Nietzsche's Ethics

Discusses Nietzsche's ethical theory and goals in writing a history of Christian morality, and takes a broader look at Nietzsche's wider philosophy.

This Element discusses Nietzsche's ethics in his late works, from 1886 onwards. Explaining the basics of his ethical theory and exploring his goals in writing a history of Christian morality, it also takes a broader look, respectively, at Nietzsche's wider philosophy in light of his ethics.This Element explains Nietzsche's ethics in his late works, from 1886 onwards. The first three sections explain the basics of his ethical theory – its context and presuppositions, its scope and its central tension. The next three sections explore Nietzsche's goals in writing a history of Christian morality (On the Genealogy of Morality), the content of that history, and whether he achieves his goals. The last two sections take a broader look, respectively, at Nietzsche's wider philosophy in light of his ethics and at the prospects for a Nietzschean ethics after Nietzsche.