Beyond Good and Evil · Chapter
13 explained
Nietzsche critiques the psychological dogma that self-preservation is the primary organic instinct, arguing instead that life's fundamental drive is the discharge of strength—the Will to Power—and that self-preservation is merely a frequent
What happens
Nietzsche critiques the psychological dogma that self-preservation is the primary organic instinct, arguing instead that life's fundamental drive is the discharge of strength—the Will to Power—and that self-preservation is merely a frequent by-product of this more essential force.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
The passage reveals the Wanderer's ultimate psychological exhaustion with seeking truth, climaxing in his desp…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Will to Power
Explicitly defined as life's primary essence: 'A living thing seeks above all to discharge its strength—life itself is Will to Power.'
- Psychology as the Fundamental Science
Directly addresses psychologists, challenging a core dogma and prescribing a methodological principle of economy for the science.
Characters to notice
- The Narrator
Directly addresses psychologists, critiquing their foundational assumptions and advocating for a methodological principle of economy.
- Baruch Spinoza
Cited as an example of inconsistency for positing the instinct of self-preservation as a superfluous teleological principle.
Key passages
“A living thing seeks above all to discharge its strength—life itself is Will to Power ; self-preservation is only one of the indirect and most frequent results thereof.”
The core drive of life is not to preserve itself but to expend its energy; this expansive force is the Will to Power, and survival is just a common side effect.
Central redefinition of life's primary motive.
“let us beware of superfluous teleological principles!—one of which is the instinct of self-preservation (we owe it to Spinoza’s inconsistency).”
We must avoid unnecessary goal-oriented explanations, like the instinct for self-preservation, a concept flawed by Spinoza's logical inconsistency.
Methodological critique targeting a specific historical figure and concept.
