Pathos of distance#
Summary#
The pathos of distance arises from the incarnated difference of classes, from the ruling caste’s constant practice of looking down upon subordinates and their habits of commanding and obeying. This social distance between ranks gives birth to a more mysterious inner pathos: a longing for ever-widening distance within the soul itself, driving the formation of higher, rarer, more comprehensive states. It is the psychological precondition for the elevation and self-surmounting of the human type.