Question

Can I get a quick summary of Aphorism 117 from The Gay Science by Nietzsche?

Answer 1

Nietzsche in the Aphorism 117 speaks about "The Herd's sting of Conscience". At present we as individuals value our autonomy and sense of independence a lot. Freedom to live as we want is what makes us human at present and not feeling the freedom makes us anxious and feel imprisoned. In the early times this was not the cause. The people of earlier times loved to get instructed and wanted to stay in a herd rather than alone. For them, independence and freedom to live as per own terms was a punishment. They didn't liked to feel independent and for them feeling independent was a bad conscience or sin. They felt that submission and being under someone's control is a good conscience and morally correct. Thus, our thinking patterns and moral judgements have changed a lot through ages