Was ist also Loben? Nietzsche on the Ethics of Praise.

This article examines Friedrich Nietzsche's critical perspective on the ethics of praise, categorizing his views into metaphysical, psychological, and ethical critiques. Nietzsche challenges the traditional moral assumptions underlying praise, particularly rejecting the metaphysics of autonomous moral responsibility and suggesting that praise often serves as a subtle form of power assertion or "revenge." He further argues that truly excellent individuals—those embodying greatness or power—generally disdain praise, viewing it as a sign of weakness or imperfection, and that human excellence is a positional good inherently linked to social hierarchies. The analysis situates Nietzsche's skepticism about praise within his broader anti-egalitarian philosophy, highlighting its implications for contemporary debates on moral responsibility, social recognition, and the distribution of human excellence.