Question

According to Nietzsche, “with the aid of the morality of mores and the social straitjacket, man was actually made calculable.” Briefly explain the role of morality and society in shaping a “calculable” human being. What are the most dangerous effects of this process? Is then Nietzsche calling for a mere “immoral” form of behavior?

Answer 1

For a moral society the most basic element which constitutes a society, that is ‘an individual’ needs to be moral. Morality means that the individual is concerned with the well-being of his fellow beings. A person who is moral and ethical is a great asset to the society and nation. The foundations of morality is laid during childhood, and with the help and guidance of significant others is strengthened during adolescence and adulthood.

Society and morality, both, serve the purpose of making an individual predictable. This in turn serves the purpose of allowing them to make promises. This complicated process has as its end the "sovereign individual" who is able to make promises, not because he is bound by social mores but because he is master of his own free will. The sovereign individual is then faced with the tremendous responsibility of being free to make claims regarding his own future: we call this sense of responsibility a "conscience." This means that a sovereign individual that is produced does not live in accord with nature and must subdue it. This means that although morality is essential for living but is should be in relation to the society.