On the Genealogy of Morals by Friedrich Nietzche - Book Report/Review Example

The book had been introduced by the reflection of the author regarding the origins of morality. In the process, the determination of the origins of such morality is inevitable since complete or substantial understanding can only be achieved when the derivation can be determined (Nietzche 15-23). The author’s view is focused on the determination of the prejudices of the human population. This brought the issue to the determination of good and evil. Prior to his view, other philosophers defined “good” as the deeds that lack ego.

This definition is contradicted Nietzche on the basis of the analysis that historical and linguistic origins of the word good are related in meanings of power and nobility. It can be surmised then that the meaning of the word good had been dictated by the ruling and more powerful class in the earlier stages of history. For that matter, the author expressed that goodness cannot define a good deed because the concept is good in itself. This can mean that good can only be the expression of goodness (p. 24-56). In the essay, “Good and Evil” “Good and Bad,” the author expressed a controversial analysis that good and evil or good and bad had been affected by different experiences of the human civilization.

When good had been defined in the age of nobility as the more powerful class and the bad as the lesser classes e.g. slaves, the definition of evil had been developed and intensified during the height of the influence of the priests and religious leader. This can be attributed to the fact that religious teachings had been proclaimed as the definition of goodness by the religious leaders and the opposition as evil regardless of the effects that these rules can do and bring about (p. 24-56). Based on the study of the presented view of the author, Friedrich Nietzche, the origin of morality is a challenge to define.

This can be attributed to the complexity of the human experience. In the reading, only one feeling can be left to the reader, that is that open-mindedness and understanding of the differences of the experiences of every member of the human civilization taking into consideration, history, race, and other factors that can affect one’s point of view is the most fundamental weapon to be able to prevent conflicts. Due to the basic fact that prejudices in human nature are inevitable, the exact definition of good and evil cannot be achieved.

It can only be surmised that good is advantageous to one’s point of view with consideration of the beneficiary, may it be himself or others while bad can be the opposite though there are no exact rules. Through these vague definitions, morality can be drawn as what philosophers of a different era had been trying to do continuously.