Nietzche on Ethics: Human, all too Human (Essay Sample)

Nietzche on Ethics: Human, all too Human.
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Nietzche on Ethics: Human, all too Human
Ethics refers to thought processes that are applied in defining concepts of what is right or wrong with respect to behavior, conduct and moral status. Ethics is based on philosophies that address people’s moral diversity which can be approached through meta-ethics, applied ethics and normative ethics. Nietzsche approach to ethics entailed a multifaceted view, with his views mostly being classified as moral skepticism due to his claims that all ethical statements were untrue. This belief was based on the observation that any connection between ethical orientation and moral grounding were due to illusionary facts since there was no universally accepted truth or fact. Nietzsche was a believer of perception or people’s interpretative power that was an inherent quality that enables persons to create their own ethical and moral truths that fit their daily needs and wants in life. Nietzsche was extremely critical of matters relating to ethics and morality, and their application in various aspects of life like politics, religion, philosophy and other socioeconomic aspects of life.
Nietzsche view on ethics can be regarded as virtuous and perfectionist in nature with respect to people’s perceptions and agency an aspect that he claims to be essential in the constitution of non-conscious type-facts that determine their actions (Nietzsche 347). This is exemplified in the chapter of the book titled On the History of Moral Feelings where he challenges the Christian ideas of evil and good (74). He sees the human understanding and presence of free will and choice as a fabrication of reality that is furthered or promoted by the church. The criticism leveled against the church can be explained by looking at Nietzsche’s belief that ethics was used to control human emotion and their ability to influence action. To counter this, Nietzsche believes that people should realize ethics are personal aspects associated with the perception of self and how it affects their relationship with the outside world. It can be seen from this description that Nietzsche did not believe in any prescribed ethics of any kind, for he saw generalized or universal ethics as tools of control and hypocrisy. In their stead, Nietzsche ascribed to a set of personal values that work to promote and boost one’s endeavors in self-improvement as long they do not contravene laws and/or people’s wellbeing.
Nietzsche ascribed to a brand of ethics that stems from his staunch belief in creating oneself by disregarding all what was learnt and experienced before they came upon the truth. To him, ethics should be not be composed of socially accepted norms and stereotypes that serve to govern people’s attitudes and perceptions in life. Ethics should be private and/or personal creation of what best suits an individual’s ideal perception of self and their environment. The creation of a new self and subsequent personal ethics gives an individual the opportunity to achieve a higher sense of self. For effective recognition of these attributes in a person, Nietzsche believed that a person who had achieved a higher sense of self exhibited through unique behavioral aspects that set them apart from other people. These include the pursuit of unifying projects, solitary in disposition, leads a healthy lifestyle that is life affirming and the practice of self-reverence. The ability to achieve these behavioral and thought processes was an indication of a higher purpose in life, which was due to influence and impact on the successes of self, but also on their associates.
The use of aphorisms in Human, all too Human can be construed to be a representation of his new sense of higher self as a result of his creationism. He uses aphorism to describe his ethical postulates because he perceives them as unique to self, and thus, cannot be generalized or viewed as universally applicable. Nietzsche appreciated aphorism and its application in defining ethics, which he also described as an art...