TITLE: Contemporary Moral Problems: Master- and Slave-Morality (Chapter 3)

AMAZON LINK: http://www.amazon.com/Contemporary-Moral-Problems-James-White/dp/0534584306

QUOTATION: “Everywhere slave-morality gains ascendancy, language shows a tendency to approximate the meanings of the words ‘good’ and ‘stupid’.”

LEARNING EXPECTATIONS:

-          I want to learn the difference between master morality and slave morality.

-          I want to know a good and health society.

-          I want to understand deeper knowledge of Will Power.

 REVIEW:

In this chapter, it discusses that Nietzsche argues that a healthy society should allow superior individuals to exercise their “will to power”, their drive toward domination and exploitation of the inferior. The superior person follows a “master-morality” that emphasizes power, strength, egoism, and freedom, as distinguished from a “slave-morality” that calls for weakness, submission, sympathy, and love.

To refrain mutually from injury, from violence, from exploitation, and put one’s will on a par with that of others: this may result in a certain rough sense in good conduct among individuals when the necessary conditions are given.

The superior person follows a “master-morality” that emphasizes power, strength, egoism, and freedom, as distinguished from a “slave-morality” that calls for weakness, submission, sympathy, and love.

According to Nietzsche the goal of Will to Power is essentially engaged in the preservation and enhancement of itself: The Will wills itself. Thus the Will to Power is essentially an activity of interpreting aimed at preserving and enhancing life itself. This is Nietzsche's notion of Will to Power.

I think people will really think differently because it somehow differs on how they attack cases like these. I am not amazed that there are people who accept and reject those writing of Nietzsche. In my own opinion, I think it is justifiable because there are factors why those writing of Nietzsche have been formulated.

A creator of values has heroic individualism that makes a person an over man. He will be the creator of master morality and the likes. He honors whatever he recognizes in himself; such morality is self-glorification.

WHAT I HAVE LEARNED:

-          I have learned that the creator of values is the creator of master morality.

-          I can explain the master-morality and slave-morality.

INTEGRATIVE QUESTIONS:

1. Who is Friedrich Nietzche?
2. What is slave-morality?
3. What is master-morality?
4. What is the difference of slave-morality and master-morality?
5. What is the similarity of slave-morality and master-morality?

REVIEW QUESTIONS:

1. How does Nietzsche characterize a good and healthy society?

Nietzsche argues that a healthy society should allow superior individuals to exercise their “will to power”, their drive toward domination and exploitation of the inferior. The superior person follows a “master-morality” that emphasizes power, strength, egoism, and freedom, as distinguished from a “slave-morality” that calls for weakness, submission, sympathy, and love.

2. What is Nietzsche's view of injury, violence, and exploitation?  

To refrain mutually from injury, from violence, from exploitation, and put one’s will on a par with that of others: this may result in a certain rough sense in good conduct among individuals when the necessary conditions are given.

3. Distinguish between master-morality and slave-morality?

The superior person follows a “master-morality” that emphasizes power, strength, egoism, and freedom, as distinguished from a “slave-morality” that calls for weakness, submission, sympathy, and love.

4.       Explain the Will to Power.

According to Nietzsche the goal of Will to Power is essentially engaged in the preservation and enhancement of itself: The Will wills itself. Thus the Will to Power is essentially an activity of interpreting aimed at preserving and enhancing life itself. This is Nietzsche's notion of Will to Power.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. Some people view Nietzsche's writings as harmful and even dangerous. For example, some have charged Nietzsche with inspiring Nazism. Are these charges justified or not? Why or why not?

I think people will really think differently because it somehow differs on how they attack cases like these. I am not amazed that there are people who accept and reject those writing of Nietzsche. In my own opinion, I think it is justifiable because there are factors why those writing of Nietzsche have been formulated.

2. What does it mean to be “a creator of values”?

A creator of values has heroic individualism that makes a person an over man. He will be the creator of master morality and the likes.