Overcoming Two Lacunae in Nietzsche’s Story of the “Slave Revolt”

Abstract This article addresses two perceived lacunae arising from Nietzsche’s famous “slave revolt” in morality. The first concerns the dominant interpretation of Nietzsche’s narrative in the Genealogy (GM), that on his own considered model of agency, there is no “doer” behind the “deed”; rather, the “the doing is everything.” This article gives reasons to think this interpretation is incorrect. The relevant passage (GM I:13) offers a stylistic flourish to elucidate a view of agency belonging to the warrior-nobles. The second concerns why these warrior-nobles come to assent to “slavish” values at all. Exploring Nietzsche’s functional claims about power, this article demonstrates another normative sphere at some level recognized and revered by the warrior-nobles, which allows them to consider the priests as rivals. Priestly spirituality, as an alternative mode of empowerment, tracks different conceptions of value.