Monday, October 1, 2018

Genealogy and Inheritance

In Nietzsche's concept of a Genealogy of Morals, the focus on the latter term has obscured the significance of the former.  A Genealogy is a Natural Form of Temporality, and, hence, a rival to the concept of History.  Now, in the 19th-century, the predominant concept of History is Hegelian, which combines a Kantian Universalist Teleology and Christian Messianism, or, in other words, Dialectical Spiritualism.  So, Dialectical Materialism is its primary alternative.  Thus, Genealogy is a rival to both, but more immediately so to Dialectical Materialism, which can also be classified as Naturalist, as opposed to Supernaturalist, which characterizes Hegel's concept.  Now, the concept of Genealogy is more useful in one respect than Dialectical Materialism to Marxism--it grounds Inheritance, and, hence, the continuation of the private ownership of the basis of all Wealth, i. e. Land.  It thereby shows more clearly than Dialectical Materialism that Inheritance is the foundation of Capitalist exploitation.  That it is also the foundation of social Inequality is missed by American Liberals who want to merely tax Inheritance as a source of income.

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