Revolting Against Society

The Mindset of a Criminal Part 3

(This is Part 3 in a series)

In Friedrich Nietzsche’s discussion of the '“Criminal and His Like” in his book Twilight of the Idols, Nietzsche describes those who are similar to the criminal and why:

“I call your attention to the fact that even now, under the sway of the mildest customs and usages which have ever ruled on earth or at least in Europe, every form of standing aside, every kind of prolonged excessively prolonged concealment, every unaccustomed and obscure form of existence to approximate to that type which the criminal exemplifies to perfection.”

This is where Nietzsche sums up his analysis of the criminal type: every kind of unusual and out of the ordinary type of existence is similar to what the criminal illustrates. The customs and values in society which labels someone as a criminal or outsider does not allow them to fit in. Their actions are a rebellion to the society that they do not feel that they belong to.

Nietzsche adds more to this by stating:

“All pioneers of the spirit have, for a while, the grey fatalistic mark of the Chandala on their brows: not because they are regarded as Chandala, but because they themselves feel the terrible chasm which separates them from all that is traditional and honourable. Almost every genius knows the ‘Catilinarian life’ as one of the stages in his development,; a feeling of hate, revenge and revolt; against everything that exists, that has ceased to evolve…Catiline - the early stage of every Caesar.”

In other words, Nietzsche is saying that pioneers of the spirit. such as geniuses, artists, or great explorers, are marked with being outside the norms of society. They also feel a painful void that prevents them from being connected to customs, tradition, and honor.

For some historical context, when Nietzsche says “the genius knows the Catilinarian life” as a stage of development, he’s referring to a historic event. It was an unsuccessful revolt by an aristocrat named Catiline to overthrow the late Roman Republic in 63 B.C. Cataline had to conceal his actions, conspire with supporters and unsuccessfully tried to overthrow the Roman Republic with an armed insurrection. This occurred when Julius Caesar was younger and a government officer. Caesar supported Cataline to an extent. Eventually, Caesar overthrew the Roman Republican leaders a few decades later, and became the emperor of Rome. Caesar succeeded where Cataline failed.

This summarizes how the criminal, businessman, genius, and great explorer revolt against the society that they are in, like Cataline and Caesar. They all do not share a belongingness in the societies that they are in. Almost like they are lashing out at a world that they cannot relate to.

References:

Catiline | Roman Conspirator, Insurrection Attempt | Britannica

Nietzsche, Friedrich (1889). Twilight of the Idols, pgs 77-78. Wordsworth Editions Limited.