E. H. Carr, The New Society (1951), Chap. 6 : The Road to Freedom
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Nietzsche follows the path till he reaches a complete and absolute nihilism never perhaps achieved before or since in human thinking. Human action is deprived not merely of any rational motive but of any super-rational motive. It becomes simply the expression of a biological urge to self-assertion ; the will to power. Standing beyond good and evil, and recognizing no conscious ultimate purpose, Nietzsche's superman is the perfect animal. Nietzsche is at the opposite pole to those who subordinate means to ends and hold that the end sanctifies the means. He believes only in action as a good in itself without reference to ends.

— E. H. Carr on Friedrich Nietzsche

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Nietzsche follows the path till he reaches a complete and absolute nihilism never perhaps achieved before or since in human thinking. Human action is deprived not merely of any rational motive but of any super-rational motive. It becomes simply the expression of a biological urge to self-assertion ; the will to power. Standing beyond good and evil, and recognizing no conscious ultimate purpose, Nietzsche's superman is the perfect animal. Nietzsche is at the opposite pole to those who subordinate means to ends and hold that the end sanctifies the means. He believes only in action as a good in itself without reference to ends." in the context of "E. H. Carr, The New Society (1951), Chap. 6 : The Road to Freedom" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Friedrich Nietzsche" (Quotes about Nietzsche: Alphabetized by surname., C) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
E. H. Carr

About E. H. Carr

Edward Hallett "Ted" Carr, CBE (28 June 1892 – 3 November 1982) was an English historian, diplomat, journalist and international relations theorist.