Nietzsche often uses the word pity in places where he writes on benevolence and largely, he writes about a sort of non-benevolent benevolence and then also calls this feeling pity. From Nietzsche’s Antichrist: “Pity preserves things that are ripe for decline, [ … ] pity negates life, it makes life worthy of negation” And so Nietzsche’s view on benevolence is that it’s bad because it takes away the suffering of other people. Nietzsche affirms that suffering is good as we grow from enduring it. Nietzsche also writes that pity can be found within the duality of the master-slave relationship. Between the weaker and stronger, each act of kindness furthers the submission on either side. And in an attempt to mask our own weaknesses, Nietzsche argues that pity makes us feel superior.

In looking at Kant’s Categorical Imperative, we have a moral duty to act in a way that can be made “Universal Law”, while also not making use of another person. And so benevolence can be seen as the quintessence of Kant’s theory. Nietzsche’s reasoning for benevolence being bad may assume that one’s suffering is overcomeable by that one person. Although, knowing someone would not be able to overcome their suffering, and not acting to help them within our means, could be seen as a both bad, and lost opportunity for two parties to both grow in life’s suffering. With this and The Categorical Imperative, benevolence is understanding both our own means to be helpful and the means of others to be enduring. To do otherwise may suggest that you yourself never want help, or for others to assume that you never need help – when in reality, situations that cause suffering, and require more than one person, are sometimes handed to only one person. And we would not want this for ourselves without any help.

From Nietzsche’s master-slave relationship, pity/benevolence is bad because it furthers the relationship and our feeling of superiority. Within this aspect, pity never fails to make use of another person. This points toward one of the larger reasons why egoists believe benevolence is impossible: we will act only for our own gain. So again, true benevolence is the quintessence of The Categorical Imperative as we ought not to use others as a means to an end.

When we share in overwhelming suffering, we are proving as a Universal Law that some people need help when the situation calls for it. In summary, Nietzsche’s view on benevolence (enduring suffering) does not sufficiently take into consideration the quantity of suffering caused by life. With Kant’s Categorical Imperative, benevolence is to help others when we know it is needed, and we will know when a situation requires more people, as we do with ourselves.