Nietzsche's Beyond Good And Evil: The Hard Way (018)

It is certainly not the least charm of a theory that it is refutable; it is precisely thereby that it attracts the more subtle minds. It seems that the hundred-times-refuted theory of the "free will" owes its persistence to this charm alone; some one is always appearing who feels himself strong enough to refute it.

In this short passage, Nietzsche argues that the self-preservation of theories is a function of their refutability. Intellects love to refute theories; to flex their muscles around an incomplete knowledge-space. It's no wonder why the theory of “free will” is so popular (and has been around forever!). There is always someone willing to take on the challenge of refuting it! Or, perhaps, refuting its refutation!

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