Nietzsche claims that the overabundance of history in an age is potentially damaging to its life in five respects, which he sets out in Chapter 5. Through excess, an age imagines itself as more worthy than other ages, or, alternately, as a latecomer, and thus regards itself with irony and cynicism. This paralyses society, which Nietzsche claims has grown lax and weak, its instinct blunted.

Individuals become unsure and lack self-belief in such an atmosphere. Outward identity, meanwhile, becomes a series of masks and puppets. Sincerity will redress this dichotomy between inner and outer, helping cultivate a society that responds to true need. Education, at present, too often serves to “teach [one] to lie to oneself about those needs and thus become a walking lie” (27).

The vacillations and cowardice of the modern soul are contrasted with the constancy of the Stoics. The contemporary ruling class could not be compared with the ancient Romans, since the former are “incarnate compendia.” History is neuter according to Nietzsche, for whom neutrality pertains both to gender and objectivity. Criticism, the echo that an act has within the culture, is positive, because it means that the act has made an impact.