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In this chapter, I argue that one of Nietzsche’s goals in the late works was to experiment with ways in which his contemporaries might rethink the aims and methods of philosophy to enable the healthiest among them to affirm meaningful lives in the face of a tragic view of life. I further contend that Nietzsche’s tragic philosophy was meant to act as a counterpoint to the bad conscience and the ascetic ideal. It is meant to guide those who embrace it out of the ressentiment and world-weariness resulting from the “truths” of traditional philosophy to a more creative way of affirming life. Nietzsche referred to this as “tragic wisdom” and he proclaimed himself to be the “first tragic philosopher.” I conclude by indicating the importance of Nietzsche’s tragic approach for contemporary philosophy. In particular, I maintain that this approach could be fruitful for those looking for healthier ways of enacting race. Adopting a tragic view of our racialized lives entails an acceptance of the endemic and chronic nature of racism in our society without falling victim to the bad conscience-induced resignation and resentment that plague so many people today.
The second essay of On the Genealogy of Morality ostensibly develops an account of the origins of the feeling of guilt, which is marked by the appearance of tight conceptual cohesion: the essay begins with an analysis of the concept of conscience, proceeds to an examination of bad conscience, and concludes with a view of moral bad conscience, or guilt itself, with an emphasis throughout the essay on the crucial influence of socialization. Nietzsche begins his investigation with an examination of the concept of "conscience". Nietzsche's inquiry then proceeds to an examination of the concept of "indebtedness" because guilt and indebtedness bear a close etymological connection: the German word for guilt - Schuld - also means debt, or indebtedness. The origin of bad conscience lies in what Nietzsche calls "the internalization of man". Nietzsche's genealogy of Christian guilt exposes it as a rational passion, or a "madness of the will".
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