What Defines Good and Evil? Exploring Nietzsche, Global Morality, and Modern Dissent
- Hilary Valdez
- 4 hours ago
- 4 min read
When I look at Instagram, watch the news and other media venues, my senses are overloaded. So much overlapping and multi-generational activity; it’s a lot to keep up with. Especially television dramas or news coverage. Excessive and graphic depictions of events and violence can increase the likelihood of experiencing a traumatic impact, especially anxiety and feelings of not being safe. Do you see bad or evil more than good?
Seems like values, outlooks on life, interpersonal behaviors and beliefs have shifted. In some cases, disrespectful, less differential. Everyone is fighting for their cause. As Ema Goldman states: “If I can’t dance to it, it’s not my revolution. People have only as much liberty as they have the intelligence to want and the courage to take.”
According to Dylan Thomas, “Love and memory endure along with human relationships, especially those rooted in family and childhood. Memory preserves what time cannot erase completely.” Especially if you’re a Traditionalist, born before 1945 or a Baby Boomer, 1946 -1964, or Generation X 1965-1980. Much of what is going on in our lives is seen through our own generational lens. Or where you were then, is who you are now. So, when you observe current events and other people, what upsets you? What’s the worst part? If you are having a strong reaction, then your deep beliefs and core values (from your era) could be fueling out-of-proportion emotions.
Is there a global morality? Where did our moral values come from? Nietzsche’s central question is: “How did our ideas of good and evil develop?” He argues that morality has a history. Instead of being timeless or divinely given, moral values evolved through human psychology, social conflict, and power struggles. When I’m watching YouTube, I’m challenged to assess and question the origins of the values of all the “Influencers” and Podcasters. I ask myself whether their values encourage human flourishing or merely reflect current and historical habits and power relationships.
Here’s my take from an anonymous source: “What was wrong then, is right now. When there is conflict, if we happen to agree then we have morality. But it all depends. It all depends on where you are. It all depends on when you are. It all depends on what you feel. It all depends on how you’re raised. It all depends on what is praised. What’s right today is wrong tomorrow. It all depends on point of view. In Rome do what the Romans do. If taste just happens to agree, then you have morality. But when there are conflicting trends, it all depends, it all depends.”
Watching the news, I ask myself: Is the world lacking a genuine moral value or compassion, and equality, or concern for others? Infinite regress is a sequence of explanations, causes, or justifications that never comes to an end. Every answer requires another question. Every cause requires another cause, and there is never a final stopping point. After watching the news, I have twinges of anxiety and feelings of not being safe. I have questions, but no clear answers.
What is good? How did our ideas of good and evil develop, and how do they shape human life? The next time you speak with someone, notice whether you are judging their words or judging them as a person. Are you jumping to conclusions, assuming everyone thinks as you do, or closing your mind to another perspective? Biased self-reflection can quickly shut down communication.
Nietzsche examines moral values critically rather than accepting them as timeless or self-evident. His ideas shifts attention from abstract moral principles to their historical, cultural, and psychological origins. Back to the era in which you were born: we repeat what we grew up with. But what is immoral for one person, may not be immoral for another. If taste just happens to agree, then you have morality. But when there are conflicting trends, it all depends, it all depends.
Bottom line is to be aware of your own fundamental drives and desires. When you make the best of generational adversity, it becomes a stepping-stone for growth. But self-limits are imposed by habit, and you produce what you believe. For better or worse we see according to our values and beliefs…which could be out of date with today’s dizzying pace of social change. Yet people have a sense of inner justice, maybe this is the global morality. But the meaning we attribute to our life, determines our behavior. Criticism, indifference, and pessimism closes the door to understanding. Dissent
During the 60s the Beatles were singing “All We Need is Love” and “Give Peace a Chance.” The obstacles separating us from closer cooperation and harmony with others is: language, religion, dress, family of origin/beliefs, cultural roles, skin color, education levels, rich vs poor, city folks vs rural folks, people who look different, handicapped people, family values and behavioral expectations. Did I leave anything out? You fill in the blanks.
“To thine own self be true,” William Shakespeare. “Don’t regress, progress.” Hilary Valdez According to Alan Watts “Every intelligent individual wants to know what makes him tick and yet is at once fascinated and frustrated by the fact that oneself is the most difficult of all things to know.”
About the Author:
Hilary Valdez is a freelancer living in Tokyo, Japan. He is an experienced Mental Health professional and Resiliency Trainer. Valdez is a former Marine and has worked with the military most of his career and most recently worked at Camp Zama as a Master Resiliency Trainer. Valdez now has a private practice and publishes books on social and psychological issues. His books are available on Amazon and for Kindle. Learn more about Valdez and contact him at his website or email (InstantInsights@hotmail.com). Follow his YouTube channel Hilary’s Quick Talk for more insights.