Questioning moral certainty › Why demand the truth?

Suppose a belief makes a difficult life bearable. Discovering that it is false might still be necessary, but why? An answer such as “because truth matters” expresses a commitment without yet explaining its value. Beyond Good and Evil begins by asking what supports that commitment. Nietzsche wants the demand for truth to undergo the questioning that philosophers ordinarily direct toward other beliefs (§1).

The question is uncomfortable because inquiry already depends on caring about truth. Nietzsche does not resolve that difficulty by recommending convenient falsehoods. He asks whether truth has unconditional value, whatever the kind of truth, the circumstances of knowing it, and the life it makes possible. In §4 he even proposes that the falsity of a judgment need not by itself settle the case against it. We should also ask what role the judgment plays in sustaining life.

This creates two questions that should remain distinct. Is a belief true? What makes having that belief valuable? A comforting explanation can be false, while a true explanation can be painful. Neither observation establishes that truth should be abandoned. It establishes the need to defend the priorities with which we approach it. The book's larger challenge is to expose assumptions about truth and morality that have acquired authority without being adequately examined.