Thumbs Down
[2010-11-29 05:15]

That which does not kill us makes us stronger. -- Friedrich Nietzsche

This idea gets cited a lot, so much so that it's become a crutch for would-be thinkers. Most recently, some talking head on CNN was using this idea to rationalize whatever idea he had with regards to the current recession, the gist being that the recession is a good thing.

Along with "Survival of the fittest" and Occam's Razor (often summarized as "The simplest explanation is more likely the correct one"), Nietzsche's statement is one of my least favorite axioms, although my scorn is directed mostly at how these ideas are misused or abused, rather than at the ideas themselves.

While I suspect Nietzsche was speaking figuratively, at best it's just wishful thinking or searching for silver linings. Ultimately, it's just one of those statements that can never be disproved because the definitions of "does not kill us" and "stronger" can be tweaked any way you want to support the statement. As a result, it's meaningless.

Rather than try to deconstruct this idea philosophically and/or grammatically, my argument is simply this: I challenge you to get an axe and chop off your thumb. If you can manage it, chop them both off. Then, call an ambulance to take you to the hospital. Doing this probably won't kill you and, if Nietzsche is correct, you'll be stronger for having done so. Any takers?

Until the day someone takes me up on this challenge and demonstrates how they are better off for doing so, I have to give Nietzsche's statement thumbs down.