Nietzsche was a very critical philosopher in his time. He believed that normative systems in other words, what we believe as morals are derived similarly with varied meanings and values over time. Morals and practices are often associated with cultures. They claim that morals are entirely different in cultures and are not universal in human society. He basically viewed how judgements on cultured morals are relativist claims of others than themselves (Chapter 31, page…
In conclusion, I will present the concise summary of what I wrote in this essay. Friedrich Nietzsche was a German specialist and philosopher that was conceived in the mid-nineteenth century. His book, Beyond Good and Evil was one of the last books he composed, during the time of 1886 to…
By Nietzsche’s own definitions, “[t]he primitive state was a ‘fearful tyranny’ that needed to use the most extravagant of punishments” (BCIT, 2000). The fictional penal colony would no doubt fit this description of a tyrannical, primate, uncivilized state; and the machine - the extravagant punishment. The civilized Englishman sent to pass judgment on this old system quickly condemns “the injustice of the procedure” (Kafka, 1996) as inhumane. His condemnation of the penal colony and the machine demonstrates the superiority of a civilized man with values of democracy and liberalism. Nietzsche believed that “The transformation of the “natural man” into a member of a civil society depends on the natural man developing a memory for promises and social obligations, and not on [the] institutions of punishment” (BCIT, 2000).…
He states “History shows that the consciousness of being in debt to the deity did not by any means come to an end together with the organization of communities on the basis of blood relationship. Even as mankind inherited the concepts ‘good and bad’ from the tribal nobility, it also inherited, along with the tribal and family divinities” (Nietzsche, 90). This also relates to the will to power. Hypothetically speaking these people who a debt can only take so much punishment from the person of credit before them rise up as a whole to end their suffering at the hand of the creditor. Friedrich Nietzsche’s…
Statement of Unity: The main problem in Nietzsche’s On the Genealogy of Morals is that people are using…
In his essays Beyond Good and Evil and On the Genealogy of Morality he discusses the shift in thinking in terms of “good and bad” to “good and evil.” Nietzsche goes on to discuss his idea of master-slave morality, which at its core is exactly what it appears to be. Initially, this formulation of morality was practiced by ancient aristocratic societies and followed the value equation of good = noble = powerful = beautiful = happy = beloved by God (Nietzsche, 81.) Breaking it down, master morality is both good and bad, where being “good” is to be happy and have wealth, power, or strength. On the contrast, being bad was the equivalent of being a slave, weak, sick, and pitied.…
In his second essay in the Genealogy of Morals, Nietzsche discusses the creditor/debtor relationship, the resulting bad conscience and most importantly the sovereign individual, “liberated again from morality of custom, autonomous and supra moral” (Nietzsche 59). In fact, Nietzsche further emphasizes that a sovereign person has a “power over oneself and over fate” (Nietzsche 60). I find Nietzsche’s description of this superhuman, sovereign state of mind both interesting and perplexing. I believe that such a state of mind is not only unattainable, but also problematic so long as such an individual continues to thrive in a morally-bound society.…
154). However he argues that in higher civilizations and in people these moralities are mixed. While the master morality weighs its actions and its consequences on a scale good (what is useful) or bad, the slave morality weighs it on a scale of good or evil (Nietzsche, p. 154-155). Master morality is developed by the superior; those who value pride, strength and nobility. They live completely actualized lives with a sense of fullness.…
He begins the essay by invoking “English psychologists,” or, put differently, those thinkers who attempt to explain human morality through such mechanisms as principles of association. Nietzsche believes that we need a critique of our moral values. This inquiry and evaluation into the value, or realistic benefit, of our values themselves requires that Nietzsche provide some sort of actual history, or genealogy, of morality. Nietzsche's genealogical approach differs from that of (the "English Psychologists") (whose 'hypothetical' account he considers…
Friedrich Nietzsche is a famous German philosopher, well known for several writings in philosophy. According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy he was a man of many interests and he challenged the basis of religions like christianity. He also challenged classic ideas about morality. Morality can be defined as principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behavior. It is basically a code of conduct for the people.…
2) What, according to Nietzsche, is wrong with Christian/slave morality? Make sure that your account of slave morality draws from each of the three essays in the Genealogy. Are there any arguments from within Nietzsche’s own text that might place slave morality in a better light? Nietzsche’s Genealogy of Morality is a rejection and appreciation of slave morality.…
Consequently, Master Morality vanishes as Slave Morality spreads and dominates Rome. This issue concerns Nietzsche, causing him to dedicate in studying about Master and Slave Morality. This background information then helps the readers to understand Nietzsche’s motivation and possibly understand his argument. Comparing and defining Master and Slave Morality, Armstrong explicitly shows Nietzsche's position on these two moralities. Master Morality values strength and “the will to…
Nietzsche became a harsh critic of religion in general and Christianity in particular. Scholars recognize Thus Spake Zarathustra (1883), composed with a biblical-narrative style, as his masterpiece. Like most of his books, it went largely unnoticed. Here he announces that “God is dead.” This was his way of stating that most people had stopped believing in God.…
Nietzsche characterized Europe in late nineteenth century as nihilistic, and even considered the late twentieth century to be even more so. He generalizes that we no longer need a God, that a God doesn 't give us meaning and purpose to our lives. Our lives are simply meaningless and lack the capacity to become anything new. Nietzsche stressed that without a sole purpose of living, we would create a new world built on weakness and comfort. He also foresaw that nihilism might lead to radical nationalism, causing horrific wars.…
In the 1882 collection The Gay Science German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche first stated the idea “God is dead!” a point which he later referred back to throughout his body of work. The death of God has become a widely quoted statement and as such has met various interpretations and misinterpretations leading to a wide general debate as to whether Nietzsche was actually correct in proclaiming the death of God. In answering this question, it becomes of fundamental importance that there must be a clear understanding of what the phrase means and how it is to be read before one can fully analyse the truth of the statement. Theologians have disputed there are numerous interpretations to the Nietzsche’s philosophy, with Hudson suggesting four key meanings: psychological, sociological, ontological and theological respectively .…