Beyond Good and Evil: Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future

Beyond Good and Evil: Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future

In "Beyond Good and Evil," (original German: Jenseits von Gut und Böse) Nietzsche expands on the ideas introduced in "Thus Spake Zarathustra," offering a more detailed critique of traditional morality and philosophy. He challenges the dichotomy of good and evil, arguing for a more nuanced understanding of morality that transcends these "simplistic" categories. For Nietzsche, "Beyond Good and Evil" was the prehistoric (or pre-Socratic) way of thinking in which actions were judged by their effects. Morality emerged only when actions were judged according to their intentions - especially in the "slave morality" of early Christianity. Nietzsche's demand was to return to the perspective of the pre-moral era; his counter-proposal is a new philosophy of "immorality" bound to the particular perspective of the individual, which was wholeheartedly embraced by the Nazi regime and several other genocidal movements of the 20th century. The Übermench must have unfettered dominion over all things, and must not be hindered by the "weak". First published in 1886 by the publishing house C. G. Naumann in Leipzig, Germany, this new Critical Reader's Edition offers a modern translation of the original manuscript, designed to help the armchair philosopher engage deeply with Nietzsche's works. The translation features clean, contemporary language with simplified sentence structures and diction, making Nietzsche's complex ideas more accessible. In addition to the main text, this edition includes extensive supplementary material that enhances the manuscript with autobiographical, historical, and linguistic context. This expansive edition contains an afterword by the translator examining the history, impact, and intellectual legacy of Nietzsche in relation to this work, an index of philosophical concepts with emphasis on Existentialism and Phenomenology, a complete chronological list of Nietzsche's published writings, and a detailed timeline of his life, highlighting the personal relationships that significantly shaped his philosophy.