Contemporary Moral Problems

Book Review Chapter 1: Ethical Theories:

Friedrich Nietzsche: Master and Slavery Morality

Library Reference: N/A

Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Contemporary-Moral-Problems-James-White/dp/0534584306/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233793391&sr=8-1

Quote:  “Exploitation does not belong to a depraved, or imperfect and primitive society: it belongs to the nature of the living being as a primary organic function; it is a consequence of the intrinsic Will to Power, which is precisely the Will of Life.”

    What this means is that, exploitation is not something bad or evil, but exploitation is actually good when used in the right way. Just as long as it’s appropriate to do exploitation because there are times wherein exploitation could be like invading privacy. So I think that it is a must to know when to exploit and when not to.

Learning Expectation:

    Based on the title of the chapter, this chapter will be definitely talking about a master and a morality of a slave. Of course this is the first notion that I get since I haven’t read the chapter yet, so based on my understanding of the title or whatever it is that may be here in this chapter, I want to learn it as it will increase my knowledge about these things.

Review:

    To tell you a little bit about who the author is, Friedeich Nietzsche was a German philosopher and poet who is often viewed as a source of modern existentialism and deconstructionism. The Birth of Tragedy, The Gay Science, and Thus Spake Zarathustra are some of Nietzsche’s works. Nietzsche argues that a healthy society should allow people with power to exercise their “will to power,” their drive toward domination and exploration of the poor. People with power or what Nietzsche calls the superior person follows a master-morality who emphasizes power, strength, egoism, and freedom, as compared to the poor people which Nietzsche calls the inferior is said to be calls for weakness, submission, sympathy, and love.

What I’ve learned:

    I have learned that “Exploitation does not belong to a depraved, or imperfect and primitive society: it belongs to the nature of the living being as a primary organic function; it is a consequence of the intrinsic Will to Power, which is precisely the Will of Life.” Also, I have learned that how a good and healthy society should be, and I think that we can use it to make the world better.

Questions:

1.    Will Nietzsche’s view of a healthy society fit today?

2.    How would it impact our world today?

3.    What advantage does it have?

4.    Will everyone understand it?

5.    How can we apply it?

Citation: (James E. White, St. Cloud State University, 2003)