The Trouble with Creating Values after God’s Death
The Trouble with Creating Values after God’s Death

Summary/Abstract: This essay examines how God’s death affects the philosopher’s task, which Nietzsche defines as creating, commanding, and legislating values (BGE §211). I argue that, unlike Plato, the new philosopher can no longer convince himself that his values are “the eternal treasure that just happened to have been found on his path” (WP §972). Plato assured himself of the legitimacy of his values by treating them as a “thou shalt” from somewhere beyond himself. The new philosopher can no longer believe in these beyonds, so he’s left with no choice but to acknowledge his values as his own creations. As such, his first and most pressing task is to persuade himself that his values are worthy of devotion despite knowing they are a product of his all-too-human will, and thus neither true nor rationally justifiable. In short, I argue that the new philosopher must view himself as a commander, the source that grants his values their authority

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