The Book On The Genealogy Of Morality - 1423 Words

Masters and slaves are constantly discussed throughout Nietzsche’s work, but the connection between them is discussed best in his book On the Genealogy of Morality. The first of the three essays outlines two alternate structures for the creation of values, which is credited to masters and the other to slaves. These two structures are controlled by different intangible themes. The first is ‘good/bad’ in terms of master morality and the second is ‘evil/good’ in terms of the slave morality. Noble classes and races, according to Nietzsche, started by defining their actions, themselves and their way of life as ‘good’, while ‘bad’ simply referred to anything that was not noble – â€Å"everything lowly, low-minded, common and plebeian† (OGM, Sec. I.2). In contrast, the morality of slaves discusses a position of weakness rather than strength. It starts by redefining the masters’ values as ‘evil’, while ‘good’ refers to anything opposed to that of ‘evil’. Unable to create their own original values, the slaves instead invert the values of their masters. This makes the master morality affirmative and favorable, while the slave morality is reactant and adverse. Deleuze, in an interpretatio n of Nietzsche, summarizes these two positions as a constrasting formula: where the master’s saying is â€Å"I am good, so that means you are bad†, while the slave’s logic is that of ‘ressentiment’: â€Å"You are evil, so that means I am good.† It seems as if the relationship between masters and slaves is that ofShow MoreRelatedMorality And The Origins Of Morality852 Words   |  4 PagesNietzsche understands â€Å"morality† as the set of values typical of the European society of his days. In this sense, it is safe to say that Nietzsche opposes morality and that genealogy serves the ultimate goal of undermining it. However, it is legitimate to envision for genealogy a scope for application which goes beyond the particular morality of 19th century Germans. Accordingly, my claim is that in Nietzsche European morality represents just one possible form of morality. Nietzsche himself seemsRead MoreMost Of The Times Nietzsche Understands And Uses The Word744 Words   |  3 Pagesand uses the word morality as the set of values and ideals typical of Christian western society. In this sense, it is safe to say that Nietzsche opposes morality and that genealogy serves the ultimate goal of undermining it. However, genealogy ha s of course a scope for application beyond the particular morality of 19th century Germans. Accordingly, my claim is that in Nietzsche Christian-western morality represents a particular instance of a more general concept of what morality is. So for exampleRead MoreOrigin Of Morality Vs Nietzsche950 Words   |  4 PagesFriedrich Nietzsche was a German philosopher who wrote a book called On the Genealogy of Morals. This book is comprised of three different essays, and the first essay is titled â€Å"’Good and Evil,’ ‘Good and Bad.’† Rather than going straight into what Nietzsche talks about in his first essay, it would be better to start off by breaking down the title of his book. The Oxford English Dictionary defines genealogy as â€Å"an account of one’s descent from an ancestor or ancestors, by enumeration of the intermediateRead MoreNietzsche s On The Genealogy Of Morals Essay1445 Words   |  6 Pages Friedrich Nietzsche’s boo k â€Å"On the Genealogy of Morals† critiques and examines the origin of human morals. Nietzsche presents numerous strong arguments in this book against society s moral implications, however, it is his concepts of slave and master morality which are seen repeatedly. These two concepts of master and slave morality are particularly evident in the movie Fight Club. Although Fight Club is a modern-day movie, its storyline and subject matter reveals that it was heavily influenceRead MoreAtheism: Nietzsche and Palahniuk Illustration of God1288 Words   |  5 Pageswhom He loves. We created God. What we should truly be asking is: Does one need God? The necessity of God is discussed at length in Friedrich Nietzsche’s book, â€Å"On the Genealogy of Morals,† wherein he states that since we create morals our own morals, God is too a social construct, who is different for every person. Because standards for morality vary by person, the enforcement of a single, divinely ordained law or code or set of values over all humans generalizes and subsequently overlooks individualRead MoreModern Existentialism : Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche And National Socialism1510 Words   |  7 Pagesof his time, and was received in numerous respects. Nietzsche really did not care who you were, or what it was, he had a criticism on almost everything. Most notably, he criticized Christianity, German cultural beliefs, Democracy, and traditional morality. He caused much controversy to say the least. Nietzsche has often been taken out of context and his literature misinterpreted, most famously with the fascist regimes that rose out of World War I and the 20th century. Specifically, National SocialismRead MoreKarl Marx And Nietzsche s Views On Society1240 Words   |  5 Pagesjustify the purpose of humanity. Nietzsche blamed religion, specifically Christian morality, for the manifestation of unegoism which he believes is simply self-denial by which individuals chastise them selves. Nietzsche claimed that, at one point in time, people used to believe that that which was powerful and in control was seen as good. Nietzsche continued to argue that the slave revolt flipped the script of morality and gave the impression that unegoism was seen as the new good. One of Nietzsche’sRead MoreThe Slave Mortality Presented By Nietzsche In His Genealogy1396 Words   |  6 PagesThe slave mortality presented by Nietzsche in his Genealogy of Morals is prevalent within modern literature. The dark effects of this morality have crept far beyond the general view of the elite class and into our writing. This is not much of a surprise since literature reflects the world and our view of the world within it. Unfortunately, its impact on our society is shown by its prevalence within modern writing. This morality allows the author to focus on the â€Å"evil enemy† (Nietzsche 39) insteadRead MoreFriedrich Nietzsche s Influence On Modern Intellectual History And Western Philosophy1559 Words   |  7 Pagesreligion and science. He wrote about morality, tragedy, aesthetics, atheism, epistemology and consciousness. However, some of Nietzsche s most profound elements of his philosophy include his powerful critique of reason and truth. He argued for perspectivism. He critiqued religion and Christian ethics, developed the concept of Ubermensch and the doctrine of eternal return to support it. Also, Friedman Nietzsche came up with his theory of master-slave morality and response to the death of God andRead More Exegesis and Critique of Nietzsche’s Conception of Guilt In The Second Essay of On the Genealogy of Morality2429 Words   |  10 PagesExegesis and Critique of Nietzsche’s Conception of Guilt In The Second Essay of On the Genealogy of Morality In the Second Essay of On the Genealogy of Morals (titled â€Å"â€Å"Guilt,† â€Å"Bad Conscience,† and the Like†), Nietzsche formulates an interesting conception of the origin and function of guilt feelings and â€Å"bad conscience.† Nietzsche’s discussion of this topic is rather sophisticated and includes sub-arguments for the ancient equivalence of the concepts of debt and guilt and the existence of an