Beyond Good and Evil: Nietzsche and the Deconstruction of Moral Values

Introduction

In the late 19th century, Friedrich Nietzsche experienced a period of personal isolation and commercial failures that profoundly influenced his intellectual production. Amid this adversity emerged one of his most emblematic works, Beyond Good and Evil, a book that challenges the foundations of Western philosophy and questions traditional ethical values. In this work, Nietzsche argues that the moral dichotomies and value antitheses that have dominated philosophical thought are not absolute but conventional constructions that must be overcome. This argument paved the way for new ways of thinking, later influencing movements like existentialism, poststructuralism and Jacques Derrida's deconstruction, among others.

The radical and provocative nature of Beyond Good and Evil led to its being perceived as a “dangerous” work—a label that does not censor the philosopher but underscores his capacity to revolutionize traditional ideas. The depth and boldness of the book make it a cornerstone of modern philosophy, capable of inspiring and unsettling in equal measure.

The Origins of Beyond Good and Evil

After the commercial failure of his book Human, All Too Human, Nietzsche faced profound disappointment. In December 1885, he wrote to his friend Franz Overbeck to express his frustration at the high costs imposed on him for liquidating the unsold copies, which precluded the possibility of a second edition:

“With Credner, I had already agreed on a second edition of Human, All Too Human, for which I had prepared everything (even the copy). An entire summer of work has gone into it! Schmeitzner prevented it by demanding the sum of 2,500 marks for the destruction of the remaining copies of the first edition. With this, as I have understood it, the possibility of a second edition is forever shelved.” (Letter to Franz Overbeck, December 1885, COV, p. 118, cited in Lavernia, Preface to Más allá del bien y del mal, 2018). My translation Spanish-English.

Amid this adversity, Nietzsche initially sought to reframe the project as a continuation of his earlier work, The Dawn. However, as he progressed in writing, he realized that the tone and content of the manuscript were too different. In a letter to Hermann Credner written in March 1886, he explained:

"The book cannot be published as a ‘continuation’ or ‘new series’ of The Dawn: I became convinced of this while copying the manuscript. It is too fundamental for that (and of a different tone)" (Letter to Hermann Credner, March 1886, COV, p. 156, cited in Lavernia, preface to Beyond Good and Evil, 2018). My translation Spanish-English.

Thus, what began as a project of continuity transformed into something radically new. Nietzsche's personal struggles not only shaped the book’s origins but also imbued it with a deeply introspective and philosophical character, laying the groundwork for his critique of traditional values and his exploration of new ideas.

The "Squid Ink" on the Pages of the Book

In a letter to Heinrich Köselitz dated April 21, 1886, Nietzsche described Beyond Good and Evil as a dark and challenging book:

“For what has flowed from my soul this time is a terrible book: very dark, almost squid ink. I feel as though I’ve grabbed something ‘by the horns’; although, most certainly, it’s not a ‘bull.’” (Letter to Heinrich Köselitz, April 1886, COV, p. 166, cited in Lavernia, Preface to Más allá del bien y del mal, 2018). My translation Spanish-English.

This metaphor, marked by a sense of playful self-awareness, reflects the somber and provocative nature of the work, which addresses fundamental philosophical questions with an unconventional tone. In the first chapter, On the Prejudices of Philosophers, Nietzsche challenges the traditional dichotomies that have guided Western philosophy, such as truth/falsehood and altruism/selfishness. For him, these oppositions are not absolute but deeply interwoven:

It might even be possible that what constitutes the value of those good and honoured things resides precisely in their being artfully related, knotted and crocheted to these wicked, apparently antithetical things, perhaps even in their being essentially identical with them. Perhaps! (Beyond Good and Evil, Section I, §2).

These reflections not only challenge traditional views of values but also anticipate the emergence of movements like poststructuralism and other 20th-century schools of thought. The idea that opposites can be interconnected and that dichotomies are arbitrary constructions would later resonate, for example, in Derrida's deconstruction, underscoring the relevance and lasting impact of Nietzsche's work.

The Perception of a Dangerous Book

The critical reception of Beyond Good and Evil in its time was marked by a mix of fascination and alarm, as reflected in the review by J. V. Widmann published in the Swiss newspaper Der Bund in September 1886. Widmann described the work as akin to the dynamite used in constructing the Gotthard Railway:

“The dynamite provisions used for the construction of the Gotthard railway bore a black safety flag indicating the danger of death. It is only in this exact sense that we should speak of the new book by the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche as a dangerous book. This characterization is not meant as a sign of censure against its author and his book, just as that black flag was not intended to censure those explosives.

Far from it, we would not dream of handing over the solitary thinker to the ravens of the pulpit and the rooks of the altar merely because of the danger posed by his book. Intellectual explosives, like material ones, can serve a very useful purpose; they do not necessarily have to be used for criminal ends. However, wherever such a substance is stored, it is wise to state clearly: here lies dynamite.” (J. V. Widmann, Der Bund, September 16/17, 1886, cited by Lavernia in Preface to Más allá del bien y del mal, 2018). My translation Spanish-English.

This metaphor does not aim to disqualify the book but to highlight its capacity to dismantle entrenched structures of Western philosophical thought. Like dynamite, Nietzsche's book is disruptive but also transformative. Its critique of traditional moral foundations, rejection of either-or structures, and exploration of the complexity of values generated an intellectual rupture that opened new possibilities for philosophy.

Although controversial, this work invites us to rethink notions of truth, morality, and value from a radically different perspective, making it a key precursor to 20th-century philosophical currents. The book’s "danger" ultimately lies in its ability to revolutionize human thought and expand the boundaries of what is possible.

Conclusion

Beyond Good and Evil is a work that, born of Friedrich Nietzsche's personal adversity, became a transformative milestone in philosophical thought. Its context of creation, marked by commercial failures and isolation, gave rise to a book imbued with profound critical depth and intellectual provocation.

The work challenged the traditional binary oppositions underpinning Western philosophy, asserting that opposing values are not absolute but intertwined and open to reinterpretation. This revolutionary stance, ahead of its time, foreshadowed philosophical currents such as existentialism, poststructuralism and Deconstruction, leaving an enduring legacy in contemporary philosophy.

Today, more than a century later, Beyond Good and Evil remains a "dangerous" book in the best sense of the word: a work that challenges dogmas, shakes our certainties, and compels us to rethink the very foundations of our understanding of the world. Its philosophical relevance and transformative power continue to resonate, making it an essential and indispensable piece in the field of the humanities.

Bibliography

Nietzsche, Friedrich. Más allá del bien y del mal: Preludio de una filosofía del futuro. Editado por Diego Sánchez Meca. Ilustrado por Archivo Anaya. Traducido y con notas de Kilian Lavernia. Madrid: Editorial Tecnos, 2018.

Nietzsche, Friedrich. Beyond Good and Evil: Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future. Translated by R. J. Hollingdale. Introduction by Michael Tanner. London: Penguin Books, 1990.

Derrida, Jacques. Of Grammatology. Translated by Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1976.