On the Genealogy of Morals

The thing that separates humans from other animals is their ability to make promises; this enables them to exert action on the future. Forgetfulness is the opposite of this, yet Nietzsche claims that it is an important and positive feature of the human condition. Forgetfulness enables individuals to find psychological tranquility and step away from their concerns for a while: “There can exist no joy, no hope, no pride, no real present, without forgetfulness” (44). Nietzsche suggests that controlling one’s future requires the ability to determine when memory and forgetfulness are needed by looking at the causal relationships between ideas and their origins.

This ability to consider and make decisions about the future led to the development of the value of responsibility. Morality made humans predictable. Their actions would, most of the time, adhere to a strict set of ethical rules. A sovereign individual, however, is free from moral custom and is able to make promises independent of a relationship to Western morality. Nietzsche argues that a sovereign individual develops a personal system of values and examines the world and others through the lens of a uniquely personal perspective. This is called a person’s “conscience.