Ethics

Ethics Study Guide Nietzsche thought that the common people resented the power of the ruling nobility, causing them to develop an alternate set of values in rebellion. These values, such as altruism, peace, equality, and humility became associated with the powerless and the poor. This contrast describes what Nietzsche calls master morality and slave morality . Nietzsche details and compares the origins of the values he associates with nobility and the values associated with slaves. He claims that the word good refers to the noble ruling class because they had the power to define what was good. Common people (slaves) were thought to be too simple minded to make these judgments. Hatred and the desire for others to conform are essential features of the slave morality. The noble may at times hate, but it is not essential to his/her character to do so, and part of the reason for this is psychological. When a powerful person hates they discharge this through direct action. The weak cannot do this; they must contain their hatred, which acts as a psychological toxin, poisoning the spirit. This is the cause of rancor and resentment . Nietzsche calls the noble person’s feeling of being superior as the pathos of distance. He believes that it is through the pathos of distance that good and bad first acquired their meaning. That is, good was defined as those who were superior, noble, and privileged; while bad was associated with those who were common and low. The second essay: Guilt, Bad Conscience, and th Like Here Nietzsche traces the origins of concepts such as guilt and punishment. He claims that they were not originally based on any sense of moral violation. Guilt was a result of a debt that was owed, and punishment was a form of repayment. Nietzsche believed that the rise of slave morality brought about the present meanings of these terms. He believed that societies’ slave morality caused humans to see themselves as sinners and inhibit their animal instincts for aggression and cruelty. These instincts were instead turned inward by use of sublimation , the act of repressing one’s immediate instincts for power in order to achieve a less harmful expression of power. The third essay: What is the Meaning of Ascetic Ideals? The third essay opposes asceticism , the practice of the denial of psychological or physical desires to attain a spiritual ideal. Nietzsche sees asceticism as the expression of a weak or flawed will, and an attempt to subdue animal instincts. He explains that man would rather will nothing, than not will at all. Morality is generally treated as sacred because we assume that there is some transcendental ground for our morals, such as religion, reason, or tradition. Nietzsche’s genealogical method challenges our assumption that good and bad have always held the same meanings. He shows how these terms have evolved, demonstrating a lack of continuity or absolute truth of our present moral concepts. Therefore, Nietzsche claims that in order to remain free and gain our own perspective we should not allow ourselves to be dominated by a particular will. We should not give in to one particular meaning or interpretation of a thing. A will should reject absolutes and consider matters from many different ©2018 Achieve Page 31 of 116