First, here is a song I’ve been listening to that fits the theme of Nietzsche’s discussion of bad conscience and guilt.
When I ask my friends what it means to feel guilty, many characterize it as the feeling of doing something wrong, or hurting someone’s feelings. For example, if I were to gaslight my friend into thinking that I did not rip her fishnets that she bought for halloween when I actually did because she’s two sizes smaller than me, I’d feel bad about it later…Probably
#Gaslight #Gatekeep #Girlboss
This feeling is known as guilt. How does Nietzsche describe guilt and how does it relate to punishment?
Nietzsche describes guilt and punishment like a strict business contract. Those who are “guilty” of doing something outside of society’s moral compass will pay reparations for their actions.This extremely strict contract is between a creditor and the debtor. This does not have to involve money, just anything that can be used to mutually repay the person who suffered from the consequence of the other person’s actions.
He states that the relationship between guilt and punishment is “the credence we lend our ‘creditor’, God (Nietzsche, 62). Credence is a form of punishment, those who go against the code of morality now owe to the debtor and “pay” through punishment.
Today, there is a punishment for every crime deemed immoral. If I ripped my friend’s Halloween outfit and then lied about it, what would my punishment be?
Nietzsche would most likely characterize this scenario as if I broke a contract. There was a common understanding that I would not try on her fishnets behind her back and then lie about it. This action breaks the moral value code between me and my friend. Therefore, she can create a punishment that matches what I owe.
