Nietzsche distinguishes self-worth from vanity, arguing that the latter is not the expression of the former; instead, vanity suggests a
lack of self-worth. Moreover, Nietzsche finds that vanity is becoming increasingly widespread in modern society, a trend he links with the slave morality’s increasing predominance. Nietzsche’s understanding of virtues and their development over time draws heavily from biology and theories of natural selection. As much as Nietzsche desires the creation of a new, noble society based on an order of rank, he seems to fear that the degeneration of such a society into slave morality is almost inevitable.