Complete 16 page APA formatted essay: Nietzschean Genealogy.Download file to see previous pages His main concern is the existing inability of human beings to get out of the given "morality box". He em

Complete 16 page APA formatted essay: Nietzschean Genealogy.

His main concern is the existing inability of human beings to get out of the given "morality box". He emphasizes that if man intend to progress into future he require a change in his own understanding. He has therefore deliberated about the evolution of morality. "Nietzsche attempts to unmask the motives that underlie traditional Western religion, morality, and philosophy deeply affected generations of theologians, philosophers, psychologists, poets, novelists, and playwrights. He thought through the consequences of the triumph of the Enlightenment's secularism, expressed in his observation that "God is dead," in a way that determined the agenda for many of Europe's most celebrated intellectuals after his death2. This paper delves in his work by:-

Genealogy as a discipline is defined as "study and tracing of family pedigrees. This involves the collection of the names of relatives, both living and deceased, and establishing the relationships among them based on primary, secondary and/or circumstantial evidence or documentation, thus building up a cohesive family tree."3 This implies that genealogist has to "collect oral histories and preserve family stories to discover ancestors and living relatives. Genealogists also attempt to understand not just where and when people lived but also their lifestyle, biography, and motivations. This often requires - or leads to - knowledge of antique law, old political boundaries, immigration trends, and historical social conditions"4 in short extensive research and data collection is required to be productive in genealogy.

Foucault said "genealogy is gray, meticulous, and patiently documentary. It operates on a field of entangled and confused parchments, on documents that have been scratched over and recopied many times. ... Genealogy, consequently, requires patience and knowledge of details and it depends on a vast accumulation of source material. Its "cyclopean monuments" are constructed from "discreet and apparently insignificant truths and according to a rigorous method". they cannot be the product of "large and well-meaning errors." In short, genealogy demands relentless erudition."5 The question arises that why should one look for the fact that who his/her ancestors were The only reason at an individual level is the pleasure of ascertaining one's identity.

However, three important points / limitations (if you dare to call it so) are associated with genealogy which is:-

1.The genealogy has a fixed nature for obvious reasons i.e. you cannot change your fore father!!!!

2.It is the fixed nature and inability to effect any change in the pedigree that the results are held in reverence.

3.Extensive research to ascertain the facts which if go wrong has the danger of falling into a creation of "false" history.

It is these limitations which Nietzsche tries to circumvent in order to find the roots of morality. Before proceeding further on genealogy let us see what we mean by morality. The dictionary meaning of morality is "a system of ideas of right and wrong conduct: religious morality.