a good lord there must first be a good animal, at least to the extent of yielding the incomparable advantage of animal spirits." p "Most valuations are relative, some things are better than other things (though still other things may be better than these)—and there is no need, nor is it correct, to attribute absolute valuations at this particular point to Nietzsche. q The extent to which Nietzsche attached finer and higher meanings to power than mere brute force will appear as I go on.
But before doing so a word should be said as to what Nietzsche regards as the democratic misunderstanding of will to power, namely the identification of it with ambition, love of glory. Napoleon, Cæsar, Alexander are often cited as instances—as if, says Nietzsche, just these men were not despisers of glory.[1] Glory is, of course, honor in the eyes of others, it is distinctively a craving of the social man (i.e., of one who is not sufficient unto himself); the desire for it is akin to vanity and springs from weakness.[2] But it was not the notice of others that these men sought—power itself was what they were after and this is one of the reasons why they rank so high. He also criticises the view of Helvetius that one strives for power in order to get the pleasures that are at the command of the powerful[3]—this, I might say, as many of our wealthy (or becoming-wealthy) class in America do, enjoyments, luxuries, comfort being in the background of their mind. But this is to confuse the strong man with enjoyment-seekers—what such an one really wishes is to put forth his power, not to eat sweets, have country houses, live softly, and so on.[4] As Nietzsche conceives aristocracy, even the idea of it scarcely exists in America.
Nor is Nietzsche's "strong man" a swashbuckler. That this is not what he means is implied in a remark he makes (per-
- ↑ Will to Power, § 751.
- ↑ Cf. Beyond Good and Evil, § 261 (there is nothing harder for a really superior man to understand than vanity).
- ↑ Will to Power, § 751.
- ↑ Cf. Werke, XIII, 177, § 405 (happiness is not the aim, but feeling of power). Happiness is an indeterminate conception anyway: "not 'happiness follows virtue,' but the strong man fixes his happy state as virtue" (Will to Power, § 1026).
