Nietzsche's Philosophy of the Übermensch
Christianity and the Conflict between Slave and Master Morality
Nov 15, 2008
According to Nietzsche there are essentially two types of morality, slave and master morality. In ancient Greek and Roman times the “masters”, the nobles and aristocrats, such as philosophers, warriors and senators would set the standards of morality. They decided what was “good” and “refined”, whereas what was associated with the plebeians was seen as “evil”, “vulgar” and of “bad taste”.
Christianity as Vengeance and Rebellion
However, Nietzsche claims that this situation created resentment among the common folk and they decided to upturn the entire structure and portray the life of the nobles as inherently evil. Christianity provided the best weapon for such rebellion with its message of equality and moreover, notions of the afterlife.
The early Christians attempted to portray life as punishment and as a transitory state of being while the “real life” would start in paradise and last for all eternity. The body became a prison and was a danger to the soul; as such one had to live life according to specific rules of conduct to attain the recompense of the afterlife.
Nietzsche did not believe in the Christian concepts and dismissed them as useless and far from reality and indeed as a negation of life. He resented the fact that nobles succumbed to this philosophy and outlook which, as a result, hindered their force and creativity and enslaved them to “metaphysical lies”.
Slave versus Master Morality
Here lies the difference between the two mentalities. The slave morality implies people lacking will and creativity who blindly follow authority, who base their lives on hearsay about a perfect world in the distant future. They are crippled by their own beliefs and will not advance as people or a species since they value meekness and restraint and are filled with constant fear about going astray from the path towards Christian truth.
On the other hand, the master is free to create his or her own morality. These people can bend moral truths to their needs and liking. In fact, Nietzsche claims that occasionally violence that serves a purpose of advancement is necessary for the noble. The master is like an artist, creating their own world and they do not merely follow rules established by others, they are leaders who pave the way for future generations. They are on the path to Nietzsche’s conception of the “Übermensch”, the “Superman” or "Overman", a being that is the perfect example of manhood, godlike and invincible. That is the new kind of person who values intuition, feelings and strong passions over cold and pragmatic reason.
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