Nietzsche Slave And Master Morality Analysis

In this essay, I will discuss Nietzsche’s idea of the division between slave and master morality. First, I will give a detailed account of slave morality. Then, I will give a detailed account of master morality. Finally, I will explain how, for Nietzsche, the transition from master to slave morality occurred, and why he sees this to be a problem for humanity as a whole.
Slave morality differs greatly from master morality. Many values within slave morality include being humble, being kind, and having sympathy which is considered bad. Slave morality is based on actions of good and evil intentions. For example, the teachings of Christianity. These values are found within pity and charity. Giving back to the community is more beneficial than keeping …show more content…
According to Nietzsche, morality is not eternal, it is constantly changing. Even within religion, morality is always changing. There are no moral codes set in stone, and the moral ideas themselves are entirely arbitrary. There are two major categories for morality: slave and master. At first, the masters were considered good, powerful, and wealthy, while the slaves were considered bad, weak, and poor. Overtime, morality shifted and the masters were considered evil and the slaves were considered good. This transition occurred because of ressentiment, in other words, the idea that one’s identity is dependent upon others, in particular one’s hatred of what they are not. The slaves identified through hatred and would rather blame others for their problems instead of fixing it themselves. The masters identified with themselves; they were dependent upon no one. The slaves obviously were not happy with the life they were living, even though they claimed to consider this life “good,” and instead they blamed the masters. This is ironic, if the lives of slaves are good, why are they referring to the masters as evil instead of thanking the masters and celebrating the “good” life they are living. Nietzsche hated the ressentiment because the slaves did not care for the life that they were living; they devalued it. It was not about this life; it was all about the afterlife. Nietzsche could not understand why one would deny pleasure in their current life in order to gain pleasure in the afterlife. For example, restraining from having sex, which is a natural human desire, or fasting, when eating is vital for living. Causing pain and suffering in this life so there will be no pain and suffering in the after life is nonsense. In this type of world, those who do nothing are praised and those who act are condemned. For Nietzsche, this