Cruel Morality? On Nietzsche and the Roman Empire (original) (raw)
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Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) presents a radical and enigmatic approach to existentialism by over emphasizing the attributes of subjectivity of the individual over the group, community and God, especially the Christian God. This essays takes a critical appraisal of the major presuppositions of Nietzsche, especially as contained in his work Beyond Good and Evil (1886) which is a major amalgam of Nietzsche's works on existentialism. The essay concludes that notwithstanding the empowerment Nietzsche's gives to man through the Will to power and the concept Superman, his perspective on the absolute freedom and supremacy of man over human institutions which serve regulatory functions are counter-functional to social order as they obscure our thorough sense of morality.
Nietzsche’s Critique of Morality and Revaluation of Values
2018
One of Nietzsche’s main projects was to critique morality and to invite a revaluation of our values. Neither secular nor religious interpretations of Nietzsche’s critique of morality do it justice. Each support their own interpretation by appealing to certain aspects of his writings. The former appeal to Nietzsche’s rejection of Christianity and Christian morality; while the latter appeal to Nietzsche’s anti-democratic and anti-egalitarian remarks. In actuality, Nietzsche was neither of the two: he argued that Western secular moralities are a modern manifestation of Christian morality, and that Christian morality is a manifestation of what he comes to call “Slave Morality.” On this account, this thesis is a humble attempt to bring forth a philosophical interpretation of Nietzsche’s critique and historical analysis of morality, and how we can incorporate his critique and revaluation of values into our lives so we can live a better life. I hope that my contribution will be a meaningfu...
The Relevance of History for Moral Philosophy: A Study of Nietzsche's Genealogy
Nietzsche's 'On the Genealogy of Morality': A Critical Guide, Simon May (ed.), Cambridge University Press (2011), 170-192., 2011
The Genealogy takes a historical form. But does the history play an essential role in Nietzsche's critique of modern morality? In this essay, I argue that the answer is yes. The Genealogy employs history in order to show that acceptance of modern morality was causally responsible for producing a dramatic change in our affects, drives, and perceptions. This change led agents to perceive actual increases in power as reductions in power, and actual decreases in power as increases in power. Moreover, it led agents to experience negative emotions when engaging in activities that constitute greater manifestations of power, and positive emotions when engaging in activities that reduce power. For these reasons, modern morality strongly disposes agents to reduce their own power. Given Nietzsche’s argument that power has a privileged normative status, these facts entail that we have a reason to reject modern morality.
This paper approaches the twisted philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche considering the interpretation of Peter Sloterdijk, who asserts in his Critique of Cynical Reason that the philosopher from Basel is in fact a Neo-„Cynical” thinker. For instance, the „Eternal Recurrence of the Same” is one of Nietzsche’s most subversive thoughts that reflects a description of a resurgence of „kynical” motives. Though often overlooked, we must say that Nietzsche himself occasionally practiced Cynicism as a strategy of survival. We know that he lived modestly and had no fixed abode, wandering from city to city with all his notes and just a few books. Because Nietzsche rejected not only the Academic style, but the citizenship in any one country just as much as Diogenes had protested against Plato’s philosophy and had declared himself a „citizen of the world”, we can affirm that he was a true cosmopolitan, namely a modern Cynical philosopher. That is why, before his mental breakdown, he ostentatiously stylized his fight against Western metaphysics, Christianity and Christian morality into Cynicism. Thus, I emphasize that „the transvaluation of all values” is an unfinished project about the virtues of Neo-cynical wisdom. Besides, his basic concepts – „the Overman”, „the Eternal Recurrence of the Same”, „the Will to Power” – are nothing more than metaphors for „the love of fate” or for the acceptance of the idea of Becoming.
(More) Notes on Nietzsche's Genealogy of Morality
Contained here are a collection of teaching notes meant to guide a multi-day discussion of Friedrich Nietzsche's _On the Genealogy of Morality_. The goal is to provide a careful framework around which a more free-flowing discussion can revolve.