Beyond Good and Evil

In this book, Nietzsche takes the position that our subservience to fixed perspectives that are forced on us by our language and our ideals make us incapable of perceiving reality. He propounds the theory that ideals are not fixed but change over time, often dramatically, and end up becoming the exact opposite of what they originally were. For instance an abstraction like "good" could mean anything depending on who is using it. Wars have been fought, people have been silenced, disease and destruction have been let loose based on what is considered "good" by certain countries and people in power. Hence, the meaning and interpretation of words really depend on the will that chooses to manipulate them. The will in turn is subject to a shifting and eternally changing viewpoint, based on the power and status of those who operate it. Nietzsche then goes on to propose a new way of thinking that goes beyond such concepts like "good" and "evil".