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NIETZSCHE MASTER MORALITY VS. SLAVE MORALITY Friedrich Nietzsche 1844-1900 Classicist Existentialist? Aphoristic philosopher Proto-Nazi? Übermensch Historian of ideas Athiest Nietzsche’s Epigram Revaluation of values Nietzsche calls for a “revaluation of values” (549), and “…a new type of philosopher and commander…. The image of such leaders hovers before our eyes...whose new pressure and hammer will steel a conscience and transform a heart into bronze…do you know this, you free spirits?” (549) Viking values (551) [proto-Nazism?] Morality: Master vs. Slave Nietzsche distinguishes between 2 historical forms of morality: 1. master 2. slave He clearly prefers first over second, to avoid “total degeneration of humanity” (549) Master versus Slave 1 MORAL SYSTEMS MASTER: Classical [Greek]: virtue ethics - ideal: human excellence SLAVE: Modern: utilitarianism, egalitarianism - ideal: happiness, ease, content, peace, rest, safety Master versus Slave 2 IDEAL HUMAN BEING MASTER: Aristotle: Megalopsyche Übermensch SLAVE: un bonhomme (552) Master versus Slave 3 IDEAL POLITICAL SYSTEM MASTER: Aristocracy [aristos vs. kakos] (550) SLAVE: Democracy Master versus Slave 4 MAIN MORAL CONTRAST MASTER: Good vs. Bad applies to people SLAVE: Good vs. Evil Applies to actions Master versus Slave 5 VALUES & ATTITUDES MASTER: Power is good Male SLAVE: Power is bad Female Nature red in tooth and claw “…life itself is essentially a process of appropriating, injuring, overpowering the alien and the weaker, oppressing, being harsh, imposing your own form, incorporating, and at least, the very least, exploiting…: (550) [Nietzsche apparently read Darwin; thought human species highly variable, on verge of speciation…] Master and Slave are idealizations Master and slave moralities are not descriptions of actual morals of people, races, or states, but abstract types in Nietzsche’s historical analysis of morality. “…you sometimes find them sharply juxtaposed—inside the same person even, within a single soul.” (550) [Parting thought] Evolution teaches that human beings, as social animals, have evolved 2 conflicting drives: 1. Intra-species competition [master morality?] Most evolutionary competition is between members of same species 2. Intra-species co-operation [slave morality?] Inter-species advantage gained by altruism within a species.