Beyond Good and Evil · Chapter
135 explained
The chapter presents a brief, aphoristic challenge to conventional moral judgment, arguing that Pharisaism—often seen as hypocritical self-righteousness—is not a corruption of goodness but rather a fundamental component of it.
What happens
The chapter presents a brief, aphoristic challenge to conventional moral judgment, arguing that Pharisaism—often seen as hypocritical self-righteousness—is not a corruption of goodness but rather a fundamental component of it.
Themes in this chapter
Psychology as the Fundamental Science
The aphorism performs a psychological unmasking, re-evaluating a supposedly negative moral trait (hypocrisy/Pharisaism) as a necessary condition for its opposite, challenging surface-level moral judgments.
Critique of Modernity
Indirectly critiques modern, simplistic moral dichotomies (good vs. hypocritical) by revealing a more complex, intertwined psychological reality beneath moral concepts.
Key passages
“Pharisaism is not a deterioration of the good man; a considerable part of it is rather an essential condition of being good.”
Hypocrisy or self-righteousness isn't a falling away from virtue; to a large degree, it is a necessary prerequisite for being considered virtuous.
Inverts the common moral condemnation of Pharisaism, positing it as structurally necessary within the system of 'goodness' itself.