Benue State University, Makurdi

Nietzsche and Ethics

Angwe Ken Agede, PhD and Terhide Augustine Maashin

Abstract

Prima facie, Nietzsche and morality seem to be strange bed-follows. To some extent, it is an image Nietzsche himself has influenced and shaped. A self-styled “immoralist,” Nietzsche engages doctrines that implicitly undermine principles Christian morality promotes. To be sure, doctrines such as the Ubermensch, (overman), eternal recurrence, and will to power are intended to demean concepts such as heaven, hell, free will, the soul, divine justice among others. In this way, Nietzsche might be read as rejecting the traditional morality of the society of his day. Europe of his day would have struggled with his new-found value-system. Although born and raised a Lutheran Christian, Nietzsche lost his faith in the process ditching Christianity for atheism. However, his rejection of Christian morality should not be confused with the rejection of morality as such. Thus, it could be fairly argued that Nietzsche has an ambivalent relationship with morality: on the one hand, he rejects a morality type; on the other hand, however, he accepts morality as such. In light of the following, therefore, the present discussion will defend the position that although Nietzsche rejects Christian morality, he nevertheless accepts the ethics of nobility or affirmation.

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