The Origins of Good and Evil According to Nietzsche

In his work On the Genealogy of Morality, Nietzsche intends to investigate not only the origin, but, more importantly, the value of morality. While Nietzsche does not specifically define morality, he speaks of the values of compassion, self-denial, and self-sacrifice (GM, Preface, §5). Nietzsche thinks that people have taken the worth of these values as something given, as beyond dispute. Until now, people have not doubted that good is of higher value (in other words, is of greater benefit to mankind) than evil, for instance. Nietzsche asks, “What if the opposite were true?” He suggests that maybe what we call good is actually a danger to mankind and what we call evil is of higher value (GM, Preface, §6). In the First Treatise, Nietzsche attempts to answer this question by showing how these terms have evolved to arrive at their present meanings. I will first explore Nietzsche’s account and critique of these concepts, and will then give my own view of his account.

The origin of good and evil starts with the transition from nomadic societies to permanent settlements. This transition could not have occurred without natural born leaders. These leaders, the nobility, co

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Approximate Word count = 1447
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)