On the Genealogy of Morals

A work of three linked essays that trace how moral ideas came to be. Nietzsche asks where concepts such as good and evil, guilt and conscience, and ascetic ideals come from, and argues that they have a history rooted in power, resentment and cruelty.

The first essay contrasts noble and slavish values, the second explores guilt and punishment, and the third questions why people have valued self-denial. It is one of his most sustained and influential arguments.