Transcript Friedrich Nietzsche`s Moral Theory

Friedrich Nietzsche’s
Moral Theory
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Friedrich Nietzsche
(1844-1900)
German Philosopher
The Birth of Tragedy (1871)
Human, Too Human (1878)
Thus Spoke Zarathustra (1882-5)
Beyond Good and Evil (1886)
The Genealogy of Morals (1887)
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The Will to Power
The fundamental force that
motivates all action is
The Will to Power
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We all seek to:
Affirm ourselves
To get our own way
To protect / preserve ourselves
To dominate others
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Since we are unequal in abilities
(mental / physical)
The most fit
will survive and dominate the
weaker
(evolution)
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“Exploitation does not belong
to a depraved, or imperfect and
primitive society: it belongs to
the nature of the living being as
a primary organic function; it is
a consequence of the intrinsic
Will to Power, which is precisely
the Will to Life” (p. 132)
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There is great beauty in the
“Noble Spirit”
Coming to power
(Master Morality)
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The Noble Spirit
The Strongest
 The Smartest
 The Most Fit
The Most Powerful
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These individuals should rule
over those who are weaker
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This is Natural
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Master Morality
The Morality of the Leaders
The Morality of those who are
better than the normal, average
people
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Moral Principle of Ruling
Class
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One has duties only to one’s
equals
They treat each other differently
then they treat those under them
It is Beyond Good and Evil
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Master Virtues
Power
Strength
Domination
Exploitation
Creativity
Spontaneity
Excellence
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Master Morality
is hampered by
Judeo-Christian Morality
(Slave Morality)
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Slave Morality is the invention of
jealous priests
Envious and resentful of the power
of the strong
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Slave Morality
The morality of the normal,
average people
The morality of utility
The origin of “good and evil”
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Slave Virtues
Human Equality
Meekness
Love
Forgiveness
False Happiness
Mediocrity
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Slave Morality is the
Ethics of Resentment
Resentment and jealousy of those
who are better and more gifted
The Masters
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What is Good?

All that enhances the
feeling of power, the
Will to Power, and the
power itself in man
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What is Bad?
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All that proceeds from
weakness
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What is Happiness?
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The feelings that power
is increasing – that
resistance has been
overcome.
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The First Principle of
Our Humanism
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The weak and the
failures shall perish
They ought even to be
helped to perish
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Eugenics
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Selective breeding
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Control over who breeds
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What is more harmful
than any vice?
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Practical sympathy and
pity for all the failures
and all the weak:
Christianity
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Hitler and the Third Reich
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The Death Of God Philosophy
God plays no role in our culture
Except as protector of the Slave
Morality
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Since there is no rational basis for
belief in God
There is no rational basis for the
belief in Slave Morality which it
produces
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Nietzsche’s Moral Theory
An example of Subjectivism
The Individual decides what is
right or correct behavior
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Nietzsche Quotes
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Be careful when you fight the
monsters, lest you become one.
Great men's errors are to be
venerated as more fruitful than little
men's truths.
In heaven all the interesting people
are missing.
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In truth, there was only one
Christian, and he died on the cross.
Insanity in individuals is something
rare - but in groups, parties, nations
and epochs, it is the rule.
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Man is the cruelest animal.
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Only sick music makes money today.
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The man of knowledge must be able
not only to love his enemies but also
to hate his friends.
In Christianity neither morality nor
religion come into contact with
reality at any point.
The surest way to corrupt a youth is
to instruct him to hold in higher
esteem those who think alike than
those who think differently.
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Morality is herd instinct in the
individual.
We are always in our own company.
Out of life's school of war: What does
not destroy me, makes me stronger.
Is man merely a mistake of God's?
Or God merely a mistake of man's?
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