Thoughts Out of Season, Part II

The essays argue that an excessive historical sense debilitates contemporary culture by turning the past into an end in itself, producing paralysing criticism and a sterile objectivity that inhibits action; history should be a servant of life, aiding strong individuals while remaining burdensome to the weak. Nietzsche diagnoses modern critics as lacking self-mastery, contrasts the few who can rightly use history with the many who cannot, and contends that the pursuit of truth requires a will for justice. He then presents a model of the solitary educator who, by example and independent thought, revitalizes culture and encourages strength of character rather than passive historicism.