Nietzschean Critique of Traditional Moral Theories
The Genealogy of Morals
GOOD AND BAD, NOT GOOD AND EVIL
| Master, Noble, High Minded | Slave-like, dog-like, ignoble, despicable |
| Action | Passive, cowardly, timid, insignificant |
| Seeks its opposite to affirm itself | Ignoble, base, seeks repose and imaginary revenge |
| Happiness is strength/ACTIVE | Fundamentally REACTION, not ACTION |
| Self-affirmation | Self-denial |
| Honors his enemy | Loves his enemy/secret resentment/his enemy will "suffer" |
| Creates values | Transforms, transvalues "I am the good, the weak, the quiet, the lamb.... These people are vindictive |
| Arouses fear | Arouses resentment, swims in pity |
| The bird of prey | The lamb, the victim |
| the brute, the barbarian | the kind, the good, the meek |
| It is absurd to require that strength not show itself as strength | Self-deprecation and abasement. Kindness, goodness, peace, pity, sympathy, love - these are the characteristics of the slave |
| Will to power - celebration of life, of humanity. THE CREATOR OF VALUES NEEDS NOT WORRY ABOUT THE EVALUATIONS OF ANYONE ELSE. | Denial of life = looks forward to death, a reward. Celebration of another life. Condemnation of this life, of humanity on the whole. Nietzsche's view is that these people can't celebrate this life because their lot in it is awful. ALWAYS WAITING FOR AN OPINION ABOUT THEMSELVES, TO BE JUDGED |
| The Nobility of Ancient Greece - called themselves "We Truthful Ones" - created their own values | Look for values outside themselves, in another world. |
| PRIDE in oneself | Pride is a sin |
| Arouses Fear - choose to be strong, will not bend to the will of others. Helps the poor not from pity but from a "superabundance of power" | Arouses pity
The weak act as though they are voluntarily weak. They say they chose it, an act of merit. It is not chosen - they are stuck there because they are weak. |
Notice what happens AFTER the "transvaluation of values" . . . .
FEMINIST MORAL THEORY IS COMING UP NEXT. Watch for it....