The issue was, strangely enough, the value of the…
““The issue was, strangely enough, the value of the "unegoistic" instincts, the instincts of pity, self-denial, and self-sacrifice which Schopenhauer had so persistently painted in golden colours, deified and etherealised, that eventually they appeared to him, as it were, high and dry, as "intrinsic values in themselves," on the strength of which he uttered both to Life and to himself his own negation. But against these very instincts there voiced itself in my soul a more and more fundamental mistrust, a scepticism that dug ever deeper and deeper: and in this very instinct I saw the great danger of mankind, its most sublime temptation and seduction—seduction to what? to nothingness?—in these very instincts I saw the beginning of the end, stability, the exhaustion that gazes backwards, the will turning against Life, the last illness announcing itself with its own mincing melancholy: I realised that the morality of pity which spread wider and wider, and whose grip infected even philosophers with its disease, was the most sinister symptom of our modern European civilisation;””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Schopenhauer glorified self‑sacrificial instincts, but the author warns these become a dangerous, nihilistic morality that undermines life.
In simple terms: Self‑sacrifice can become a harmful ideology that negates life.
Key Takeaway
Beware of moral systems that deny life’s value.
Themes
philosophy
morality
nihilism
human nature
danger
self‑sacrifice
Mood
cautious
critical
thoughtful
Type
philosophical
critical
When to use this quote
- political theory
- ethical debates
- personal reflection
- cultural criticism
Key Concepts
nihilism
moral relativism
existential risk
Questions to Reflect On
- Is compassion always virtuous?
- When does self‑denial become self‑destruction?
A Different Perspective
Such pity‑based morality can lead to societal stagnation and loss of purpose.