Abstract
During the late Qing and early Republican periods, Lu Xun, driven by a profound sense of despair, began to question the established ethical principles of his time. In his view, what was traditionally considered good became evil, while conventional evil took on the semblance of good. This reversal of values was influenced by Nietzsche's concept of the “revaluation of all values”, which challenged and overturned traditional ethical concepts. Lu Xun identified certain forms of the “banality of evil”, such as “spectators”, “servile saboteurs” and “arrogant conformists”, which highlighted the weaknesses in the national character and served as a remedy for them. He further exposed the more terrifying evil rooted in traditional customs, which not only established external moral laws but also permeated the collective unconscious, forming a “nameless, unconscious killing force.” This force, metaphorically encapsulated in the image of an “iron house,” suffocated the spirit and took lives without visible bloodshed. Lu Xun's judgment of good and evil, in its resistance to outdated conventions, subtly echoes Nietzsche's anti-secular indignation and his rebellious ethical stance.
Keywords
Lu Xun, Friedrich Nietzsche, reversal of good and evil, the banality of evil, the evil of traditional customs
First Page
20
Last Page
28
Recommended Citation
Zhaoping, Yu. 2024. "Lu Xun's Judgement of Good and Evil, and Nietzsche's Ethical Concepts." Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art 44, (4): pp.20-28. https://tsla.researchcommons.org/journal/vol44/iss4/4
