Nietzsche, Morality, and the French Revolution

Paper Summary:

This paper is an examination of Nietzsche's "On the Genealogy of Morals" and its relation to the historical context in which it was written. A parallel is drawn between Nietzsche's view of the historical evolution of morality and the development of the moral-political philosophies of the Ancient (Old) Regime and the French Revolution. The Ancient Regime is associated with Nietzsche's idea of "good, bad" morality, while the French Revolution is connected with "good, evil" morality. Some other issues discussed are the idea of the slave revolt and the morality of Napoleon.

From the Paper:

"Every civilized society is concerned with its moral fabric: the ethical and behavioral norms that all citizens are expected to obey. Morality, on its surface, appears to be a philosophical issue. Some people speak of a universal morality, beyond time and devolving upon all people equally. In this way, they explain the prevalence of certain moral laws, for instance, the prohibition against murder, in almost every society. Others view morality as a subjective concept, yet still one with philosophical origins. They maintain that many societies possess laws against murder because each group of people has made an independent philosophical evaluation, and determined that the value of life is something they as cohabitants of the same state all uphold. For Friedrich Nietzsche, both of these approaches are fundamentally flawed."

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