The Concept of Morality - Essay Example

? Ethics Throughout the years, scholars struggled to explain the concept of morality. They tackled issues such as, “good and evil”, “origin of sin” among others in attempt to understand the complexity of morality. Nietzsche was one such scholar. Unlike his predecessors, he approached the subject of morality via examining the circumstances and conditions from which moral values emerge. In his collection of essays titled The Genealogy of Morals, he uses the master-slave analogy to explain the origin of morality. As per his analogy, there exists three social classes; the noble, slaves and priestly class. Guided by their subjective inclinations, the noble class defines morality by rendering what they perceive as being favorable to be good and vise versa (Nietzsche, 2010 p. 167). Conversely, those in the slave class remain oppressed by the distinctions made by the noble class; whereby, they live a resigned life serving the nobles with any attempt to progress thwarted. However, Nietzsche recognized that not everyone outside of the noble class remain passive to oppression by the noble class. They belong to the priestly class characterized by their hatred for those in the noble class, and unwillingness to accept a lower position in the social hierarchy (Nietzsche, 2010 p. 171). As a result, they developed a feeling of ressentiment conjured up by a “slave revolt” mentality. Nietzsche defined ressentiment as a reactive feeling to a continuous perceived sense of oppression; whereby, pent up frustrations predispose individuals to creating an “imaginary place” where they can direct these feelings. Discussed below is the origin of this psychological orientation, ressentiment’s role in shaping attitudes held by people today, whether individual’s values stem from this attitude and avenues for transformation to become better (Nietzsche, 2010 p 172). Nietzsche referred to ressentiment as a psychic mechanism. Psychic mechanisms are products of the ego, which result from the ego’s need to protect itself from a situation it perceives as a threat; for example, situations that impact the mood and affect of an individual negatively. Psychologist Sigmund Freud later referred to these psychic mechanisms as defense mechanisms and added more; for example, denial, regression, sublimation and displacement among others. According to him, defense mechanisms acted as coping mechanisms for individuals. Moreover, they functioned to prevent a state of incongruence within an individual. Nietzsche’s ressentiment feeling is no different from Freud’s defense mechanisms because they all function to protect the individual and ensure minimal interference with their internal state of balance. Normalcy in a person’s psychological, physiological, cognitive, spiritual and social realms can only be achieved in the presence of internal balance. In this case, ressentiment functions to preserve balance by providing an outlet for pent up frustrations (Nietzsche, 2010 p. 173). In spite of the good brought about by psychic mechanisms, they also prove unfavorable in the sense that they function to distort reality by cocooning an individual; therefore, preventing them from dealing with unfavorable situations. Ressentiment as a reactive feeling provided an outlet for pent up frustrations; however, it failed to equip the slaves and priests with the strength they needed to overcome the nobles. In fact, the dynamics in the social hierarchy remained unaltered with the nobles living in their blissful state whereas their subordinates living in their pitiful state. People living in today’s society have not undergone a huge transformation in their mindset. In fact, many find themselves taking the easier way out, cowering from confronting issues. This is because stratifications in different aspects of the society are still in present. Arising from these stratifications in the society is a privileged class equipped with resources and the power to define morality in its entirety. The underprivileged, subordinate class finds itself slaves to the directives issued by the privileged class. As a result, they harbor feelings of resentment towards the privileged class; however, they lack the courage to revolt because they risk annihilation. Their only alternative is to regress into ressentiment conjuring up implausible, imaginary situations where their re-defined moral values become the ideal values. They perceive their plight and suffering as noble, necessary and to some extent for the greater good. Therefore, they sit back and direct no efforts towards their redemption. Scheler (1912) posited that inequality is inevitable within a society. Examples in contemporary society include; inequality resulting from socio-economic, gender, religious, and political differences. Therefore, for as long as inequality prevails within the present society, many will find themselves slaves to moral values guided by psychic mechanisms such as ressentiment (Nietzsche, 2010 p.356). Many of our values stem from this attitude. Humans are innately predisposed to compensate for their internal weaknesses or inefficiencies by blaming external factors. In this case, it proves easier for the subordinates to blame the privileged for their suffering instead of accepting their situation. To some extent, shifting blame or altering reality are necessary precautions taken by the ego to help restore balance and avoid a state of incongruence within an individual. However, many hide behind the walls created by psychic mechanisms failing to recognize their delusional state that renders them incapable of confronting the root cause of their frustrations. It is for this reason that Nietzsche suggested ways people could transform themselves. According to him, developing a strong will, and occupying oneself by leading an active life helped to counter ressentiment. He based his suggestions on the assumption that ressentiment blossomed in an individual’s predisposition to adiaphoria, which he defined as the inability to suppress reactions (Nietzsche, 2010 Pp.348). He asserted that pre-occupation with various activities, and having a strong will enabled a person to avoid dwelling on perceived instances of oppression and mistreatment by others. A critical appraisal of contemporary society indicates that the rich continue getting rich while the poor persist in their deplorable state. Why is this the case? In my opinion, it is because, the poor live their lives resigned to the fact that the rich have measures instituted to deter them from improving their standards of living. As a result, many depend on aids and grants instead of engaging in productive activities guaranteed to turn in a profit and elevate their standards of living (Nietzsche, 2010 Pp. 350-368). Nietzsche argued that the attitude adopted by the noble class allowed them to preserve their power. Individuals in the noble class were successful in suppressing their reactions, were strong-willed and spent little time wallowing in self-pity. This functioned to re-affirm their status among their subordinates quashing any hopes of rebellion. Nietzsche viewed the “slave-revolt” mentality that predisposed people to developing feelings of ressentiment as being responsible for the plight of the underprivileged. He cautioned against cowardice resulting from ressentiment claiming that it functioned to ensure to reinforce a distorted version of morality (Nietzsche, 2010 p. 350). In conclusion, Nietzsche’s view of morality helped to explain the differences in moral values between people belonging to different strata of a stratified society. He used the master-slave analogy to illustrate the role of inequality in influencing individuals’ perception of moral values. According to him, the noble class defined moral values and expected their subordinates to conform to their directives. This did not sit well with the subordinates; therefore, they developed feelings of ressentiment creating an “imaginary place” where they channeled their pent up frustrations. However, they did not dare revolt because they knew they could not match up to their oppressors. Nietzsche suggested developing a strong-will and occupying oneself with activities in order to suppress reactions that lead to ressentiment (Nietzsche, 2010 p.352). Looking at the contemporary society this has not changes. Inequality still defines individuals’ perception of moral values. Reference Nietzsche, F. (2010). On the Genealogy of Morals and Ecce Homo. Germany: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Read More