Nietzsche is often believed to be one of the sources of inspiration of the Nazi use of the word 'Entartung', which is notorious amongst others because of the Nazi concept of 'Entartete Kunst'. In this essay it is defended that Nietzsche's use of the word was quite diverse and ambiguous, and does not fit to Nazi use. First of all Nietzsche did not limit his use of 'degeneration' to the physiological domain or to specific groups of people. This is illustrated by 'degeneration- texts' on Jews, Roma and handicapped people (three groups that were believed to be 'entartet' by the Nazi's). Moreover, by the example of the degeneration of women it is shown, how Nietzsche used the word often in rhetorical and parodical ways. He deliberately used the beliefs and prejudices of his time (in this case, beliefs on women) in order to put attention to more fundamental, but unobserved, threats to culture and human flourishing.
Entartung (degeneration); Dekadenz (decadence); Nationalsozialismus (National Socialism); Rassismus (racism); Frauen (women); Kunst (art)