Hey Philosophers, I need your opinion on the meaning of this Nietzsche quote:?

Question

"It is easier to cope with a bad conscience than with a bad reputation."

I use the quote for one of my mail signatures and I thought it meant, simply, that it's easier for you to forgive yourself than it is for the world to get over what you've done. In other words, once you've lied, it will always be difficult for anyone to ever believe you again, to paraphrase another of Nietzsche's quotes. But the reactions I've been getting to my mail sig have been pretty negative! One friend said to me "Are you saying that bad deeds don't matter, as long as you don't get caught?" and another simply said "I don't like it!".

So what's your take on the quote? BTW, I don't know much about Nietzsche which I'm assuming would help me to understand this better.

Answer 1

Part of the problem with interpreting Nietzsche is that he often preferred to say several things at once and use as few words as possible while doing it. So it's important not to skip even one word.

You'll note, for example, he's comparing two things that you 'cope with'. Thus, it's pretty clear he doesn't think either of them is good... they're BOTH bad things that a person has to deal with. People who suggest that he's advocating having a bad conscience or advocating having a bad reputation are missing the point. He pretty clearly thinks that the best situation would be having a good conscience AND a good reputation.

But if you had to choose one or the other, he thinks a bad conscience is easier to deal with. The reason he thinks this is the case can be found in some of his other writings. To Nietzsche, conscience is entirely self-imposed. It is a feeling that you make yourself feel. And that's the point - because you are causing the feeling, you can also stop the feeling any time you choose to. How OTHER people feel, however, it entirely outside of your control. We see politicians regularly spend millions of dollars and still fail to positively influence most of the public. So it does seem to be the case that bad conscience is easier to stop than bad reputation.

But again note that he's not suggesting that you do this at all. He doesn't say, 'because bad conscience is easier to cope with you should always choose it over a bad reputation'. And that's an important distinction too. In some of his other writings, he often notes that a superior person seeks out challanges because he likes to overcome them. To Nietzsche, it is a coward and a weakling who always takes the easy way out.

Taken all together, it would seem that Nietzsche is advocating the very opposite of what people say. A good restatement might be, "A weak person chooses bad conscience over bad reputation." Also arguably a pretty true statement. And who wants to be weak?

Answer 2

I think he means that your ability to function in the world is less impaired by a bad conscience than a bad reputation.

A bad reputation might mean that you are unable to marry, conduct business etc because no one trusts you. But people can hide a bad conscience, even from themselves.

Bad conscience is not just created by bad deeds. If you live a life doing what is expected of you but not what you want deep down, you will have a good reputation but a bad conscience.

Nietzsche may have been taking a stab at a favourite target here as well, good old Plato who always implied that it's better to be good than seem good.

Oh, and keep in mind that when Nietzsche says "easier" that does not imply "better." Quite the contrary.

Answer 3

Nietzsche Bad Conscience

Answer 4

To reword it without changing its meaning, "it's harder to deal with a bad reputation than dealing with one's own bad conscience."I am not sure what he means by bad, in bad conscience. But, I think the quote means: that it's hard to change what other people know you for, and easier to know yourself for who you really are. If I have understood the quote correctly, then this can be true. If you act like a idiot, then people may think you are one (which you usually can't control how they think of you, unless you change), but deep down inside you know you are just acting, and so can deal with that much more easily than if someone else thinks you are one.

But then again, Nietzsche could have been wrong also and the opposite might be true or it could depend on the situation.

What book of Nietzsche was this quote from?

Answer 5

Your friends are right when they say "Are you saying that bad deeds don't matter, as long as you don't get caught?". While you on the other hand have a more benevolent meaning behind the quote, which is also correct and is a good thing if you explain your take properly to each one of your friend who see it the other way. While Niectzche (who had a lot of issues) simply meant exactly as the quote says. In his time, he suffered bad reputation and did bad things that gnawed on his conscience. He compared the two to see which one he suffered less: bad conscience or bad reputation? Unfortunately for him, the thoughts and opinion of others about him really mattered (that's why his views on women and sex), hence having a bad reputation is, for him, much harder to cope .

Answer 6

Basically, what this quote says is, most people will take the easy way out to save face. If, to save face, they have to do something very bad, they will do it just so they don't look bad to their peers. For instance:
Person A is known as the 'A' student. They take a class and keep getting consistent 'C's and they have a test coming up. So, they steal a copy of the test answers and ace the test so they can get another 'A' and won't lose their reputation as the 'A' student.

That's what that means. It's easier to do the wrong thing and look good, than it is to do the right thing and be thought poorly of.

Answer 7

I disagree with the statement and much of what Nietzsche came up with, but I think the quote is saying that you are less tough on yourself than other would be if they knew what you did wrong. This could be taken two ways, one like you have been told already do what you like as long as you are not caught it will go easy on you, or two, and this seems more likely, don't burden others with your sins. If you do something don't try to make it easier on yourself by telling someone to share the load. Nietzsche was a bad man and he wanted to help others to help himself, his advice came from flawed reasoning and is now so much out of date that it is hard to differentiate the fashion of the time from genuine errors in his thinking, we are all victims of our age, Nietzsche was trapped in the past and had issues with sex and women and his thinking was based on a conservative world which does not exist any more. I read him because I got caught up in the romance of the image of the man, but that is a fabrication too, so read him if you will, learn where you can, but don't quote him at people unless you are prepared to be misunderstood.

Answer 8

Hello,

I do not see the word, "lie" in this quote. It could encompass many situations. I think what he means that if you have a bad conscience because of something you did which could be anything from ordering a firing squad as an officer to laying off a bunch of people in your company for personal gain at the expense of their livelyhood you only have your inner self to deal with and perhaps my not sleep well at night.

If you have a bad reputation that means you have to cope with many others who do not trust in you, your words or abilities and the social pressure increases exponentially and your lifestyle both economic and personal will certainly suffer, thus adding a lot more to your plate pschologically.


Cheers,

Michael Kelly

Answer 9

nietzsche liked to say error isn't stupidity, but cowardice. he meant that when philosophers err, it's because they don't want to be right. maybe they have an unconscious realization that contradicts their whole world view, or upsets years of hard work... so instead of acknowledging new perspectives, they suppress them.

nietzsche published a book about greek drama (the birth of tragedy) that blew away everything that was being written at the time. it's since come to be regarded as a classic and a work of genius "that left a generation of scholarship in its toils", but at the time, it was so fresh and unique that his peers trashed it. nietzsche had just become the youngest professor in the history of his university, but now his career was as good as over. philology students transferred away so as not to be associated with him.

the thing is, he was right. the people who attacked him weren't stupid, they were threatened. if they acknowledged the merits of his book, they would have discredited themselves. instead of being honest, they were self-serving.

which is pretty much the norm, i think.

but i think you have it backwards. he's saying, a bit sarcastically maybe, that it's easier to live with a lie than to be misunderstood. considering he was broke and living on a tiny pension when he could have been a famous professor, i'd say he has a point.

Answer 10

The quote means if you did something wrong, it is better to cover it up and keep covering it up, even if you have been discovered, than to own up and apologize for your misdeed.

This advice has been followed. If a scandal breaks out, you never, ever see a politician accept the blame unless he there is no way to lie themselves out of it (caught red handed).

In contrast, in the business world, if you are an employee and make a mistake, it is better to quickly own up it and tell how you will prevent this from ever happening again. A small percentage of mistakes is expected by employees but dishonesty is never tolerated.

This is why you have been getting so much flack from your emails at work. The quote says it is better to cover up your errors than to be honest.