Friedrich Nietzsche was a 19th century German philosopher known as the grandfather of postmodernism. In his work On the Genealogy of Morality, Nietzsche traces the genealogy of modern morality through three essays. In the first essay, he argues that ancient nobility defined "good" as what empowered them, while early Christians defined "good" as acts of pity, humility and charity due to ressentiment against nobility. Nietzsche believes this shift has led to a morality focused on pity rather than strength.