Frederich Nietzsche, philosopher and former Lutheran minister, argued that religion is founded on a general principle of “Do this and that, refrain from this and that – then you will be happy!” (para. 15) which in turn creates a common loss of individual thought among the followers of a religious group, primarily Christianity. Nietzsche’s philosophical views were greatly influenced by the ideals of Ralph Waldo Emerson who, similar to Nietzsche, had formally been a minister and believed in the ideals of individualism. Nietzsche clearly argues within his essay “Morality as Anti-Nature” against religious affiliation, and believed that it was being used as a form of control by using a roster of ideals of right and wrong, which he defines as the “Christian morals.” He believed that Christianity “emphasizes the wrong values for mankind, preferring …show more content…
Nietzsche’s arguments favor the individual’s power against conformity within the context of religious ideals, in addition to the objection to religion being used by authoritative figures as a form of …show more content…
He described the agreeable feelings as being “produced by the consciousness of good deeds (the so-called “good conscience” – a psychological state…). They are produced by faith, charity, and hope – the Christian virtues” (para. 24). Within Nietzsche’s “On the Genealogy of Morals” he elaborates on the reputed “Christian virtues” saying:
“Love is the state in which man sees things most decidedly as they are not. The power of illusion is at its peak here, as is the power to sweeten and transfigure. In love man endures more, man bears everything. A religion had to be invented in which one could love: what is worst in life is thus overcome – it is not even seen any more.”
He also confronted the ideal of hope saying, “Hope is the worst of all evils, for it prolongs the torments of
We have grown weary of man. Nietzsche wants something better, to believe in human ability once again. Nietzsche’s weariness is based almost entirely in the culmination of ressentiment, the dissolution of Nietzsche’s concept of morality and the prevailing priestly morality. Nietzsche wants to move beyond simple concepts of good and evil, abandon the assessment of individuals through ressentiment, and restore men to their former wonderful ability.
However, Nietzsche’s idea of the powerful forcing their will on common people resonates with me. It is something we see in our modern society, wealthy people seem to have a higher influence over the average American. Examples of powerful people controlling others are found in politics, economy, media, and religion. Common people are lead to think in certain ways that the powerful need them to. Nietzsche said that people will only be equal as long as they are equal in force and talent, people who have a higher social group are more influential in decisions because average people look to them for information. The thing I do not agree with Nietzsche on his view as Christianity as a weakness because religion is a main cause of people’s decision
Friedrich Nietzsche is recognized for being one of the most influential German philosophers of the modern era. He is known for his works on genealogy of morality, which is a way to study values and concepts. In Genealogy of Morals, Friedrich Nietzsche mentions that values and concepts have a history because of the many different meanings that come with it. Nietzsche focused on traditional ethical theories, especially those rooted in religion. Not being a religious man, he believed that human life has no moral purpose except for the significance that human beings give it.
At first we see “what is in it for us”. After that, we “take this effect as the intention”. At last, we “ascribe the harboring of such intentions as a permanent quality of the person whose behavior we are observing”. Following from these steps is how we can determine whether a person is harmful, beneficial or kind (102). Nietzsche claims that our judgment is always based on how the actions of the other relate to me “What harms me is something evil (harmful in itself); what is useful to me is something good (102).” From here, Nietzsche refuses the idea that we are able to morally judge the other. Nietzsche then questions that if we assess the right actions relatively then “we ourselves must constitute the principle of the good (102).” But how can we constitute the principle of good if we are ignorant about our actions, our ego, and our neighbor. The truth is that we are deceiving ourselves and we are shaping this principle of good in a manner that suits us. From here, our principle of good is conditional, and we don’t constitute the “principle of
Friedrich Nietzsche is a 19th century German philosopher who believed that Christianity is against life and promotes weakness in the masses. However, as the 19th century brought scientific and technological progress, he proclaimed that society would become more and more secular as religion was no longer necessary in explaining the fundamentals of the universe. A wave of nihilism would inevitably sweep through society, as science would replace religion, but bring no values to replace those of religion. Christian morality and nihilism both caused the masses to give up on life, but Nietzsche believed that the affirmation of life was the highest state a human could attain. He came up with his concept of the Ubermensch, a superhuman who would be able to love life in a godless, suffering world and make his own values and morality, rising above the herd mentality. However, Nietzsche’s work became closely associated with radical groups such as that of Hitler in the 20th century. Furthermore, many anarchist groups have been drawn to his works. Although critics have denounced Nietzsche’s ideas for fueling radical groups such as the Nazis, his overall concept of the Ubermensch who creates his own morality evidences that Nietzsche was strongly against the herd mentality; thus, his works have simply been taken out of context and abused by those radical groups.
The narrator also says “ Love will help us live a better life and without it they live in a world like they do know, full of hatred.” For example, it says “ Love is something that you and I must have and that love gives us
The first-rate admirable people follow a master morality emphasizing power, strength, egoism, and freedom. While slave morality focuses on weakness, submission, love, and sympathy. For Nietzsche, the Will to Power is the distinguished as the dominant principle of biological function, without the Will to Power abusing the weaknesses of everyone being equal, with that society cannot and will not develop. The Will to Power is also defined as the Will to Life.
Firstly, Nietzsche stated that life is death in the making and all humans should not be determined by an external force rather, he believed that humans should have the incentive to think for themselves. Nietzsche claimed the future of a man is in his own hands. Simultaneously, humans are phased with struggles in the attempt to self-create themselves. Nietzsche proceeded with his argument affirming
...is exercise would help them to identify the values they wish to live by, and then allow them to apply those values to their past through revaluation, and to their future by the will to power. In a new age of modernistic Godlessness, Nietzsche’s parable offers one of many methods of achieving secular redemption once the religious idea of redemption loses its validity.
Explanation Nietzsche’s conception of the “social straightjacket” and the history of morality in relation to selfhood and social norms.
In 1887, two years before succumbing to utter madness, existential philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche writes his ethical polemic, On the Genealogy of Morals, in search of a man with the strength to evolve beyond humanity: But from time to time do ye grant me. one glimpse, grant me but one glimpse only, of something perfect, fully realized, happy, mighty, triumphant, of something that still gives cause for fear! A glimpse of a man that justifies the existence of man. for the sake of which one may hold fast to the belief in man! Nietzsche, 18.
Nietzsche's critique of religion is largely based on his critique of Christianity. Nietzsche says that in modern Europe, people are atheistic, even though they don't realise it. People who say they are religious aren't really and those who say they have moved on haven't actually moved on. Certain people in society retain features of Christianity. For example, socialists still believe in equality in all people.
When reading Nietzsche, we can pick up from him that he was very educated often better than most philosophers. Or so he thought. Although he had a very poor outlook on his culture and everyday society, he had very strong opinions when it came to humans and their actions. He made strong assumptions whether people agreed with him or not. An assumption such as, he believed most philosophers and researchers were not as educated as he was, which we pick up in his writings. Nietzsche’s main goal in his essays are to educate those on morality. First, Nietzsche believed that specific words and human actions have evolved over time to things they were never intended to become. Nietzsche
What is morality? There are many different views on what morality really is, but the one I find to be closest to the truth is Nietzsche’s view. Nietzsche completely reevaluated all of the values tied to morality and concluded that there is little true value in this world. Morality has always seemed to be complex and always been kept in a very limited “box”. Nietzsche goes beyond the normal limits and out of the “box” morality has been kept in. Nietzsche believed that there is no truth, just beliefs. Morality is just another belief. All beliefs are just interpretations or ways of looking at the world. Everything is a perspective. How I might view morality or what I might consider to be moral may be and probably will be very different from how someone else’s views. Nietzsche does not think we truly understand morality or the history of it. This is primarily where he believes other philosophers have gone wrong when trying to understand and describe what morality is. Nietzsche says, “As is the hallowed custom with philosophers, the thinking of all them is by nature unhistorical…” (Nietzsche, 25). Nietzsche believed that historically there were two types of morality: slave morality and master morality. Nietzsche says that, “It was out of this pathos of distance that they first seized the right to create values and to coin names for values…” (Nietzsche, 26). How we view morality now along with many other things has changed over the course of time. Nietzsche calls this conceptual transformation. Nietzsche says, “Thus one also imagined that punishment was devised for punishment. But purposes and utilities are only signs that a will to power has become master of something less powerful and imposed upon it the character of a function…” (Nie...
Nietzsche’s Genealogy of Morals can be assessed in regards to the three essays that it is broken up into. Each essay derives the significance of our moral concepts by observing