The morality of fighting inequality: Nietzschean philosophy and the pursuit of progress

• Published in: Constellations (Oxford, England) Vol. 28; no. 1; pp. 95 - 110
• Main Author: Jackson, Jeff
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.03.2021
• Subjects: Equality; Inequality; Morality; Social inequality; Social progress; Subjectivity
• ISSN: 1351-0487; 1467-8675
• DOI: 10.1111/1467-8675.12520

Is it Nietzschean to engage in action to fight forms of social inequality? This question of whether Friedrich Nietzsche's thought can be reconciled with a commitment to social equality is an argent one for many political theorists. Nietzsche's relentless critique of a wide range of conventional moral principles has gained him much admiration among theorists who pride themselves on their own critical capacities, yet many of these theorists also tend to view equality as a value with objective moral worth. If we endorse the way Nietzsche exposes the historical contingency and unconscious subjectivity of dominant moral value systems, we can become hard-pressed to find sure footing for the principle that equality is a moral good and that greater equality represents movement in the direction of clear social progress. Nietzsche appears to strike directly at the confidence we can have that efforts to fight inequality are indeed manifesting the path to a morally superior world.