Thus Spoke Zarathustra · Chapter
XV explained
Zarathustra condemns the pious backworldsmen who preach passivity and renunciation of the world, urging his followers to shatter the old tables of such world-maligning morality.
What happens
Zarathustra condemns the pious backworldsmen who preach passivity and renunciation of the world, urging his followers to shatter the old tables of such world-maligning morality.
Themes in this chapter
Death of God and Revaluation of Values
Zarathustra calls for shattering the old tables of pious morality that deny the world, aligning with the revaluation of all values.
The Body and the Earth
The chapter condemns world-maligning attitudes that stifle reason and renounce the world, affirming the body and earthly life.
Characters to notice
- Zarathustra
Speaks against the pious backworldsmen, urging his brethren to break their maxims.
Key passages
“Shatter, shatter, O my brethren, those old tables of the pious! Tatter the maxims of the world-maligners!”
Break apart, my brothers, the ancient laws of the devout! Destroy the sayings of those who despise the world!
Zarathustra's direct command to overthrow the moral codes that reject earthly existence.