used by the herd of inferior human  beings to hold back the few superior men?

In this Sprouts special with  Stephen Hicks, we examine  

Nietzsche's explanation for how ethics develop  

and the consequences for master types living in a  world that's dominated by the morality of a slave.

PART 3 “MASTER-SLAVE MORALITY and  the origin of the bad conscience

Nietzsche argued that there are two  explanations for how morality develops.

Part of the story is bio-psychological —  in terms of what morality resonates with  

what psychological type of person one is. The  other part of the story is cultural, because  

different moral codes develop under different  survival circumstances, and so Nietzsche searches  

history for the survival circumstances that  necessitated the development of slave morality

In the West, Nietzsche finds the slave  morality's roots in the Judeo-Christian  

tradition–In a decisive set of events  that occurred early in Jewish history–the  

enslavement of the jews in Egypt. The  significant result of the Jews' being enslaved 

for a long time was the development  and internalization of a moral code  

suitable for surviving slavery.

Suppose that you are a slave: how do you  survive? And if you have children who are  

born into slavery, what survival strategies will  you teach them? In order to survive, a slave must  

obey the master. This does not come naturally. So  the first lesson is: you must stifle your nature.

Suppose the master strikes you — the desire  

for revenge comes naturally  — but you have to stifle it.

Suppose the master tells you  to wait — being inactive does  

not come naturally — but you must  suppress your desire for activity.

Suppose the master tells you  to do something you do not  

want to do — you must override your  desire to do what you want and obey.

Generalizing, you must train yourself to restrain  your natural impulses and to internalize a humble,  

patient, obedient self. You know you must do  this because slaves who do not end up dead.

Consequently, Nietzsche asserts, slave virtues  have survival value: obedience, humility,  

forgiveness, and patience are good for slaves.  And those are the traits slaves will drill into  

Their children if they want them to survive. Over  time, the slave virtues become cultural values.

In every generation many people are sheep-like  and do not especially mind being slaves.  

But others resent it, and here the  story Nietzsche tells becomes darker.

In order to survive they must direct  their natural strength and assertiveness  

against the expression of their  own strength and assertiveness.  

This naturally leads them to resent the  master strongly—but they also start to hate  

themselves for doing what the master says and  for their own role in suppressing themselves.

Psychologically, hating oneself causes unbearable  pressure inside: because the outward discharge of  

the instinct gets inhibited and turns backward  against man himself. Hostility, cruelty,  

joy in destruction — all this turned  against the possessors of such instincts:  

that is the origin of the 'bad conscience'

Hatred of the strong, self-hatred,  and revenge fantasies to ease the pain  

become the lived psychological reality  of such slaves. Make this psychological  

reality a matter of months and years, and  the results will be ugly and poisonous.

More provocatively, Nietzsche argues that such  slave individuals who feel the internal war most  

strongly become the social leaders of the slaves  — that is to say, they become their priests.  

“It is because of their impotence that in  them hatred grows to monstrous proportions.

In their leadership role, it is the priests  who most strongly advocate meekness, humility,  

and obedience —and who condemn the  aggressive strength and pride of the masters.  

The priests are not in a position to  use physical power against the masters.  

Instead the priests develop and use  morality as their weapon of confrontation.

In the Judeo-Christian tradition, slave  morality becomes part of a revenge strategy. Its 

point is to enable the weaker  to survive in a harsh world—but  

also to undermine the master type's  confidence in themselves and eventually 

bring down the masters so as  to exact a spiritual revenge.

So: Strength, aggression, weakness,  

resentment. Is morality really about  us getting along together in the world? 

Or is it really a tool of power, a survival  strategy, and a way for the losers to strike  

back against the successful? Those are the  hard questions Nietzsche makes us live with.

THE END

What are your thoughts on morality?  Do you agree with Nietzsche? 

For more information, to reach Stephen  Hicks's full account of the German philosopher  

or to download this video without background  music, check the descriptions below.