
Written in response to a book on the origins of morality by his erstwhile friend Paul Rรฉe, the three essays comprising The Genealogy of Morals โ all three advancing the critique of Christian morality set forth in Beyond Good and Evil โ are among Nietzsche's most sustained and cohesive work. In the first essay โ starting from a linguistic analysis of words such as "good," "bad," and "evil" โ Nietzsche sets up a contrast between what he calls "master" morality and "slave" morality and shows how strength and action have often been replaced by passivity and nihilism. The next essay, looking into the origins of guilt and punishment, shows how the concept of justice was born โ and how internalization of this concept led to the development of what people called "the soul." In the third essay, Nietzsche dissects the meaning of ascetic ideals. It is not Nietzsche's intention to reject ascetic ideals, "slave" morality, or internalized values out of hand; his main concern is to show that culture and morality, rather than being eternal verities, are human-made. Whether or not you agree with all of his conclusions, his writing is of such clarity and brilliance that you will find reading The Genealogy of Morals nothing short of exhilarating. Review: Fascinating readโฆ - While many esoteric points remain difficult to follow, the philosophical implications are undeniableโฆand will leave my way of thinking forever changed. Review: Important indepth strong perspective - Great book print is small. Fascinating writing. I have to reread the paragraphs over to get the correct understanding

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M**.
Fascinating readโฆ
While many esoteric points remain difficult to follow, the philosophical implications are undeniableโฆand will leave my way of thinking forever changed.
H**N
Important indepth strong perspective
Great book print is small. Fascinating writing. I have to reread the paragraphs over to get the correct understanding
A**.
good read, can use a footnote or two, but good value,,,,
This is an affordable and easy to carry work from the great German philosopher himself. A casual reader of his work may find a challenge or two in reading this because there's some huge paragraphs larded with untranslated phrases from other languages, and a distinct lack of footnotes to contextualize some of what he's saying and how it relates to other concepts and the historical time that he is saying it. My man FN also never met a sentence he couldn't make longer or more complex. To be honest, even someone familiar with FN is going to work to extract the meaning from his work. Worth it. That said, he was never going to be an easy read and to flesh out some concepts he chose a challenging style. He is an interesting writer. Will have to revisit my Kauffman, or check other translations to see where they stand in regards to this. Verdict: Recommended.
J**D
Thought provoking by Nietzsche
Great book. The first essay regards the difference between "good and bad" and "good and evil". It takes in a lot of history regarding the origins of these terms. The second essay reviews the origins of guilt and bad conscience and the third regards the reasons for the ascetic ideals especially for priests.
R**R
Fascinating historically but often laughable from a modern perspective
Nietzsche is one of the most interesting philosophers of the 19th century, with The Genealogy of Morals being one of his most interesting works. Viewed as history, Nietzsche's eloquent defense of the aristocrat-barbarian and withering dismissal of priestly values clearly highlights a major shift in society--one which Nietzsche was apparently very troubled by. It's a compelling read, if at times infuriating to modern sensibilities. However, as a treatise on morality, Nietzsche's "insights" have not aged well. Eschewing the careful analytic style of most philosophers in favor of impassioned rhetoric is a hallmark of Nietzsche, but this has left his arguments riddled with holes; assumptions are not clearly spelled out, so it is at times difficult to understand how he could expect anyone to believe his claims. In particular, The Genealogy of Morals is so strongly influenced by Nietzsche's view of contemporary (to him) society that it no longer offers much insight into human morality. If one is curious about the fundamental underpinnings of human morality, one is vastly better off reading a modern work with a more experimental bent (if less solidly directed at understanding human morality)--The Tangled Wing by Melvin Konner or The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt, for instance. Alternatively, analytic philosophical treatments of morality by Kant, Hume, and others, at least pose timeless questions.
J**S
The proud knowledge of the extraordinary privilege of responsibility, ...
The proud knowledge of the extraordinary privilege of responsibility, the consciousness of this rare freedom, of this power over himself and over fate, has sunk right down to his innermost depths, and has become an instinct, a dominating instinctโwhat name will he give to it, to this dominating instinct, if he needs to have a word for it? But there is no doubt about itโthe sovereign man calls it his conscience. Nietzsche, Friedrich (2012-03-01). The Genealogy of Morals (Dover Thrift Editions) (p. 36). Dover Publications. Kindle Edition.
M**E
Nice book ...
... for a very cheap price! If you are looking for a fancy edition with notes, comments, and whatnot then this is not for you. But if you just want to read Nietzche's book as it is, then with 3 dollars or so, there you have it!
F**A
Great book, and great receiving time.
This is a wonderful book, a little hard to read but a great book. I love Amazon, I live in Arcata Ca. where they don't have a lot of stores where I could pick something this up...
S**N
ok
As described
D**H
Priceless
Excellent for criminology students, or anyone studying origins of crime and punishment. Exploration of the soul, good and bad, right and wrong; written in disagreement of a book authored by his best friend. Very deep reading, but worth the effort.
C**O
Not best quality
Love it โค
D**C
Printing is not good
The printing of the book is not very nice. The paper is recycled, which I love it, but the ink is so thin, sometimes cannot be read. I suppose that for the price I couldn't complain.
L**H
grande libro.
traduzione vecchiotta, primi del novecento. Vantaggio di traduzione inglese รจ che non mi accorgo delle sbavature di lingua, che invece mi sembra di avvertire spesso in quelle italiane .Considero, forse a torto, la maggior parte dei traduttori come i doppiatori utili ma insopportabilmente tutti uguali, che si sono inventati una lingua robotica artificiale fortunatamente (ancora) inesistente nel mondo reale, ovviamente mi aspetto di sentire tra non molto il doppiatese , come giร il giornalistese , a pranzo e cena.. That's entropy, honey!
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