The Equivocal Use of Power in Nietzsche’s Failed Anti-Egalitarianism
This paper argues that Nietzsche’s anti-egalitarianism depends on equivocation between conceptions of power as quantitative superiority and qualitative feeling (das Machtgefühl) and between associated conceptions of equality as similarity (die Ähnlichkeit) and opposition or resistance (der Widerstan...
Main Author: | |
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Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Published: |
Brill
2015
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In: |
Journal of moral philosophy
Year: 2015, Volume: 12, Issue: 1, Pages: 1-32 |
Further subjects: | B
Resistance
B Morality B Political Theory B Equality B Egalitarianism B Power |
Online Access: |
Presumably Free Access Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
Summary: | This paper argues that Nietzsche’s anti-egalitarianism depends on equivocation between conceptions of power as quantitative superiority and qualitative feeling (das Machtgefühl) and between associated conceptions of equality as similarity (die Ähnlichkeit) and opposition or resistance (der Widerstand). Nietzsche’s key arguments against equality fail when applied to the qualitative form of power, since the feeling of power does not directly correlate with quantitative ability and requires relatively equal or proportional resistance. Consequently, Nietzsche’s commitment to the promotion of humanity’s highest individuals does not entail the rejection of moral egalitarianism in every form and even supports a pluralistic egalitarianism that promotes equality understood not as similarity but as multiple, proportional resistances (die Veilheit, die Widerstände). |
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ISSN: | 1745-5243 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of moral philosophy
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Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/17455243-4681016 |