Nietzsche's Preface (no.7) - Essay Example

Nietzsche’s Genealogy of Morals Nietzsche is one of the Western deepest tradition’s thinkers precisely because of his characterto call so much into question. Understanding his genealogical method, his perspectives, his will to power doctrine will make it easier to follow his arguments. More often than not, his works demand that readers suspend or overturn assumptions that their reasoning rely upon and begin to perceive things as having inherent meaning. The term genealogy as used in philosophy means a historical technique through which one is meant to question the commonly understood beginning of various social and philosophical beliefs through an attempt to account for the scope, totality or breadth of ideology in the time period provided as opposed to being focused on a singular dominant ideology (Ransom 62).

Additionally, a genealogy attempts to see beyond the ideology that is in question, for conditions the genealogy possibility. Genealogy developed as a continued works of Nietzsche. Fredrick Nietzsche on the genealogy of morals criticized the "the genealogists" and proposed a historic philosophy to be used in order to effectively critique the modern mortality through supposing that the genealogy of morals did develop into the current form through the power relations. The philosophy of Nietzsche is characterized as genealogy because of his use of genealogy in the genealogy of morals (Ransom 56).

This paper explores the main characteristics of the genealogical method and how helpful this method is in evaluating and reevaluating peoples moral prejudices and in finding their origins.The essential characteristics of the Nietzsches genealogical method includes identification of the area of designated study, drawing up of the dispositif that shows the relationship to area of designated study for the many phenomena that constitutes it, the exposures through effective history of the destabilising along with discontinuous discursive and other elements that are involved in the production given problem with its associated truths, consequent rejection of searching for the fixed hidden meaning relevant to the problem or for the conscious authorial intension, and a combination of meticulous scrutiny and detachment in the analysis of the given textual and non-textual discursive and manifestation of the problem (Ransom 82).

The main project for Nietzsches in the Genealogy is questioning the value of morality. Nietzsche argues that peoples current morality is born out of hatred, and resentment felt towards anything that was healthy, powerful, or strong. As such, Nietzsche views peoples present morality as something that is harmful to prosperity of our species and the future health of those species. As much as the "blonde beasts" and the barbarians of the primitive master morality are animalistic brutes, they are at least strong and healthy.

The present ascetic morality, on the other hand, has "deepened" us in a way by turning our aggressive instincts inward making us view ourselves as a new wilderness to be struggling against. The ideal of Nietzsche is maintaining this depth but still not be ashamed of the animal instincts and of life which glows within us.The Central thing to Nietzsches critique is an attempt at genealogy that shows the undirected route and winding of peoples different moral concepts seem to be taking in order to arrive in their present shape.

In this case, morality is, therefore, generally treated as sacred since it is assumed that there is transcendental ground for the morals that characterize humans, be it God, tradition reasons, or something else. In contrast to such assumptions "good," "evil" or "bad," have had the same meanings as always, Nietzsches genealogical method illustrates how such terms have had to evolve while shattering any illusion for the continuity or the absolute truth for the present moral concept.Because they can have contradictory and different meanings in the course of their long life span, Nietzsche still does not believe that concepts are the fundamental stuff making up reality.

He instead looks beneath all the things in an attempt to confirm what seems to be driving the different meanings that these things adopt over time. In doing so, he finds force and will both in existence. From this, Nietzsche asserts that it is the struggle between different wills for the feelings of power. The said, "will to power" is found to be the most evident at a human level with people always seen to be constantly competing with one another for no other purpose but to feel superior to those they feel they overcome.

Therefore there is need to belief in the absolute truth or in the absolute anything involving giving in to one particular meaning, as well as one particular interpretation of a thing. At some point, it means that it is necessary to give allowance for one to be dominated by a certain will. That will that wish to remain free shuns absolutes of all types and looks at a matter from many different perspectives in order to gain its own will. Such a doctrine that deeply influenced postmodern thoughts is called "perspectivism.

"The inquiries of Nietzsches are, therefore, conducted in irreverent spirit. In this case, nothing true, nothing is sacred, and nothing is absolute. This implies that our morality is seen as not a set of duties that is passed down by God but an evolved arbitrary code that has randomly evolved just like the human species. It does mean that the only constant is that people and everything else are ever striving for more power. More so, it implies that the only constant virtue is that will that is powerful, free from hatred, bad conscience, and resentments.

Work CitedRansom, John. Genealogical method. Durham: Duke University Press.1997.