Nietzsche’s Understanding of the Bad Conscience
Nietzsche
regularly uses nature imagery to convey his arguments, playing on the natural
genealogy of his work. In his second essay, Nietzsche uses such natural
metaphors to introduce the concept of the “bad conscience,” (65). He argues
that the original “half-animals”, which he also calls the noble class, forcibly
adapted to a changing society. The “half-animal” analogy emphasizes the way in
which nobility represent the original, natural man. However, overtime, society
constricted their natural instinct of power and thus their animalistic nature.
Nietzsche compares this transformation to “the creatures of the sea when they
were forced either to adapt to life on land or to perish- in a single stroke,
all their instincts were devalued and ‘suspended,’” (64). This passage portrays the manner in which the
nobility lost their way of life due to the confines of a new society. Nietzsche
argues that those who attempted to maintain their ways failed, and all others
were forced to adapt. Nietzsche suggests that this adaptation diminishes the
“half animals’’” sense of natural instinct as society suppresses their freedom
in the form of the “bad conscience,” (65). Nietzsche defines the bad conscience
as the essential problem with priest morality.
Nietzsche
continues his nature imagery in the development of the bad conscience. He
accuses it to cause “all the instincts of the wild, free, nomadic man to turn
backwards against man himself,” (65). This passage emphasizes the suppression of
the nobility’s natural instincts. The introduction of a conscience tames the
independent and free nature of the nobility. This produces a man far detached
from his natural instincts. As depicted by this metaphor, the bad conscience
also confines the freedom of the noble morality, which operates under instinct
only.
In addressing the dichotomy between
subject and action, Nietzsche clarifies his distaste for the bad conscience. Nietzsche
values the active way in which instincts drive the actions of noble morality. However,
the bad conscience of priest morality emphasizes the subject rather than the
actions. Nietzsche explains this in his argument of the internalization of man;
that is, that “every instinct which does not vent itself externally turns
inwards,” (65). Instead of focusing on the actions, priest morality turns attention
inwards to the subject itself. Using more natural imagery, Nietzsche accuses
the internal conscience as the “most meager and unreliable organ,” (64-5). This
metaphor dictates Nietzsche’s belief that the subject itself provides no
sufficient guideline for morality. Instead, Nietzsche argues that focus on the
subject rather than the action entraps the natural freedom of instinct. Just as
Nietzsche values genealogy and the origin of all things, so too does he value
the instinctual nature of noble morality.
Discussion question: According to
Nietzsche, would someone be able to restore their noble morality after adapting
to the priest morality and acquiring such “bad conscience”?
Ellie, I will take a stab at your question. Priest morality involves inaction and turning away from instinct. As Ellie points out, these instincts then turn themselves inward and this is the cause of "bad consciousness". I think that one way to look at it is a person could let go of this restraint of instinct and allow themselves to prescribe to the good consciousness. But I do not think that Nietszche sees someone as able to rise up into the noble morality if they started in the slave morality. This has to do with the fact that he sees nobles and physically stronger. Also, since priest morality is so much about religion and this "poison" of good and evil, I think Nietszche sees it as very hard for someone to just escape this poison to prescribe to the noble morality.
ReplyDeleteEllie makes some very interesting points upon Nietzsche's analysis of bad conscience. Nietzsche continually describes a bad conscience as a illness. He states "I take bad conscience to be the deep sickness to which man was obliged to succumb under the pressure of the most fundamental of all changes-when he found himself definitely locked in the spell of society and peace" (64). In his statement, he describes the relationship of the indoctrinated bad conscience and his interpretation of man becoming tamed. Within society for there to be peace, man essentially must be tamed to feel guilt. Just as Ellie discuss, the bad conscience suppresses the man and their natural instincts. In order for society to maintain its peace, humanity forces themselves to suppress their natural instincts, which consequently suppresses their freedom. Nietzsche declares, "This instinct of freedom made latent through force-as we have already understood-this instinct of freedom, forced back, trodden down, incarcerated within and ultimately still venting and discharging itself only upon itself" (67). Here, Nietzsche discusses the suppression of freedom acts against or upon the man, when the man obtains the bad conscience. The man acts against himself, when the bad conscience within him takes hold and suppress his natural instincts. Nietzsche believes the bad conscience to be sickness because it causes the man to suppress his instincts, thus freedom, and to act upon himself.
ReplyDeleteI think that you're right Emily, the process of overcoming the system of slave morality would be difficult, but I think that Nietzsche does expect it to happen eventually. At the beginning of the second essay, Nietzsche describes the man who has overcome society's system of morals and has developed a personal conscience. Nietzsche refers to him as the "sovereign man" (42). However, it is also made clear that Nietzsche does not expect the coming of a person like this for a while as he describes the sovereign man as "a ripe fruit, but also a late fruit" (42).
ReplyDeleteI think Nietzsche sees living as a sovereign man as the ideal way to live because it gives one complete control over the self. After that comes noble morality because it allows a person to be their animal self, to live how they actually are. Finally Nietzsche hates slave morality because it forces its false and derived values onto others. Because each of these three states is determined by personal attitude and action people could switch back and forth between them. However, as Marlee points out, people indoctrinated by slave morality are going to see noble morality as wrong, so they are very unlikely to take step up to that level of morality.
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