What does 'beyond' mean in the following?

Question

I know, beyond just means outside a limit or further away. E.g. when I say something is beyond compare, it means it cannot be compared to anything.

But in the following, I'm not sure if I understand what does each of these phrases really mean

• Beyond good
• Beyond bad
• Beyond evil

If something is beyond good, is it bad?
If something is beyond bad, is it evil?
If something is beyond evil, is it good or bad?

Answer 1

In all of these cases, beyond is used as

b : in a degree or amount surpassing Ex. beautiful beyond measure

So in this example, you could instead say beyond beautiful to indicate that it is more beautiful than beautiful, which is the way the sentiment is constructed in each of your examples.

If something is beyond good, is it bad?

No, it's better than good. Might even be great.

If something is beyond bad, is it evil?  

It might be, but we can really only say for sure that it is badder than bad.

If something is beyond evil, is it good or bad?  

For most, evil is definitely bad. This something is more evil than just plain evil.

Answer 2

The answer is that this is idiomatic and metaphorical. "I am beyond good and evil" is an implication that the speaker is somehow more advanced than the concepts of good and evil, that their actions are for a higher purpose that renders them immune from being bothered by repercussions from doing wrong and benefits from doing good.

Most often it's used to imply that "The end justifies the means," which is to say that the speaker is likely doing evil things in the name of good, but that we can't see right now if ultimately his actions will be judged as good or evil, because we're too close to the subject.

If the context is informal, as in someone speaking to you, this is hyperbole, as there's not really any meaning to the term in this context other than that. You can't technically be beyond good.