ON THE GENEALOGY OF MORALITY
On the Genealogy of Morality
In this book, Nietzsche proposes a new history of morality. Before him, and sometimes even today, people make the mistake of assuming morality came about as desirable social traits were promoted. Nietzsche makes the bold statement that all this is false. Instead morality came about as a way for social control. First would come the master morality, that which exemplifies pride, passion, self-mastery and strength. Naturally people with these charastics would come to power, and as such make the qualities that they themselves possess supremely moral. This would reinforce their social control. Then something that stirs the foundations of society happens; the slave revolt. Then morality is turned on its head; humility and meekness become moral, and pride is denounced as sinful. Nietzsche sees in Christianity the morality of the slave. He does not glorify either morality, but rather one gets a sense that he condemned both of these moral systems. In other books he would call for an ubermensch to create new moral values beyond good and evil.