The question is, how far an opinion is life-furthering…
““The question is, how far an opinion is life-furthering, life-preserving, species-preserving, perhaps species-rearing, and we are fundamentally inclined to maintain that the falsest opinions (to which the synthetic judgments a priori belong), are the most indispensable to us, that without a recognition of logical fictions, without a comparison of reality with the purely IMAGINED world of the absolute and immutable, without a constant counterfeiting of the world by means of numbers, man could not live—that the renunciation of false opinions would be a renunciation of life, a negation of life.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Nietzsche argues that false beliefs are essential for life; abandoning them would mean denying existence itself.
In simple terms: False ideas sustain life; rejecting them is self‑destruction.
Key Takeaway
Question the usefulness of your convictions.
Themes
philosophy
truth
existentialism
Mood
critical
provocative
Type
philosophical
analytical
When to use this quote
- ethical decision making
- scientific skepticism
Key Concepts
falsity
cognitive necessity
life preservation
Questions to Reflect On
- What beliefs do you hold that might be false?
- Can you live without them?
A Different Perspective
Some false beliefs may be harmful.