The full quote is:
"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."
Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 146. I have some guesses, but I am interested in other interpretatioms. I appreciate any insight.
2006-12-26 18:56:10 · 5 answers · asked by Esse Est Percipi 4 in Education & Reference ➔ Quotations
It's a warning against becoming what you most fear and hate, its about the danger of becoming evil in fighting evil. An example would be someone who advocates torture to fight terrorism.
2006-12-26 19:08:55 · answer #1 · answered by the_mad_yovo 2 · 4⤊ 0⤋
In addition the given practical answers I think there's another purely mental one.
As you contemplate the nature of evil of deeds and the people that carry them out you suppress your emotional revulsion about what they have done. Think long & hard enough and you will begin to understand why they have done these things. Now that evil is inseparable from you. It has taken root and now "lives" in your mind.
2014-04-25 13:53:06 · answer #2 · answered by Truthiness 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nietzsche often switched points of view in aphorisms as a method for getting the ready to consider the concept from different angles. One interpretation is to say that this refers to a common phenomena. That is a person who has some free floating anxiety will find things to worry about. That is, if you go hunting for ghosts, you'll find them. It could also refer to the juxtaposition of the rational and irrational. Looking purposefully into the abyss would be a rational act of exploration. Seeing the abyss look back at you is an irrational, emotional reaction. I can't help but picture someone looking into a mirror when I read this quote. Which brings up the whole concept of perception vs reality. You can never see reality or an abyss. You can only see your own perception of your face in the mirror, or your perception or interpretation of the abyss. Gosh, who knows what the heck this means :-) I'm no philosopher :-)
2016-05-23 09:55:05 · answer #3 · answered by Mary 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My interpretation of this one is that those who contemplate humanity's darkness also invite that darkness into themselves.
It's an old idea "That which feeds me, also consumes me". There's an old ideogram which I think has its roots in the Middle Ages that symbolizes this, of a torch turned upside-down, so the flame burns the torch.
2006-12-27 01:52:38 · answer #4 · answered by 2Bs 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you focus on something for too long then it will become a part of you. Not necessarily a beneficial part.
2006-12-26 18:58:57 · answer #5 · answered by San Diego Art Nut 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋