"On the Genealogy of Morals" was first published in 1887, a year after "Beyond Good and Evil" and three years after "Thus Spoke Zarathustra." It is Nietzsche's most systematic and coherent work in which he attempts to demonstrate, as M. Sautet states, that the moral and philosophical values of the West not only contributed to the weakening of humanity but also eroded the foundations of knowledge and science.

With this work, Nietzsche begins his effort to reevaluate all values, an effort that will, however, be violently interrupted by madness (1889).

[Excerpt from the publisher's or edition's presentation text]