American Nietzsche: A History of an Icon and His Ideas

by Jennifer Ratner-Rosenhagen

Nietzsche’s own writings about genius helped flesh out the stillforming notion of the freelance thinker. He characterized genius as antagonistic to all traditional sources of authority, hence hostile to moral complacency, and he argued that society is equally hostile to it in return. However, Nietzsche also emphasized the geniality of intolerance for the genius. “Mutilation, crippling, [and] a serious deficiency in an organ offers the occasion for an uncommonly successful development of another organ,” he argued.“It is in this way one can suppose many a glittering talent to have originated.”53 According to Nietzsche, the formation of a genius requires not just social intolerance but self-sacrifice. The “greatness” of the genius is that “he expends himself … he uses himself up, he does not spare himself ” in his “devotion to an idea, a great cause.” While he gives himself freely in the pursuit of a higher aim, society thanks him with its all-too-human “gratitude” : it misunderstands him.54 Brilliance. Greatness. Alienation. Genius