Work · Friedrich Nietzsche
On Truth and Lies in an Extra-Moral Sense
The essay examines how sensations, images and words become concepts and then truths taken for granted.
Understanding the text
An unpublished 1873 essay; it should not automatically be treated as Nietzsche's final doctrine.
Key points
- 01
Metaphor
Moving from stimulus to image and word involves transformation rather than transparent copying.
- 02
Concept
Classification equalizes different cases while forgetting their particularities.
- 03
Convention
Social truth also depends on shared rules for the legitimate use of words.
How to read it
Reconstruct the transitions between sensation and language before concluding that the text endorses unrestricted relativism.
Editions & sources
Summaries and key points are original editorial interpretations. They accompany reading the work and do not replace an edition of the text. Editorial method ↗