Beyond Good and Evil · Chapter
174 explained
A brief, direct address to Utilitarians, accusing them of hypocrisy.
What happens
A brief, direct address to Utilitarians, accusing them of hypocrisy. The narrator claims they only value utility as a means to fulfill their own desires and find the practical 'noise' of its application unbearable.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book.
- 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
- Critique of Modernity
Targets Utilitarianism as a modern moral and social doctrine, questioning the sincerity of its adherents and their discomfort with the practical consequences of their own theory.
Characters to notice
- The Narrator
Directly addresses and critiques the Utilitarians, revealing a scornful, accusatory tone.
Key passages
“Ye Utilitarians—ye, too, love the utile only as a vehicle for your inclinations—ye, too, really find the noise of its wheels insupportable!”
You Utilitarians are hypocrites. You claim to champion utility, but you only use it as a tool to serve your own personal desires, and you can't stand the actual, noisy reality of putting it into practice.
A concise, polemical accusation of bad faith against a specific philosophical school.
