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On the Genealogy of Morals (Penguin Classics) Paperback – January 28, 2014

by Friedrich Nietzsche (Author), Robert C. Holub (Editor, Introduction), Michael A. Scarpitti (Translator)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 402 ratings
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For the first time in Penguin Classics: Nietzsche’s accessible exploration of key ideas in his landmark Beyond Good and Evil—in a lucid new translation

Friedrich Nietzsche claimed that the purpose of On the Genealogy of Morals was to call attention to his previous writings. But in fact the book does much more than that, elucidating and expanding on the cryptic aphorisms of Beyond Good and Evil, and presenting a coherent discussion of morality in a work that is more accessible than much of his previous writings.

For more than sixty-five years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,500 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    167 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Penguin Classics
  4. Publication date
    January 28, 2014
  5. Reading age
    18 years and up
  6. Dimensions
    7.72 x 5.36 x 0.46 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    9780141195377
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0141195377
  9. Lexile measure
    1430L
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) was a philosopher, critic, composer, and poet whose works include Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Beyond Good and Evil, Twilight of the Idols, The Antichrist, and his autobiography, Ecce Homo.

Michael A. Scarpitti is an independent scholar of philosophy.

Robert C. Holub is a professor of German at Ohio State University.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0141195371
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Classics; Reprint edition (January 28, 2014)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 167 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780141195377
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0141195377
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1430L
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.72 x 5.36 x 0.46 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 402 ratings

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Friedrich Nietzsche

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
402 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Leland Bard
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellence in translation, format, and annotation
Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2014
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I’m happy to agree with B’s rating and comments! Before my Amazon order was delivered, I happened to run into a used copy of the Douglas Smith translation, Oxford Univ. Press, 1997. Though Nietzsche is not a primary interest of mine, I thought it might be a worthwhile project to read the new Penguin edition, then compare it sentence by sentence to the Oxford. First off, the Penguin/Scarpitti edition was entirely satisfying, and no chore for me as a lay reader. I had re-read “Zarathustra” and ‘Beyond Good and Evil” in the Walter Kaufmann translations recently, to have the earlier material in mind, but I still want to give particular credit to the Scarpitti translation for clarity and straightforward expression of the content. I was so pleased and motivated by the experience that I didn’t hesitate before starting my comparison to the Oxford edition. Smith proved to be far slower going for me! In comparing passages, I noted more winding complexity in Smith, and some repetitions that seemed to be effortful attempts to keep pronoun references sorted out. Very soon I began pausing (in Smith) to struggle with vague passages. We non-academic readers linger over phrases like “in itself” and “as such,” sensing that we are missing something crucial. I reliably had an “Ah ha!” moment as soon as I turned to the corresponding passages in the Scarpitti translation. Predictably, I fought two impulses: First, to continue reading the Penguin edition only, instead of resuming the comparison to Douglas Smith, because it was the Penguin edition that held my interest. Second, to rely on Scarpitti as a translator of Smith as well as Nietzsche! I did complete the comparison of the two translations and finished with an appreciation of the “Genealogy” as a text that does reward two readings. Because the two translations were in agreement regarding fundamental content, I felt assured they are reliable for non-specialist readers. The Penguin Classics edition has helpful paragraph breaks, appealing typeface and page layout, and excellent supplementary material.
41 people found this helpful
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Marc
5.0 out of 5 stars I would recommend it for anyone.
Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2014
This review is for the Angelnook Publishing Book.

I loaned out my old copy and never got it back, so just bought a new copy....does that tell you how much I like this book?

I've read my share of these type of books, and this one is at the top of my list with Angelnook Publishing Books!

If you believe that changing your thinking will change your life, that we can control our thoughts and by doing so improve our over all circumstances, you'll find this book extremely helpful.

I must say one of my favorite books on this topic, I was very very surprised with this book. The book and chapter selection is nice and WAY more than I ever expected. I definitely did not expect to find such book treasure.

I would recommend it for anyone.
4 people found this helpful
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B
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful
Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2014
I'm not able to comment on the accuracy of this translation, but I can say that it is the clearest and most beautiful of the three I have read (Scarpitti's being the third after Smith's and Clark & Swenson's). Holub's introduction is substantial enough. Make this your first choice, but perhaps supplement it with something ugly and literal if you're suspicious of translations that read just a little *too* nicely.
10 people found this helpful
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Atsubaki
4.0 out of 5 stars Had to read this for philosophy it was one of ...
Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2017
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Had to read this for philosophy it was one of my harder reads but however it was also quite interesting.
4 people found this helpful
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pulling cheek swirl better shake up
5.0 out of 5 stars onset of the final stages of a disease
Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2014
The problem with reason applied to morality as a weapon like a two-edged sword that can propose any form of punishment as a copycat remedy for a society of copycat crimes like Zeus punishing Prometheus for stealing fire from the gods to benefit mankind is clearly a basis for the understanding of Nietzsche that is promoted by this translation into English of On the Genealogy of Morals.
One person found this helpful
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Kerstin Spremulli
5.0 out of 5 stars ultimately the principles of lent must become a way of life.
Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2014
if you really want to know how to raise you conscious awareness of who you really are this is the book. it is easy to read and understand. ultimately the principles of lent must become a way of life.
2 people found this helpful
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BELKACEM BENALI
2.0 out of 5 stars Nicely book love it Probably I'm gonna read it again
Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2018
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Nicely book love it
Probably I'm gonna read it again soon
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Orson Welles
1.0 out of 5 stars Failed Academic Fails at Translating Nietzsche
Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2014
Perhaps the Penguin translator makes a Nietzschenan gesture in deciding to translate the 1887 edition rather than the now standard G. Colli und M. Montinari edition. That edition is the basis for the far superior  The Complete Works of Friedrich Nietzsche, Vol. 8 (Beyond Good and Evil / On the Genealogy of Morality)  Adrian Del Caro (Translator). But rather than an arrogant gesture of renewal, Scarlatti appears to have a rather large chip on his shoulder. In fact, his translation may be a product of his ressentiment, lol. What is one to make of his job title "independent scholar of philosophy?" Some Amazon reviewers of other Nietzsche translations think that a good Nietzsche edition does not need a scholarly apparatus. I couldn't disagree more. Nieztsche wrote for "the few." He knew Greek and Latin. He read widely, and some books he read have fallen into oblivion. I thank Caro and Stanford University Press for working so hard to deliver an astonishingly illuminating and deeply engaging critical edition of these two important works. Stanford UP is publishing English translations of all volumes of the now standard German  Menschliches, Allzumenschliches, I und II. Herausgegeben von G. Colli und M. Montinari.
16 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Leon Schwarz
2.0 out of 5 stars Beschädigt angekommen
Reviewed in Germany on February 26, 2023
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Ich habe das Buch extra als neues Buch gekauft aber ein beschädigtes Buch bekommem
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Leon Schwarz
2.0 out of 5 stars Beschädigt angekommen
Reviewed in Germany on February 26, 2023
Ich habe das Buch extra als neues Buch gekauft aber ein beschädigtes Buch bekommem
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Harshad
5.0 out of 5 stars It’s Friedrich Nietzsche
Reviewed in India on September 28, 2022
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The media could not be loaded.
 It’s masterpiece
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Harshad
5.0 out of 5 stars It’s Friedrich Nietzsche
Reviewed in India on September 28, 2022
It’s masterpiece
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Graham Cammock
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 26, 2021
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In the ‘genealogy’ Nietzsche presents three treatises which trace episodes in the evolution of moral concepts with a view to confronting "moral prejudices", specifically those of Christianity and Judaism. In the "First Treatise", Nietzsche demonstrates that the two pairs of opposites "good/evil" and "good/bad" have very different origins, and that the word "good" itself came to represent two opposed meanings. In the "good/bad" distinction of the aristocratic way of thinking, "good" is synonymous with nobility and everything which is powerful and life-asserting; in the "good/evil" distinction, which Nietzsche calls "slave morality", the meaning of "good" is made the antithesis of the original aristocratic "good", which itself is re-labelled "evil". This inversion of values develops out of the ressentiment felt by the weak towards the powerful. From the aristocratic mode of valuation, another mode of valuation branches off, which develops into its opposite: the priestly mode. Nietzsche proposes that longstanding confrontation between the priestly caste and the warrior caste fuels this splitting of meaning. The priests, and all those who feel disenfranchised and powerless in a lowly state of subjugation and physical impotence (e.g., slavery), develop a deep and venomous hatred for the powerful. Thus originates what Nietzsche calls the "slave revolt in morality", which, according to him, begins with Judaism, for it is the bridge that led to the slave revolt, via Christian morality, of the alienated, oppressed masses of the Roman Empire (a dominant theme in The Antichrist, written the following year). Nietzsche concludes his First Treatise by hypothesizing a tremendous historical struggle between the Roman dualism of "good/bad" and that of the Judaic "good/evil", with the latter eventually achieving a victory for ressentiment, broken temporarily by the Renaissance, but then reasserted by the Reformation, and finally confirmed by the French Revolution when the "ressentiment instincts of the rabble" triumphed.

In the "Second Treatise" Nietzsche advances his thesis that the origin of the institution of punishment is in a straightforward (pre-moral) creditor/debtor relationship.

In the Third Treatise Nietzsche asks what is the ascetic ideal? Nietzsche's purpose in the "Third Treatise" is "to bring to light, not what [the ascetic] ideal has done, but simply what it means; what it indicates; what lies hidden behind it, beneath it, in it; of what it is the provisional, indistinct expression, overlaid with question marks and misunderstandings".

I understand the first thesis and it has tremendous bearings on my own work. Nietzsche was elitist, he advocated the strong, the powerful, the warrior-like and the aristocratic while he had disdain for the weak, the priestly, the masses and the rabble etc. You have got to attain Nietzsche’s philosophy over several books, but you definitely get it with persistence. Genealogy is a great read, and I highly recommend all of Nietzsche’s works, they are fascinating!
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Rykker James
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on March 28, 2017
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Great book, definitely a must read.
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Michael C.
5.0 out of 5 stars Happy with the product
Reviewed in Australia on October 29, 2023
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Arrived on time. Perfect conditions
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