OntheGenealogyofMoralityisNietzsche’smostinfluentialbookbutitcontinuestopuzzle,notleastinitscentralclaim:theinventionofChristianmoralityisanactofrevenge,anditisassuchthatitshouldarousecriticalsuspicion.InTheWilltoNothingness,BernardReginstermakesafreshattemptatunderstandingthisclaimanditssignificance,inspiredbyNietzsche’sclaimthatmoralitiesare’signs’or’symptoms’oftheaffectivestatesofmoralagents.Therelationbetweenmoralityandaffectsisenvisionedasfunctional,ratherthanexpressive:thegenealogyofChristianmoralityaimstorevealhowitiswellsuitedtoservecertainemotionalneeds.Oneparticularemotionalneed,manifestedintheaffectofressentiment,playsaprominentroleintheanalysisofChristianmorality.Thisistheneedtohavetheworldreflectone’swill,whichisrootedinaspecialdrivetowardpower,ortowardbendingtheworldtoone’swill.Revengeisplausiblyunderstoodasaimingtobolsterorrestorepower,andtheinventionofnewvaluesisaparticularwaytodoso:byalteringtheagent’swill(hervalues),italterswhatcountsaspowerforher.Byrevealinghowitiswellsuitedtoplaysuchafunctionalroleintheemotionaleconomyofmoralagents,thegenealogicalinquiriesarousecriticalsuspiciontowardChristianmorality.Theuseofthismoraloutlookasaninstrumentofrevengeisproblematicnotbecauseitisimmoral,butbecauseitisfunctionallyself-undermining.
