Beyond Good and Evil · Chapter
Aphorism 178 explained
A single, sharp aphorism questioning the modern tendency to dismiss the profound insights or 'follies' of truly clever individuals, framing it as a loss of a fundamental human right.
What happens
A single, sharp aphorism questioning the modern tendency to dismiss the profound insights or 'follies' of truly clever individuals, framing it as a loss of a fundamental human right.
Themes in this chapter
Critique of Modernity
Directly attacks a modern sensibility that values conventional, safe cleverness over the daring, potentially 'foolish' insights of genius, viewing it as a forfeiture of intellectual rights.
Nobility and Order of Rank
Implies a hierarchy of insight where the 'clever men' possess a right to be believed in their 'follies,' a right which modernity, by not believing, violates.
Characters to notice
- The Narrator
Issues a critical, declarative judgment on a modern intellectual failing, positioning themselves as an observer of cultural and psychological trends.
Key passages
“One does not believe in the follies of clever men: what a forfeiture of the rights of man!”
Modern people refuse to take seriously the seemingly foolish ideas of geniuses; this is a tragic surrender of a fundamental human capacity.
The aphorism laments a cultural shift towards a shallow pragmatism that cannot appreciate the depth hidden in apparent absurdity.