Nietzsche’s Moral Philosophy: Key Concepts
Genealogy of Morals
Once we assume that truth does not correspond to reality, but is merely the result of a pact, we can question the concepts of good and evil. We cannot argue that there is a *true* moral good, but rather that an interpretation of what constitutes moral good has come to be imposed upon others and has become law. The concept of good originally meant “noble, aristocratic, distinguished,” whereas bad meant “vulgar, plebeian, low.” This distinction was established by the nobles. Later, the commoners rebelled and self-proclaimed themselves as good, while the lords became *evil*.
Moral Criticism
The main error of traditional morality is that it goes against nature and life; it opposes the primordial instincts of life.
Nietzsche distinguishes between two types of morality: master morality and slave morality. Master morality is the morality of chivalry, of spirits who love life and power. It is the morality of the Superman, who desires the death of God. Slave morality is the reversal of values: pain, humility, smallness, kindness, compassion, etc. The slave does not create these values, but rather, theirs is a passive morality. It represents the values of Christianity and Judaism.
While master morality (or noble morality) is based on the active and creative will to power, slave morality negates the values of life and despises them.
How is it possible that the slaves have ended up displacing the nobles? Their herd instinct allows them to fight together, while the nobles are solitary.
Death of God
Nietzsche offers a radical critique of religion, morality, and metaphysics. He believes that for man to live, God must die. The death of God means that the pillars which supported the tradition, history, and culture of the West have collapsed. Nietzsche’s proclamation, “God is dead!” refers not only to the divine being but to absolute values in general.
Finally, Western culture has been freed from the weight of God, who had been the pillar supporting all of Western culture. With the death of God, man frees himself, removing the environment that had not allowed him to be a man. This allows individuals to become creators of their own destiny and to become Supermen. Zarathustra is the great preacher of the death of God. His two pronouncements are: “God is dead. Long live the Superman.”
Nihilism
Nietzsche calls nihilism the supreme contempt for these values and the consequent pointlessness of existence when supreme values are rejected and despised. It means a devaluation of values. Civilization will run out of values; these values were false because they are the denial of life itself. Nihilism is the condition for the will to power to create new values.
Nihilism, then, is itself the consequence of the absence of values that had been the basis of all Western culture.
Anthropological Theory
The sense of self-improvement is very important. For man to become Superman, he has to overcome traditional morality. The transformation of man into Superman goes through three stages:
- 1) The Camel: The spirit of man is, first, a camel, a beast of burden who obeys his master without complaint. His master commands, and he obeys.
- 2) The Lion: The camel-man, wearied by the weight of the load, rebels against his master and brings him down. He becomes the man-lion, a critic and master of himself, saying “I want” and imposing his will.
- 3) The Child: As he removes the burdens, he becomes the creator of his own values. He becomes the man-child who seeks self-affirmation.