- 01The Knowers Who Have Not Searched for Themselves
- 02The Hive of Knowledge and the Homeward Drive of Thought
- 03The Limits of Self-Understanding and Experience
- 01From Human, All-Too-Human to the Genealogy of Morals
- 02The Question of the Origin of Good and Evil
- 03The Value of Morality as the Real Problem
- 01Suspicion Toward Pity as a Modern Moral Ideal
- 02The Demand for a Critique of Moral Values
- 03Joyful Wisdom and the Comic View of Morality
- 01The Difficulty of Reading Zarathustra and Other Writings
- 02Aphorism as Commentary and Exposition
- 03Rumination as the Art of Reading
On the Genealogy of Morality
by Friedrich Nietzsche · 1887 · 5 chapters · 24/7 tutor
Origins of moral values and critique of modernity.
5Chapters
24Lessons
72Topics
Certificate of completion included
This course was produced by Cavua from a public-domain text.
Skills this course leaves you with.
- Explain Nietzsche’s genealogical method and how it differs from traditional moral philosophy
- Analyze the origins of good and evil in aristocratic, priestly, and slave value systems
- Describe the development of guilt, bad conscience, and punishment in moral history
- Interpret the role of the ascetic ideal in suffering, religion, culture, and philosophy
- Assess Nietzsche’s critique of modern morality and its implications for moral revaluation
Curriculum
The full table of contents.
Every chapter, every lesson, every topic — laid out before you enroll. Click any chapter to expand it.
- Chapters
- 5
- Lessons
- 24
- Topics
- 72
- 01Psychological Reductionism in English Moral Philosophy
- 02Utility, Habit, and Forgetting as False Origins of Good
- 03The Historical Blindness of Moral Genealogists
- 01Pathos of Distance and Noble Self-Assertion
- 02Good as the Language of the Powerful and High-Stationed
- 03Etymologies of Noble and Plebeian Value Terms
- 01Clean and Unclean as Early Class Distinctions
- 02Priestly Weakness, Revenge, and Moral Poison
- 03The Jewish Transvaluation of Values
- 01The Revolt of the Slaves in Morals
- 02Love as the Crown of Jewish Hatred
- 03The Cross as a Seductive Instrument of Revenge
- 01The Morality of the Herd and the Triumph of the Vulgar
- 02Contempt, Forgiveness, and the Love of Enemies
- 03The Need for Historical Sense in Moral Inquiry
- 01The Human Animal as a Creature That Must Be Made to Remember
- 02Promise-Making and Responsibility
- 03The Sovereign Individual Beyond Custom
- 01The Creditor-Debtor Relationship and the Right to Punish
- 02Schemes of Valuation for Suffering and Compensation
- 03Justice, Grace, and the Self-Destruction of Justice
- 01The Confusion of Punishment’s Ends and Causes
- 02Deterrence, Retaliation, and Supplementary Meanings
- 03Punishment’s Effects on Fear, Cunning, and Desire
- 01The Turn Inward After the Blocking of Instincts
- 02Cruelty Redirected Against the Self
- 03The Disease of Man from the Disease Called Man
- 01The Tribal Obligation to Earlier Generations
- 02The Deification of Ancestors and the Expansion of Debt
- 03The Feeling of Owing a Debt to the Deity
- 01The Priest as Physician of Symptoms, Not Causes
- 02Hypnotism, Self-Annihilation, and Sanctification
- 03The Will to Power in Benefiting and Helping
- 01Ascetic Ideals in Artists, Philosophers, Scholars, and Women
- 02Wagner, Parsifal, and the Temptation of Retrogression
- 03Artists as Courtiers of Morality, Philosophy, and Religion
- 01Kant, Schopenhauer, and the Spectator’s View of Beauty
- 02The Beautiful as Promise of Happiness
- 03Marriage as a Hindrance to Philosophic Life
- 01The Early Philosophy of Self-Denial and World-Negation
- 02The Philosopher’s Need for an Ideal to Exemplify
- 03The Ascetic Priest as a Conservative Force of Life
- 01Redirecting Resentment Toward Self-Blame
- 02The Priest’s Therapeutic Strategy and Its Limits
- 03The Use of Hypnosis, Sleep, and Self-Reduction
- 01Science as Dependent on Value-Creating Ideals
- 02The Historian’s Nihilistic Gaze
- 03The Will to Nothingness in Ascetic Self-Denial
- 01Michael Angelo, Raphael, and Artistic Honesty
- 02German Culture, National Character, and European Synthesis
- 03The Future of Europe and the Overcoming of Nations
- 01German Want of Wit and the Praise of Diligence
- 02The Sons of Prussian Officers and the Future of Culture
- 03The Natural Order of Manly Rule
- 01The Idea of a United Europe
- 02Broad-Minded Men and the Preparation of a New Synthesis
- 03The Overcoming of Nations Through Travel and Association
- 01Heroism as Shipwreck Rather Than Selfishness
- 02The Great Man and the Spirit of His Epoch
- 03Public Opinion and the Uses of Power
01How many chapters are in the On the Genealogy of Morality course?
The On the Genealogy of Morality course has 5 chapters, each with its own lessons and topics.
02How many lessons are in the On the Genealogy of Morality course?
There are 24 lessons across the course, and you can ask your 24/7 tutor about any of them.
03Can I see what the On the Genealogy of Morality course covers before I start?
Yes. The full curriculum is listed on this page, beginning with "PREFACE.".
04Do I get a certificate for the On the Genealogy of Morality course?
Yes. Finishing the course earns a personal Cavua certificate of completion.
Keep exploring
View all PhilosophyMore in Philosophy.
Cavua Seed Library
The Theory of Moral Sentiments
PhilosophyIntermediate
7chapters7h 54m
This course was produced by Cavua from a public-domain text.
With membership
Or preview chapter 1 free
Updated Oct 2026
Cavua Seed Library
Leviathan
PhilosophyIntermediate
27chapters14h 42m
This course was produced by Cavua from a public-domain text.
With membership
Or preview chapter 1 free
Updated Oct 2026
Cavua Seed Library
Second Treatise of Government
PhilosophyBeginner
21chapters3h 48m
This course was produced by Cavua from a public-domain text.
With membership
Or preview chapter 1 free
Updated Oct 2026
Cavua Seed Library
Republic
PhilosophyIntermediate
28chapters17h
This course was produced by Cavua from a public-domain text.
With membership
Or preview chapter 1 free
Updated Oct 2026
Cavua Seed Library
Critique of Pure Reason
PhilosophyAdvanced
13chapters14h 6m
This course was produced by Cavua from a public-domain text.
With membership
Or preview chapter 1 free
Updated Oct 2026
Cavua Seed Library
Confessions
PhilosophyAll levels
13chapters7h 30m
This course was produced by Cavua from a public-domain text.
With membership
Or preview chapter 1 free
Updated Oct 2026
Learn with AI
Ready to start this course?
Create your account to enroll, talk to your 24/7 tutor, and track your progress — across every device.