Kant, Schopenhauer and Nietzsche have very different view on what is the outcome of moral growth and what is the nature of moral growth. For Nietzsche a Kantian mature person who follows universal ethical duties is a prison of slave morality. For Schopenhauer truly mature person is a holy ascetic who has developed his virtues of pity and compassion (Mitleid) in perfect level. In this presentation we consider if there is something or nothing to be learnt from Schopenhauer’s and Nietzsche’s ideas of moral growth when keeping in mind Kohlberg-Gilligan debate on moral development.    

For Schopenhauer the source of morality is our natural feelings of pity and compassion which comes to contradiction with the basic strive of “will-to-live”.  The will-to-live to live is the ultimate thing-in-itself. To deny will is same as deny will-to-live which is for Schopenhauer the ultimate end of moral growth. Will is a source of all suffering and a person who is free from willing is at the highest state of morality. The basic principle of Schopenhauer’s pity morality is following: Do not insult anybody but help with all the powers you have. Road from egoism to total denial of the will-to-live is Schopenhauer theory of moral development. It has three stages: First is the stage of natural egoism. Second stage is perfecting of one’s virtues of love and sympathy.  The third stage is that of holiness and total denial of the will-to-live. Person turns away all the pleasures of life.

Nietzsche divides morality into two: master-morality and slave-morality.  Nietzsche calls slave-morality also heard-morality or morality of resentment, because it is morality of masses. The master-morality as the higher system of morality makes difference between good and bad, or between “life-affirming” and “life-denying”.  Wealth, strength, health, and power count as good; while bad is associated with the poor, weak, sick, and pathetic. To the slave-morality belongs difference between good and evil. Here, value emerges from the contrast between good and evil: good being associated with other-worldliness, charity, piety, meekness, and submission; evil seen as worldly, cruel, selfish, wealthy, and aggressive. Nietzschean master-morality represents the will to power as revaluating all the values. The opposite of the will to power is ascetism, which according to Nietzsche it means denial of life. It seems also, that Übermensch has no pity or other weak sentiments.

For Nietzsche moral growth means overcoming yourself by coming what you are. For Schopenhauer moral growth means coming to something that is against essence of the world which is the will-to-live. Schopenhauerian ascetic holy man is unnatural denier of the world and the will. For Nietzschean there is no golden rule. Schopenhauerian holy man is like Jesus beyond golden rule because his purpose is to sacrifice his own needs for the sake of the other. In presentation we reveal how these Nietzschean and Schopenhauerian extremes relates to Kohlberg’s and Gilligan’s levels of moral development and what could be – if any – Nietzsche’s and Schopenhauer’s positive contribution to modern theory of moral growth.  

Danto, A. 2005. Nietzsche as Philosopher. Expanded edition. Columbia University Press. Fitzimons, P. 1995. Nietzsches´s Schopenauer and Education. www.vusst.hr/ENCYCLOPAEDIA/nietzsche.html 22.7.2005. Kakkori, L. 2008. Nietzschean education and Gelassenheit-education: How to educate with a hammer? http://www.ffst.hr/ENCYCLOPAEDIA/doku.php?id=nietzschean_education_and_gelassenheit-education- 17.1.2011. Kaufmann, W. 1982. Nietzsche. Philosoph – Psychologe – Antichrist. Wissenschaftliche Buchge sellschaft. Lambert, Bert., Smeyers, Paul. 2003. Nihilism Beyond Optimism and Pessimism. Studies in Philosophy and Education 22: 183 – 194. Nietzsche, F. 1983. Schopenahauer as Educator. In Untimely Meditations. Cambridge University Press: London. Nietzsche, F. 2004. On the Future of Our Educational Institutions. Translated and Introduces by Michael W. Grenke. St. Augustine´s Press: South Bend, Indiana. Nietzsche, F. 2009. Beyond Good and Evil, by Friedrich Nietzsche. The Project Gutenberg EBook 4363. Nietzsche, Friedrich. 1968. The Will to Power. Vintage Books: New York. Nietzsche, F. 1999. Thus Spake Zarathustra. Dover Publications: Mineola. Peters, M, A. 2002. Heidegger, Education and Modernity. Rowman&Littlefield: New York. Salomaa, J, E. 1988. Friedrich Nietzsche. Kampus kustannus: Jyväskylä. Salomaa, J,E. 1944. Arthur Schopenhauer: Elämä ja filosofia. WSOY:Porvoo. Schopenhauer, A. 1998. On the Basis of Morality. Hackett Publishing Company: Minneapolis. Schopenhauer, A. 1969. The World as Will and Representation. Volume I. Dover Publications: New York. Schopenhauer, A. 1958. The World as Will and Representation. Volume II. Dover Publications: New York.