From Consciousness to Conscience: Cognitive Aspects in Nietzsche’s Genealogy of Conscience
Nietzsche-Studien September 25, 2024 DOI: 10.1515/nietzstu-2023-0032 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that the emergence of consciousness as an epistemic faculty plays a pivotal role in the development of conscience as a moral faculty in Nietzsche's On the Genealogy of Morality, and proposes to connect Nietzsche's account of consciousness to the genesis of conscience and the cognitive capacities involved in it. |
Abstract
Abstract This article examines a subject that has received relatively little attention in the literature on Nietzsche’s On the Genealogy of Morality: the pivotal role played by the emergence of consciousness (Bewusstsein) as an epistemic faculty in the development of conscience (Gewissen) as a moral faculty. To achieve this objective, I will (1) introduce the inquiry, (2) elucidate Nietzsche’s hypothesis regarding the emergence of consciousness, (3) establish a connection between consciousness and the genesis of conscience, and (4) expound upon the cognitive capacities involved in the formation of conscience as a moral faculty.