Ressentiment and power: On Reginster's The Will to Nothingness

A critical discussion of Bernard Reginster's book The Will to Nothingness. The contribution engages with Reginster's interpretation of Nietzschean ressentiment, arguing that it is an essentially interpersonal attitude in two different senses. It is a response to a social situation of struc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European journal of philosophy 2023-06, Vol.31 (2), p.494-500
Main Author: Jay Wallace, R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Asceticism
Attitudes
Deprivation
Hate
Hostility
Literary criticism
Morality
Nietzsche, Friedrich (1844-1900)
Power
Social response
Social structure
Treatment methods
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Summary:A critical discussion of Bernard Reginster's book The Will to Nothingness. The contribution engages with Reginster's interpretation of Nietzschean ressentiment, arguing that it is an essentially interpersonal attitude in two different senses. It is a response to a social situation of structural deprivation, and it involves an element of antagonism toward those who are better off within this social structure. The contribution then discusses Reginster's claim that modern morality restores the sense of power of the masses by adjusting the goals that they aim to pursue. I argue that this interesting interpretation does not do full justice to the themes of hostility or hatred that permeate the Genealogy of Morals, extending from Nietzsche's discussion of the slave revolt to his treatments of the bad conscience and of ascetic ideals.
ISSN:0966-8373
1468-0378
DOI:10.1111/ejop.12873