Analyzing the Relationship between Moral Overridingness and Ethical Egoism in Nietzsche’s Moral Philosophy

Authors
Syed Ahmad Fazeli
Fatemeh Aghagoli
Abstract
Despite the implicit contradiction between “moral overridingness” and “egoism” in moral philosophy, these two concepts are fundamentally connected in Nietzsche’s ethics. Relying on the notions of the “will to power” and the “Übermensch,” Nietzsche emphasizes morality as grounded in individuality and liberation from traditional constraints. In this context, egoism is closely linked to the will to power, which serves as a means for attaining the Übermensch—an individual capable of creating new values and achieving moral overridingness. Such moral overridingness empowers one to transcend prevailing social values. Given the reciprocal relationship between the will to power and the Übermensch, Nietzsche’s thought presents the possibility of analyzing the connection between egoism and moral overridingness not as oppositional, but as two constructive forces that advance individual freedom and emancipation from social constraints within moral philosophy.

Keywords

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Philosophical Thought
Volume 5, Issue 4 - Serial Number 20
Summer 2025
Pages 1001-1008