So, N asks us why are so many of the great philosophers, chas, they don't have, they don't have wives? Kant, Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard, Rousseau, I mean Socrates had a wife, but Socrates literally chose the most annoying woman he could find to

test his resolve, right? So, so that, that doesn't really count. So, that's the question: why do philosophers not get married? I think N has a very interesting answer here. It's because most people get married to have progeny, to have kids, right, to have their name live on. But the

philosopher already has a channel for his name to live on, and it's through his books. So, again, it's not like the philosopher is more enlightened, it's not like the philosopher no longer cares about his name living on after his own death. It's that he's found a better

will-to-power route to exercise that same desire. I quote, "To unchain Poverty, humility, Chastity. Look at the lives of all great, fruitful, inventive Spirits close up, one will always find all three to a certain degree, certainly not, as goes without saying, as if these were their virtues,

but rather because their supreme Lord, philosophy, demands it of them, demands prudently and relentlessly. He has a mind for only philosophy and gathers everything, time, energy, love interest, only for this, saves it only for this." N's point is this: poverty, chastity,

humility, the, the philosopher does not choose these because he's virtuous, he chooses these because these are the conditions that allow him to do his great work. So, let's take poverty for example. The philosopher's orientation is not to make money, he's not focused on

making money even if you offered him possessions, he's not going to want them. Why? Because having possessions comes with obligations, it comes with demands. So he didn't choose to be poor because it's virtuous, he chose to be poor because that's not his focus in

life, that's not where he directs his will to power. Now obviously, we want to push back against N here and say, but isn't having truth seeking rather than moneymaking as your primary goal, isn't that virtuous? And he's just going to say

there's a lot of issues with truth seeking as your primary goal. We're going to talk about that very soon, but even if it were more virtuous to live a truth seeking life than a money seeking life, that's not why the philosopher chose it.

The philosopher chose it because his dispositions, his circumstances, his resources better suited him to exercise will to power in the domain of Truth. So I've had a lot of personal experience here where I've been up close and personal with the top intellectuals as well as the top capitalists in the world.

And they hate each other, right? The capitalists think the intellectuals are poisoning the well of ideas, and the intellectuals think the capitalists are hoarding all the resources and they see a vast chasm of difference between each other. But when you get up close and

personal, especially when you look at the elite of both, the similarity, I think, and I think N is right here, is greater than the difference. They all have that maniacal focus, they all have that unrelenting drive to succeed, to win out. They all have a super strong will to power and I

suspect that Nietzsche is right that the only thing that made them go one way or the other is not because I don't know capitalism can help everyone or because truth seeking is the most virtuous life, it's because their dispositions, their circumstance, their relationships, their

resources better predispose them to exercise their Will To Power in one domain rather than the other. Okay, and the same story goes with humility. Philosophers are not more humble because they're moderate, it's the exact opposite: their immoderate pursuit of the truth is why they are humble

because they don't want to get bothered by people. Okay, so that's why they don't advertise themselves, that's why they don't play their name on things. So the aesthetic ideal of the philosopher is an expression of the will to power because it's by rejecting the usual demands of

life, money, sex, name, that the philosopher can fully devote himself to Truth at all costs. That's what his aesthetic ideal is: truth at all cost to life. So will to power is a central idea in Nietzsche. Let me read to you how Nietzsche describes it in his own

words: "Every animal instinctively strives for an Optimum of favorable conditions under which it can vent its power completely and attain its maximum in the feeling of power." The interpretation of the world of power, there's many that makes the most sense to me is that more often than not, even

if we're not aware of it, we do most things out of a desire to increase our feeling of power. So it's not a blanket metaphysical thesis, it's not even a blanket psychological thesis that everything is Will To Power, it's simply

the much more reduced, but still interesting, point that more than meets the eye is motivated out of power. Thanks for watching this clip. My name is Jonathan B. and I'm creating accessible lectures and interviews on the great books. If you want to watch the full lecture where this clip came from, 

click here. If you want to go even deeper into these ideas beyond what I put out on YouTube, then join my email list at readthebooks. You'll not only get lectures and interviews but also transcripts, book summaries, and essays, all to help you 

explore the most important books in history. Thank you.

Nietzsche: Why Great Thinkers Don't Have Wives

Johnathan Bi

Why Philosophers Don't Marry: A Nietzschean Perspective

The question of why many great philosophers remained unmarried is posed, with examples like Kant, Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard, and Rousseau.

A proposed answer is that philosophers achieve immortality through their work, unlike the typical motivation for marriage (progeny).

This isn't about enlightenment, but a different path to fulfilling the will to power.

Nietzsche's view: poverty, humility, and chastity are not virtues, but necessities for philosophical work.

Poverty is not chosen for virtue, but because possessions bring obligations that distract from philosophical pursuits.

The speaker addresses the counterargument that truth-seeking is virtuous, but notes that Nietzsche would disagree.

The philosopher's choice is driven by their circumstances and how they best exercise their will to power.

Anecdotal evidence comparing intellectuals and capitalists highlights a shared maniacal focus and strong will to power.

The difference lies in how their dispositions and circumstances direct their will to power (towards truth or wealth).

Humility and the Aesthetic Ideal of the Philosopher

Philosophers' humility stems from their immoderate pursuit of truth, leading them to avoid distractions.

Their aesthetic ideal is a rejection of life's typical demands to fully devote themselves to truth.

Nietzsche's definition of will to power is presented: striving for optimal conditions to fully exert power.

Will to Power: A Concluding Interpretation

The speaker clarifies that will to power is not a universal explanation for all actions, but a significant motivator.

The speaker concludes that many actions are motivated by a desire to increase one's feeling of power.

The speaker promotes their lectures and interviews on great books, encouraging viewers to watch the full lecture and join their email list.

Nietzsche: Why Great Thinkers Don't Have Wives

Nietzsche: Why Great Thinkers Don't Have Wives

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