Nietzsche's Comparison Against The Concept Of Greed And Love

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Recommended: Introduction to A Critique of Friedrich Nietzsche's Concept of Morality

In his argument, Nietzsche uses comparison to argue against the concept of romantic love, stating that love is not a moral good but an animal instinct. He does this by discussing the similarities between greed and love, using them to claim they are the same impulse but classified different ways. "Our love of our neighbors—is it not a craving for new property? And likewise our love of knowledge, of truth, and altogether any craving for what is new?" Nietzsche argues, drawing a comparison between greed and love, pointing out what is similar about them to argue that they are the same thing and not two moral opposites. Elsewhere, Nietzsche writes about how the only difference between impulses called 'good' or 'wrong' is the viewpoint of the examiner, …show more content…

Nietzsche compares greed and love to show how similar they are, and argues that love, like greed, is not a moral good. Conversely, Machiavelli compares love and greed in terms of which sentiment is more reliable among men, and uses comparison to argue that because greed is more reliable than love, it is better to be feared than loved. He supports his comparison by writing that men are "thankless, fickle, false, studious to avoid danger, greedy of gain," emphasizing the selfishness of men, and also emphasizes the fickleness of love, writing that it is "broken on every whisper of private interest." In this way, he presents one concept in a more positive light than the other to persuade, another common comparison strategy. Nietzsche uses comparison to state that love and greed are not moral opposites but essentially the same, whereas Machiavelli uses comparison to emphasize one thing over the other, in this case, that greed is a more effective motivation than …show more content…

Comparison is a way to emphasize the concept at hand to be most persuasive to one's argument. Comparison is also an effective way to introduce a new concept when one knows their audience already has knowledge of another; as an example, Nietzsche wants to introduce his audience to love, an abstract concept not everyone agrees upon or has the same understanding of. He draws comparisons to another, easier to understand concept, greed, which is something everyone has felt, and the definition of which isn't hotly debated. The selective emphasis of the concepts' qualities also come into play as a persuasive tactic here, as Nietzsche brings up the similar qualities between love and greed, drawing the conclusion that they are essentially the same. However, comparison has its limits: the audience must understand at least one of the concepts being compares against, or have an opinion on it, or else the argument will be meaningless. In his argument in favor of governance by fear, Machiavelli emphasizes the fickleness of love and the constancy of selfishness and greed. This comparison serves his argument by showing how fear is more reliable than love. His intended audience, statesmen and men seeking to increase their political power, were likely to agree that selfishness and greed are

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