Question

If Nietzsche were alive today, would he describe the contemporary United States as being governed by master morality or slave morality? Explain, and be specific.

Answer 1

• Morality of the strong willed, begins with Noble Man ( nobility ). Hero’s of the good give master morality its name, not actual good in itself. They realized they were good when they witnessed what would threaten them (the poor and weak).
• Their power included the power to decide what would be defined “good” and “bad”. (What would be good without something bad contradicting it? – Value creating ). --“Good” is noble, strong and powerful.--“Bad” is weak, cowardly, timid and petty.
• Nietzsche would describe the contemporary United states as being governed by slave morality according to me.
• Morality of the weak, it villainizes oppressors.
• Characterized by pessimism and cynism, exerts will through careful subversion (not through strength – Master Morality)
• It does not seek to transcend masters, but to make them slaves as well (weak gain power by corrupting strong into believing that the causes of slavery are ‘evil’)
• “Good” is what benefits entire community of weak people, not only the strong.
• Herd-mentality (valuing humility, compassion, and self denial), describes traditional Christian values because Christianity has its origins in oppression.
• Inequality is a fact of American life. The inequality of conditions of existence leads to members of different status groups assigning values and/or distinctions to themselves and other groups based on those conditions of existence.
• Nietzsche would demonstrate how the working class has created a value system as a reaction to the privileged class today, placing themselves at the moral end of the value system and the privileged at the immoral end.
• It is a “herd” like morality, meant to ease the pain of existence and serve society, where hard work and humility are valued, despite such values keeping people inferior. The admirable values allow the working class to feel good about themselves while at the same time keeping them from advancing by positively justifying their place in the social hierarchy.