Lou Salomé and I he Quest for Intimacy 267of according to the model of the insensible development of nature, but
must be regarded instead as a product of free will and creativity. It is
therefore impossible to rely on any natural process in regard to the Über-
mensch of the future; human intervention is called for. But what kind?
Nietzsche had at any rate absorbed enough biologism from the the-
ory of evolution and genetics to consider the idea of breeding to regu-
late reproduction. His recommendation—"Do not /^produce yourself,
but rather produce upward^ (4,90; Ζ First Part, "On Child and
Marriage'')—was cited earlier. What this "upward" means for biology
remains vague, but Zarathustra leaves no doubt that the "far too many"
should not be allowed to reproduce indiscriminately. "Far too many live,
and far too long they hang on their branches. If only a storm would
come to shake all of this rot and worm-eaten decay from the tree!" (4,94;
Ζ First Part, "On Free Death"). Rampant reproduction must be
stopped. Chance and the power of the great masses must not continue
to have the upper hand: "We are still fighting step by step with the giant
that is accident, and so far only nonsense, senselessness, has governed
over the whole of humanity" (4,100; ZFirst Part, "On the Gift-Giving
Virtue" § 2). To prevent the "madness" (4,100) of past generations from
erupting in current and future generations and landing all of history in
an awful state of "degeneration" (4,98; Ζ First Part, "On the Gift-
Giving Virtue" § 1), specific measures must be undertaken. Which ones?
As long as Zarathustra was singing arias full of pathos, Nietzsche had
no need to turn specific: "Pay careful attention, my brothers, to every
hour in which your spirit wants to speak in parables: that is the origin of
your virtue" (4,99; ZFirst Part, "On the Gift-Giving Virtue" § 1). The
virtue of parables affords Zarathustra the luxury of speaking in veiled
hints: "All names of good and evil are parables: they do not declare, they
only beckon" (4,98; Ζ First Part, "On the Gift-Giving Virtue" § 1).
Dropping only vague hints subject to a variety of interpretations allows
one to dodge responsibility. One merely has to declare that one has been
misunderstood. Zarathustra's speeches are carefully orchestrated, how-
ever, to ensure that the prophet encounters no opposition, demands, or