Friedrich Nietzsche

A critique of traditional morality

Nietzsche’s LifeBorn 15th October 1844 near Leipzig, Germany. His father was a Lutheran (Protestant) minister.

Went to an elite school situated in a former monastery. He studied the history and literature of ancient Greece and Rome, and showed a particular talent for music.

After graduating from this school, Nietzsche studied theology at the university of Bonn. After his first semester, he lost his faith and became and atheist.

When he was 25, he became a professor at the university of Basel in Switzerland. He renounced his Prussian citizenship and was officially stateless for the rest of his life.

Nietzsche’s most important works

• The Birth of Tragedy out of the Spirit of Music – 1872• On Truth and Lies in a Non-moral Sense – 1873• Human, all too Human – 1878• The Gay Science – 1882• Thus Spoke Zarathustra – 1885• Beyond Good and Evil – 1886• On the Genealogy of Morals – 1887• Ecce Homo – 1888• The Anti-Christ - 1888• The Will to Power – 1901 (posthumously)

Nietzsche and WagnerNietzsche became great friends with the composer Richard Wagner and his wife, Cosima. He greatly admired both husband and wife for their musical and intellectual talents.

This friendship formed part of the inspiration for Nietzsche’s first work, the 1872 “Birth of Tragedy out of the Spirit of Music”.

Far from being a traditional work of philosophy or classical philology, this work was concerned with the nature of tragedy itself, and, more broadly, the Dionysian and Apollonian sides of life.

Nietzsche as an independent philosopher

In 1879, when he was 35, Nietzsche had to resign his position at Basel because of ill-health.

Nietzsche had fought for a year for the Prussian side in the Franco-Prussian war. It is thought that he might have contracted syphilis during this time, amongst other infections. For the whole of his life, he was often plagued by one illness or another.

From 1879, Nietzsche became an independent philosopher. He travelled around Europe a lot in search of a climate that would be good for his health. In particular, he spent a lot of time in Italy.

On the Genealogy of MoralsNietzsche’s work, On the Genealogy of Morals, was written in 1887.

A “Genealogy” is the story of how something came about and developed – it is often used in the context of a family tree. Nietzsche’s work, then, is an examination of how our moral concepts (or those of the 19th century) evolved from their origins.

On the Genealogy of MoralsNietzsche’s work, On the Genealogy of Morals, was written in 1887.

A “Genealogy” is the story of how something came about and developed – it is often used in the context of a family tree. Nietzsche’s work, then, is an examination of how our moral concepts (or those of the 19th century) evolved from their origins.

The Genealogy, as it is called for short, examines the influence of religion, especially the Christian religion, on our moral thinking. He challenges our use of the terms “good” and “evil”, and describes the ascetic basis of modern morality.

The “characters” in the Genealogy

The Masters

The masters are the originators of the “master morality” which was later supplanted by…

The “characters” in the Genealogy

The Slaves

As time went on, the slave morality began to dominate. Weakness and suffering was seen as morally praiseworthy. The slave classes comforted themselves with the thought they would be going to heaven when they died.

Christianity was a convenient way to preserve the slave morality, says Nietzsche…

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Bible, Matthew 5:5

“And again I say unto you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” Matthew

19:24

The Revaluation of Values

Nietzsche uses the science of etymology (the origin of words) in order to show that the terms “good” and “bad” have, through the slave morality, come to mean “good” and “evil”.

Therefore, certain actions have acquired a moral significance that is not justified. Using strength and power is often seen as morally bad.

Values, through time, have become re-valued. In order for the human race or a given society to be successful, a further re-valuation of values is in order.

In particular, the idea of seeking moral truth (that is, positing the existence of objective moral facts) is likely to lead people astray.

So whose morality is Nietzsche attacking?

Well, his earlier work “Beyond Good and Evil” provides us with some important information.

Target One: Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)

Kant’s ethics have been very influential right up to the present day. It is fundamentally based in Christian ethics, and devises a set of rules (the categorial imperative) that people can use to decide if their action is the right one. Much emphasis is placed on the use of reason.

Nietzsche disagrees with the formulation of such rules, which place the same obligations on everyone and which could be said to imply the existence of moral facts.

Target 2: John Stuart Mill (1806-1873)

Mill is one of the founders of Utilitarianism. Briefly expressed, this is the view that every action should aim at the greatest happiness of the greatest number of people possible.

Again, Nietzsche rejects this account as it places universal obligations on everyone.

But of course, the main target is neither of these two theories, but rather…

Target 3: Christian Ethics

Paul of Tarsus (Christian St. Paul)

Nietzsche particularly criticises Christian ethics, and in the Genealogy they are his main target.

Christianity, according to Nietzsche, is responsible for the slave morality, or at the very least it is an expression of this morality.

As well as this, it seems to particularly offend Nietzsche that Christianity is based on a lie whereas it purports to represent universal truth.

Much of what Nietzsche finds to criticise in Christianity can also be applied to other monotheistic religions.

The Ascetic Ideal

The Third Treatise is mainly concerned with what Nietzsche calls the ascetic ideal.

The ascetic ideal, according to Nietzsche, is a very damaging aspect of modern thought and values.

Asceticism is the denial of pleasure and the search for a higher meaning in life.

The Ascetic Ideal

The villain of the piece is the “ascetic priest”, who offers those who are suffering an antidote to their woes. Of course, this antidote is not a cure, and simply keeps the sufferers anaesthetized.

But Christianity doesn’t get all the blame. Nietzsche also offers some physical explanations for man’s exhaustion, including the colonisation of unsuitable territories, disease and, somewhat bizarrely, vegetarianism.

The Ascetic Ideal

One of the worst things about the ascetic ideal is the emphasis on the search for truth.

It isn’t just priests who are propagating this ideal, but also historians and scientists. They are trying to hold up a mirror to the world and discover what is really true.

In fact, there is no such objective truth. Reality is teleological, that is, aimed at a particular goal. Truth is subjective.

Some questions to think about when considering Nietzsche…

First of all, there are some myths about Nietzsche we need to consider…

Nietzsche was insane

Well, it is true to say that Nietzsche had a severe mental breakdown in 1889, two years after the publication of the Genealogy.

He didn’t publish anything else for the last 11 years of his life. The collection, The Will to Power, was published from the papers he left behind and was published after his death.

A common theory (held e.g. by the translator of our text, Walter Kaufmann), is that Nietzsche contracted syphilis as a soldier. This can result in mental health problems.

Nietzsche often makes startling and dramatic statements, and also sometimes seems to contradict himself.

Nietzsche was insane

However, many of these startling statements are made by characters created by Nietzsche rather than Nietzsche himself. He simply has an unorthodox way of writing philosophy.

As for the contradictions, Nietzsche wrote an incredible amount in a very short period of time. He was clearly bursting with ideas.

At the same time, we should perhaps remember Nietzsche’s own ideas about truth, that is, that there is no objective truth. Nietzsche is often described as a perspectivist. Isn’t it natural for his own perspective to change?

Nietzsche was a Nazi (or proto-Nazi)

It is true to say that Nietzsche was the Nazi’s favourite philosopher. They treated his ideas very selectively, picking small sections they could use to support their cause.

In particular, his ideas about the value of strength and his rejection of traditional morality were seen as possible sources of support for the Nazi ideology.

The whole situation wasn’t helped by the fact that Nietzsche’s sister (and heir – Nietzsche died a childless bachelor) Elisabeth was a committed Nazi and helped them to try and force Nietzsche into this mould.

Nietzsche was a Nazi (or proto-Nazi)

In fact, Nietzsche’s philosophy is far more complex than the Nazi’s interpretation would suggest.

Add to this the fact that Nietzsche was disgusted by anti-Semitism, and therefore would presumably have been horrified by much Nazi ideology, and this seems to be a myth we can firmly reject.

Nietzsche was a nihilist

Now, this one is rather more difficult to reject.

It is often said of Nietzsche that he is a destroyer of traditional thought, but does not offer anything in its place.

He argues for a revaluation of values, but gives little guidance about this.

Did Nietzsche really believe in nothing at all? Does he have more to offer than polemic?

This will be one of the main questions we try to answer.