Summary
Zarathustra sits waiting for his final descent to humanity, surrounded by broken old tablets and half-written new ones. He reflects on his mission to shatter conventional morality and create new values. Through a series of proclamations, he dismantles traditional notions of good and evil, arguing that these are human constructs rather than eternal truths. He criticizes those who accept inherited wisdom without question, calling them spiritually lazy and life-denying. Zarathustra advocates for a 'new nobility' - not based on bloodline or wealth, but on the courage to create values and overcome oneself. He warns against parasites who feed off others' achievements and urges his followers to become hard like diamonds, capable of cutting through old illusions. The chapter presents Nietzsche's core philosophy: that humans must move beyond traditional morality to create meaning for themselves. Zarathustra calls for the destruction of old moral tablets so new ones can be written, emphasizing that this requires tremendous courage and self-overcoming. He argues that the 'good' people are actually the most dangerous because they preserve outdated values that limit human potential. This represents a pivotal moment where Zarathustra prepares to deliver his final teachings to humanity, having developed a comprehensive alternative to traditional morality based on self-creation and life-affirmation.
Coming Up in Chapter 57
As Zarathustra prepares for his final teaching mission, he must confront the ultimate test of his philosophy. The time approaches for him to face humanity one last time with his revolutionary message.
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An excerpt from the original text.(~500 words)
H1. ere do I sit and wait, old broken tables around me and also new half-written tables. When cometh mine hour? —The hour of my descent, of my down-going: for once more will I go unto men. For that hour do I now wait: for first must the signs come unto me that it is MINE hour—namely, the laughing lion with the flock of doves. Meanwhile do I talk to myself as one who hath time. No one telleth me anything new, so I tell myself mine own story. 2. When I came unto men, then found I them resting on an old infatuation: all of them thought they had long known what was good and bad for men. An old wearisome business seemed to them all discourse about virtue; and he who wished to sleep well spake of “good” and “bad” ere retiring to rest. This somnolence did I disturb when I taught that NO ONE YET KNOWETH what is good and bad:—unless it be the creating one! —It is he, however, who createth man’s goal, and giveth to the earth its meaning and its future: he only EFFECTETH it THAT aught is good or bad. And I bade them upset their old academic chairs, and wherever that old infatuation had sat; I bade them laugh at their great moralists, their saints, their poets, and their Saviours. At their gloomy sages did I bid them laugh, and whoever had sat admonishing as a black scarecrow on the tree of life. On their great grave-highway did I seat myself, and even beside the carrion and vultures—and I laughed at all their bygone and its mellow decaying glory. Verily, like penitential preachers and fools did I cry wrath and shame on all their greatness and smallness. Oh, that their best is so very small! Oh, that their worst is so very small! Thus did I laugh. Thus did my wise longing, born in the mountains, cry and laugh in me; a wild wisdom, verily!—my great pinion-rustling longing. And oft did it carry me off and up and away and in the midst of laughter; then flew I quivering like an arrow with sun-intoxicated rapture: —Out into distant futures, which no dream hath yet seen, into warmer souths than ever sculptor conceived,—where gods in their dancing are ashamed of all clothes: (That I may speak in parables and halt and stammer like the poets: and verily I am ashamed that I have still to be a poet!) Where all becoming seemed to me dancing of Gods, and wantoning of Gods, and the world unloosed and unbridled and fleeing back to itself:— —As an eternal self-fleeing and re-seeking of one another of many Gods, as the blessed self-contradicting, recommuning, and refraternising with one another of many Gods:— Where all time seemed to me a blessed mockery of moments, where necessity was freedom itself, which played happily with the goad of freedom:— Where I also found again mine old devil and arch-enemy, the spirit...
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Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Value Creation
The tendency to accept moral and social frameworks without examination, leading to spiritual stagnation and disconnection from authentic purpose.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to identify which beliefs you actually tested versus which ones you simply accepted without examination.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when you follow a 'should' and ask yourself: Did I choose this rule, or did it choose me?
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Terms to Know
Tablets of Values
Nietzsche's metaphor for moral codes and belief systems that societies create and follow. The 'old tablets' represent traditional religious and social rules, while 'new tablets' represent values we create for ourselves.
Modern Usage:
We see this when people reject inherited beliefs about success, relationships, or purpose and create their own life philosophy.
Academic Chairs
Represents established authority and traditional wisdom that goes unquestioned. Nietzsche uses this to criticize institutions that teach old ideas without examining if they still work.
Modern Usage:
Like when we question whether college is always worth it, or challenge workplace hierarchies that don't make sense anymore.
Creating One
The person who makes their own values instead of accepting what they're told is right or wrong. This person takes responsibility for deciding what gives their life meaning.
Modern Usage:
Someone who builds their own business instead of following the traditional career path, or creates their own definition of family.
New Nobility
Not aristocrats by birth or money, but people who earn respect through self-improvement and creating value. They're noble because of their character and achievements.
Modern Usage:
Like healthcare workers, teachers, or entrepreneurs who earn respect through their work and integrity, not their connections.
Somnolence
Mental sleepiness or laziness where people accept ideas without thinking. Nietzsche criticizes people who go through life on autopilot, never questioning anything.
Modern Usage:
Like scrolling social media mindlessly or following trends without asking why, or accepting 'that's just how things are done.'
Self-Overcoming
The process of constantly improving yourself and pushing past your limitations. It means facing your fears and weaknesses to become stronger.
Modern Usage:
Going back to school as an adult, leaving a toxic relationship, or learning new skills even when it's scary or difficult.
Characters in This Chapter
Zarathustra
Philosophical teacher and prophet
He sits preparing for his final mission to humanity, reflecting on how he's challenged people's comfortable beliefs about right and wrong. He's both confident in his message and aware of how difficult it will be to change minds.
Modern Equivalent:
The life coach who tells hard truths people don't want to hear
The Good People
Antagonists representing conventional morality
Zarathustra identifies them as the most dangerous because they preserve outdated values that limit human potential. They're comfortable with old ways and resist change.
Modern Equivalent:
People who say 'we've always done it this way' and resist any innovation
The Parasites
Social critics representing those who live off others
They feed off other people's achievements and energy without contributing anything valuable themselves. Zarathustra warns against becoming like them.
Modern Equivalent:
The coworker who takes credit for your ideas or the friend who only calls when they need something
The New Nobility
Ideal followers and future leaders
These are the people Zarathustra hopes to inspire - those brave enough to create their own values and overcome themselves. They represent humanity's potential.
Modern Equivalent:
The single mom who goes to nursing school while working two jobs
Key Quotes & Analysis
"NO ONE YET KNOWETH what is good and bad:—unless it be the creating one!"
Context: He's explaining why he disturbed people's comfortable beliefs about morality
This is Nietzsche's core argument that moral values aren't handed down by God or nature - they're created by humans. Only those brave enough to take responsibility for creating meaning can truly know what's valuable.
In Today's Words:
Nobody really knows what's right or wrong unless they're willing to figure it out for themselves instead of just following what they were taught.
"An old wearisome business seemed to them all discourse about virtue; and he who wished to sleep well spake of 'good' and 'bad' ere retiring to rest."
Context: Describing how people treat morality like a bedtime story that helps them sleep
Nietzsche criticizes how people use moral talk as a comfort blanket rather than a serious guide for living. They prefer simple answers that let them avoid hard thinking.
In Today's Words:
People treat right and wrong like a boring lecture - they just want the simple version that makes them feel good about themselves.
"It is he, however, who createth man's goal, and giveth to the earth its meaning and its future"
Context: Explaining what makes the 'creating one' special
This emphasizes that meaning isn't discovered but created. The most important people are those who dare to set new goals and give direction to human progress.
In Today's Words:
The people who matter are the ones who decide what we're working toward and what makes life worth living.
Thematic Threads
Identity
In This Chapter
Zarathustra defines himself as a value-creator rather than a follower, establishing identity through self-overcoming
Development
Evolved from earlier themes of becoming—now shows the active work of identity creation
In Your Life:
You might recognize this when you realize you're living according to others' definitions of success rather than your own.
Class
In This Chapter
Advocates for a 'new nobility' based on courage and self-creation rather than inherited status or wealth
Development
Builds on earlier class critiques by proposing an alternative hierarchy based on spiritual courage
In Your Life:
You see this when you realize that real worth comes from personal growth and courage, not job titles or bank accounts.
Social Expectations
In This Chapter
Directly challenges conventional morality and the expectation to accept inherited wisdom without question
Development
Culmination of ongoing critique of social conformity—now calls for active rebellion against expectations
In Your Life:
This appears when you feel pressure to follow life scripts that don't match your actual values or circumstances.
Personal Growth
In This Chapter
Presents self-overcoming and value creation as the highest form of human development
Development
Synthesizes earlier growth themes into a comprehensive philosophy of self-creation
In Your Life:
You experience this when you realize that real growth means questioning everything you've been taught and building your own wisdom.
Human Relationships
In This Chapter
Warns against 'parasitic' relationships where people feed off others' achievements or thinking rather than developing their own
Development
Extends earlier relationship themes to examine the quality and authenticity of human connections
In Your Life:
You see this in relationships where you're always giving energy but never receiving genuine growth or support in return.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What does Zarathustra mean when he talks about breaking old tablets and writing new ones?
analysis • surface - 2
Why does Zarathustra argue that 'good' people can actually be dangerous to human growth?
analysis • medium - 3
Where do you see people in your life accepting rules or values without questioning whether they actually work?
application • medium - 4
How would you decide which inherited beliefs to keep and which to discard in your own life?
application • deep - 5
What does this chapter reveal about the relationship between comfort and personal growth?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Audit Your Inherited Rules
Make two columns on paper. In the left column, list 5-7 rules or beliefs you follow that you learned from family, work, or society (like 'always be nice,' 'work comes first,' or 'don't rock the boat'). In the right column, write whether each rule actually serves your life well, or if it sometimes holds you back. Circle the ones that might need updating.
Consider:
- •Some inherited wisdom is genuinely helpful and worth keeping
- •Question the rule, not necessarily the person who taught it to you
- •Small changes in personal rules can create big shifts in life satisfaction
Journaling Prompt
Write about one inherited rule that you've outgrown. How did you realize it wasn't serving you anymore? What would your own version of that rule look like?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 57: The Hardest Truth to Swallow
The coming pages reveal confronting life's deepest truths can temporarily break us down, and teach us our greatest insights often come with periods of recovery. These discoveries help us navigate similar situations in our own lives.