StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Nietzsches Genealogy of Morality - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
This essay discusses that Friedrich Nietzsche is one of the highly influential thinkers of the past century, especially, in the field of understanding morality. In the book ‘On the Genealogy of Morality’, he writes about work and ethics, questioning and offering critiques…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER95.2% of users find it useful
Nietzsches Genealogy of Morality
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Nietzsches Genealogy of Morality"

NameTutorCourseDateNietzsche’s Genealogy of MoralityFriedrich Nietzsche is one of the highly influential thinkers of the past century especially in the field of understanding morality. In the book ‘On the Genealogy of Morality’, he writes about work and ethics, questioning and offering critiques on the value of our moral judgments based on genealogical methods where he examines the origins as well as meanings of the different moral concepts. Nietzsche finds out that modern judgment concerning men and things are smeared with an over-moralistic language or talk, which he says is a characteristic feature of modern souls and books.

According to Nietzsche (57) morality no longer guides people but there are forced by different legal circumstances to behave in a given way. In this essay, the writer will try to evaluate and analyze the genealogy of morality as noted by Nietzsche (57). Understanding genealogy of morality is a great way for people to look back and gauge where they went wrong in reference to bad ethics and morals in the society. Nietzsche makes an assertion that one becomes forced to admit that legal conditions could be nothing other than means to create larger units of power (Nietzsche 57).

He attacks the ideas that morality is selfless, the idea that suffering can be interpreted as rightful punishment to whoever experiences it because it sharpens their thinking on a given subject. He also argues on the conception of free will that involves the idea that agents could act differently from what they did (Nietzsche 57). Free will, even as anchored on the Holy Bible that God gave His people a free will to choose between what is right and wrong, is a big challenge to the society in reference to the decaying morals.

The moral decay happens because people no longer adhere to any traditional customs that guide their ethics and morals because they are free to choose and behave anyway they want despite societal values. He talks about a privileging of ‘slave values such as humility and devaluation of those such as pride and audacity, and the conception that morality involves obligations with unconditional obligations and that it is universally applicable or binding. Morality should be upheld at all instances, and governments should institute measures that will boost good morality for their citizens.

He argues that morality is not applicable to the whole universe and that after you strip down all the societal conventions and rules, you find out that the laws and rules that have been put in place are not about anything else but establishing systems of governance (Nietzsche 57). This implies that the society could not possibly exist without them in his opinion as there are always those desiring power, those who have it by virtue of being perhaps more intellectually gifted thereby giving them an edge, who will always devise means of governing the rest, and thus having power.

This maybe under the guise of protecting the interests of those governed. He presents society and social status as means of attaining dominion over others. Nietzsche (57) believes that the moral practices can be achieved in a society that values ethics and adores people who behave in an accepted manner in the society. Work citedNietzsche, Friedrich W, Walter A. Kaufmann, and Friedrich W. Nietzsche. On the Genealogy of Morals. New York: Vintage Books, 1967. Print.

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Friedrich Nietzsche's On The Genealogy of Morals Essay”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/philosophy/1685938-friedrich-nietzscheaposs-on-the-genealogy-of-morals
(Friedrich Nietzsche'S On The Genealogy of Morals Essay)
https://studentshare.org/philosophy/1685938-friedrich-nietzscheaposs-on-the-genealogy-of-morals.
“Friedrich Nietzsche'S On The Genealogy of Morals Essay”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/philosophy/1685938-friedrich-nietzscheaposs-on-the-genealogy-of-morals.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Nietzsches Genealogy of Morality

Genealogy of Morality By Friedrich Nietzsche

This essay describes the genealogy of morality By Friedrich Nietzsche.... Politicians are good examples of these kinds of people.... They are the ones who are oftentimes looked up to, are dignified and well respected, and have good reputations, which they work hard to maintain.... hellip; Any agreeable image that they present to the people becomes their ticket to luring their constituents into believing that they, indeed, are honorable public servants....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

Nietzsche and Asceticism

This review "Nietzsche and Asceticism" discusses On the genealogy of Morals by Nietzsche, this literature attempts to explain the feebleness of humanity, especially with regards to appreciation of life.... On the genealogy of Morals is an essay the traces the “origin” or “genealogy” of these morals.... he genealogy of Morals calls for suspension of certain beliefs in certain truths, and as this is a critique for morals, it calls for the reader to suspend some of the assumptions that he has pertaining to morals....
8 Pages (2000 words) Literature review

Meaning Good and Bad According to Nietzsche

Nietzsche expresses his dissatisfaction with the psychologists who have attempted to give the origin of morality.... They say that they are historians of morality; however they do not have a historical spirit.... It is this building of a contrasting moral system that is referred by Nietzsche as the slave morality.... Thus, so that the powerless can have a better feeling of the circumstances that they are in, they build a morality for themselves, which is a slave morality, where the lesser are ‘good' while the dominant are ‘evil....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Analyse and assess Rousseau, Marx OR Nietzsches critique of Hobbes and/or Locke

The genealogy of morality is a polemic book by Friedrich Nietzsche consists of three treatises that trace the evolution of moral concepts in relation to undermining moral prejudices especially that of the Judaism and Christianity.... In this essay, I will examine and asses the genealogy of morality identifying the major themes the author depicts and his critiques on Thomas Hobbes.... There is dissatisfaction in explaining the meaning of morality because according to what has been explained to us morality is that morality is what is right or wrong....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

On the Genealogy of Morals by Nietzsche

The paper "On the genealogy of Morals by Nietzsche" highlights that Nietzsche is an intellectual-a philosopher.... Although the three essays in the book “On the genealogy of Morals” by Nietzsche are interrelated (the basic contents overlap each other), he extensively and emphatically deals with the concept of free will in the third essay, “the meaning of ascetic ideals....
9 Pages (2250 words) Coursework

How Does Nietzsche Critique Morality

hellip; What is the value of morality?... This essay will seek to understand the value of morality and under what conditions morality was created.... Lastly, the benefits of morality will be discussed in order to understand why Nietzsche would not like us to return to master morality.... For him, morality entails being able to discern and take responsibility for our actions or to act based on free will (genealogy of Morals, 35)....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

Arendt's and Nietzsche's Views

Nietzsche is opposed to the philosophies of Plato and Kant in terms of morality.... He rejects the edifice of morality in understanding the human nature of life.... In the book, genealogy of Morals Nietzsche views religion as the source of harm in society and to individuals (Nietzsche 47)Nietzsche can be described as a moral relativism in the descriptive sense since he believed that there was real substance to religious, political, moral, and cultural values....
9 Pages (2250 words) Essay

The Genealogy of Morality

This work "The genealogy of morality" focuses on shame and guilt through the works of Sigmund Freud, and the role of civilization by Friedrich Nietzsche.... From this work, it is clear that both scholars have contributed a lot to the origin, characteristics, and effects of the emotion of guilt, but Nietzsche showed a deep psychological attitude toward general life....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us