Nietzsche's Preface to Philosophy

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Minerva Access is the Institutional Repository of The University of Melbourne

Author s:

MOLAD, JONATHAN

Title:

Nietzsche's preface to philosophy

Date:

2014

Persistent Link:

http://hdl.handle.net/11343/41955

File Description:

Nietzsche's preface to philosophy


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NIETZSCHES PREFACE TO PHILOSOPHY

YONI MOLAD

S U B M I T T E D I N T O T A L F U L F I L L M E N T O F T H E R E Q U I R E M E N T S O F T H E

D E G R E E O F M A S T E R O F P H I L O S O P H Y

M A Y 2 0 1 4

S C H O O L O F S O C I A L A N D P O L I T I C A L S C I E N C E S

T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M E L B O U R N E


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Thesis Abstract

Nietzsche's philosophical practice is best understood as a set of practical exercises in

preparation for the transformation of modern social life. Rather than providing

pedagogical dogma or verifiable theses about the world, Nietzsche's life and work serve

as an example of an attempt to abolish philosoph as an autonomous practice. !is

writings are examples of experiments and spiritual exercises with the aim of positing

new tasks for his readers who are tasked with embarking on an adventure of sub"ective

metamorphosis.

As the title of this thesis asserts, Nietzsche#s work is best understood as a preface to a

new philosoph, to which, after a thorough re$evaluation of the philosophical tradition,

Nietzsche onl provides some basic foundational co$ordinates. The thesis elaborates

this b focusing on Nietzsche#s earliest philosophical writings, which serve as orienting

guidelines to interpret his more mature re$elaborations of similar ideas, and hence as a

foundation upon which to begin philosophizing in a different wa. %n addition, the thesis

discusses Nietzsche#s own &refaces to some of his books, in which he articulates his

philosophical practice most clearl in order to re$affirm the experimental and provisional

nature of most of his central ideas. The thesis itself is therefore also a preface to this

future philosoph, and future inuir, insofar as it highlights the preliminar and

preparator nature of Nietzsche#s philosophical practice.

%n this wa the thesis both seeks to articulate the framework in which Nietzsche's

philosoph becomes coherent and examines the was in which Nietzsche's texts

perform the redefinition and deconstruction of philosoph he attempted to complete b

provoking a similar attempt in the reader.

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(eclaration

This is to certif that)

i the thesis comprises onl m original work towards the *A except where indicated in

the &reface,

ii due acknowledgment has been made in the text to all other material used,

iii the thesis is less than + words in length, exclusive of tables, maps, bibliographies

and appendices

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Acknowledgments:

I would like to thank the following people for their support, concern and unwavering

encouragement. At times, circumstances demanded that I test their patience and hospitality to

the limit and this thesis would never have been completed without their commitment, insight

and belief:

My family: mer and !rica. "udit and Ami. ri. #ershon and Anna. $eah. %hayim and !sther.

My people: &carlett 'illiams and (yla )ear. *ason, $i+a, !liah and -ueben reddi. )elinda and

$arry. iras and &tella. &eano. Milo, &teve Marmo. &tephen , /irgine, 0ina and !lliot 1ascoe.

0esim and ephyra. r. *essica 'hyte. r. *ustin %lemens. Michael Ascroft. avid Mintern.

*asmine %hen. Audrey &amson

I would also like to thank my supervisor Assoc 1rof *ohn -undell for his wisdom, continuous

support and perseverance.

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Table of Contents

Preface: 8-16

Introduction: Life is no argument! 17-25

Cater "ne: Te #istor$ of "%ercoming& 26-52

Cater T'o: "n te (ses and )isad%antages of Piloso$ for Life& 5*-6+

Cater Tree: Te "%ercoming of #istor$: ,ietsce.s Prefaces& 65-8/

Conclusion& /0-/7

ibliogra$& /8-10+

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34ITI", " ,I4TC#4. T49T

C& The Antichrist 1888

;4& Beyond Good and Evil 1886

T& The Birth of Tragedy 1872

)& Daybreak, 1881

))& Dithyrambs of Dionysus 1888

4#& Ecce Homo, 188

;

& Thus #oke -arathustra 188+@85

ll editions and translations b$ Cambridge (ni%ersit$ Press eBcet for:

*+.trans& Aalter aufmann and 3& D& #ollingdale =intage ooEs 1/67>&

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Niet!"#e$! P%e&'"e t( P#i)(!(*#+

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P%e&'"e

/+erhas it is only in a very restricted sense that hilosohy starts 'ith a 0uestion. (t might be

more correct to say that it tries to arrive at a 0uestion@ Paul on Tonregen

&

,ietsce.s ilosoical roFect 'as ne%er comleted due to is untimel$ mental collase and

subseGuent earl$ deat& Het is iloso$ is unfinised not merel$ because e stoed 'riting

as a result of is breaEdo'n but also because it is a continuous attemt to bring to consciousness

an e%er de%eloing and canging struggle tat language is not al'a$s eGuied to articulate @ te

rocess of life itself& Instead of de%eloing an alternati%e ilosoical s$stem1,ietsce

struggles to eBtricate imself from all eBisting ilosoical s$stems 'ilst attemting to li%e

long enoug to tell te tale& #is 'ritings terefore ser%e onl$ as ro%isional and rearator$

eBeriments maEing 'a$ for te rigt t$e of eole to bring about te transformation of te

modern social relations and institutions deendent on and reroducing te ilosoical tradition

inerited from ost-ocratic culture& ar from an eBamle of a ilosoical life is 'ole

iloso$ ten 'ould be a reface to te eBeriment of life itself&J2

s te title of tis tesis asserts ,ietsceJs 'orE is best understood as a reface to a future

iloso$ to 'ic after a toroug re-e%aluation of te ilosoical tradition ,ietsce

onl$ ro%ides some basic foundational co-ordinates& Te ro%isionalit$ of is iloso$ stems

9It is common in te literature to claim tat ,ietsce.s tougt comrises a s$stem and tat e e%en as an

.ontolog$.& Tis is artl$ due to te misreading of ,ietsce b$


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from ,ietsce.s diagnosis tat our 'orld is still li%ing in te sado' of dead gods& In ligt of

tis situation an$ting more tan a ro%isional aroac 'ould retend to a%e o%ercome te

cultural abits of millennia in one fell s'oo and out of aste risE re-establising tat 'ic it

is so eager to o%ercome&

Tis tesis sares tis modest$ in its aims and is terefore also a reface to tis future

iloso$ and future inGuir$ insofar as it igligts te reliminar$ and rearator$ nature of

,ietsceJs ilosoical ractice& Te tesis does tis b$ focusing on ,ietsceJs earliest

ilosoical 'ritings 'ic ser%e as orienting guidelines to interret is more mature re-

elaborations of similar ideas and ence as a foundation uon 'ic to begin ilosoiing in a

different 'a$& In addition te tesis discusses ,ietsceJs o'n Prefaces to some of is booEs in

'ic e articulates is ilosoical ractice most clearl$ in order to re-affirm teeBerimental and ro%isional nature of most of is central ideas& In tis 'a$ te tesis bot seeEs

to articulate te frame'orE in 'ic ,ietsce.s iloso$ becomes coerent and eBamines te

'a$s in 'ic ,ietsce.s teBts erform te redefinition and deconstruction of iloso$ e

attemted to carr$ out b$ ro%oEing a similar attemt in te reader&

,ietsce.s ilosoical roFect is best understood as a set of ractical siritual eBercises in

rearation for te transformation of modern social life& 3ater tan ro%iding edagogical

dogma or %erifiable teses on te 'orld ,ietsce.s life and 'orE ser%e as an eBamle of an

attemt to abolis iloso$ as an autonomous ractice& #is 'ritings are eBamles of

eBeriments and siritual eBercises 'it te aim of romoting ne' tasEs for is readers& Tese

ilosoers of te futureJ are tasEed 'it embarEing on an ad%enture of subFecti%e

metamorosis troug de%eloing a tangible ilosoical ractice rater tan a merel$

reflecti%e art&

In resonse to te untenabilit$ of traditional ilosoical Guestioning ,ietsce undertaEes to

maEe is o'n life an eBeriment on te uses and disad%antages of iloso$ 'it te aim of

transmitting tis eBeriment to is readers& ,ietsce maEes a correlation bet'een imself and

te %ast arra$ of social and cultural roblems e attemts to o%ercome in imself troug is

'ritings& "y 'ritings seak only of my overcomings5 /( am in them, together 'ith everything

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that 'as inimical to me, ego isissimusJ =## II Preface N 1>&+#e offers imself as a stand-in

uman being uon 'ic te roblems of te age are la$ed out& In order to o%ercome tose

roblems ,ietsce as to o%ercome imself insofar as e is imlicated and suffers from tem&

s )aniel Con'a$ correctl$ obser%es In order to comlete is critiGue of modernit$ tat is e

enlists imself to stand for umanit$ as a 'ole&J*Te eBamle gi%en b$ tis literar$ eBeriment

is not to be mistaEen as a solel$ literar$ acie%ement but as testimon$ to te eBeriences of

,ietsceJs o'n life& ,ietsceJs iloso$ is to be understood as a continuous eBeriment

erformed on is o'n bod$ utiliing onl$ is o'n $siological and intellectual resources

='ic for im are one and te same> in 'ic te roblems of te modern age seeE resolution&

To te Guestion #o' sould ,ietsce be readOJ 'e offer te ans'er tat one sould attemt to

reeat is gesture and erform a eretual attemt at a self&criticism6b$ li%ing oneJs life as a

series of eBeriments tat a%e as teir goal: metamorosis troug self@o%ercoming&

,ietsce.s genealogical roFect consists of a scolarl$ etical and olitical dimension& Tese

tree distinct ractices coere into a unified a 'a$-of-life:

#cholarshi: Te in%estigation into te man-made origins and istories of modes of life&

Ethics: Te ractical e%aluation and eBerimentation of tese acGuired traditions of culture

troug a total transformation of oneJs o'n abits 'it te aim of de%eloing an-oter 'a$-of-life&

+olitics: "enl$ communicating tese attemts at transformation and teir results b$ racticing

tis 'a$ of life 'it oters 'it te aim of transforming societ$ as a 'ole.

In tis tesis te terms ilosoical racticeJ and genealog$J6are used intercangeabl$ to

refer to ,ietsce.s 'orE& 3ater tan an eBlicit commentar$ on ,ietsceJs booE !n the

3Please note: all Guotations from ,ietsce are italicied& Trougout te tesis I 'ill be using te abbre%iationslisted at te beginning of te tesis for ,ietsceJs teBts in line 'it common ractice in ,ietsce scolarsi&

imilarl$ due to te numerous translations and editions of is 'orE currentl$ a%ailable numbering is ro%ided

according to te aorism and sections being Guoted rater tan b$ age number& orisms and ections are

indicated b$ te s$mbol N&

4)aniel Con'a$ ,ietsceJs Prefaces of 1886J in2iet3sches 7utures ed& Don Liett =Palgra%e &

5Te title ,ietsce ga%e to te Preface to T uon re-ublication in 1886&

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Genealogy of "oralste tesis is a rearator$ stud$ of te reconditions for and ractice of

self-o%ercoming as an element of a muc broader and sociall$ oriented ilosoical ractice

tat ,ietsce.s demands&

Te use of te rase ilosoical ractice to describe ,ietsceJs 'orE is not meant in te 'a$

in 'ic contemorar$ ilosoicall$ insired teraists or counselors refer to teir ractice or

strictl$ to te tradition of iloso$ tat Pierre #adot as re%i%ed in is studies of #ellenic

Piloso$ as a 'a$-of-life& )esite some of te resemblances and te undeniable insigt and

teraeutic benefit tese emerging ilosoical ractices and interretations a%e contributed to

our understanding of ,ietsce is ractice does not corresond eiter to a form of indi%iduall$-

focused tera$ due to is emasis on istorical in%estigation and total social and olitical

transformation or to iloso$ as a 'a$-of-life in te tradition of te ancients due to,ietsce.s reFection of te ossibilit$ of acie%ing a correlation bet'een obFecti%e moral

Eno'ledge and li%ing te good life or te desirabilit$ of suc a correlation& & Indeed te anal$sis of te origins of unisment asceticism and te ideas of good and e%il are at te

forefront of ,ietsce.s iloso$ but e onl$ starts using te 'ord genealog$ to refer to is ractice uon

ublication of ;< in te late 1880.s& ,oneteless te argument tis tesis uts for'ard is tat te foundations for

te metod 'ere reared concetuall$ muc earlier in ,ietsce.s life as e imself describes in ;< =Preface1-

+>& s summaried b$ Ciara Piaesi for te ,ietsce of 1887 The main issues remain basically the same5

recogni3ing our e%traneousness from ourselves in those very 9udgments and categories that are most familiar to us,

analysing the conditions in 'hich the values that structure our :moral; ercetion of the 'orld develoed, and

0uestioning their value :the value of values;, their effect on life itself, and their nature as signs or symtoms of a

certain form of life etc&Q& ee Ciara Piaesi ;reed and Lo%e: ;enealog$ )issolution and Teraeutic 4ffects of a

Linguistic )ifference in A 1*Q in2iet3sche on (nstinct and $anguage, ed& Constancio and &

7 stud$ of tese terms in relation to ,ietsceJs iloso$ as not been undertaEen in te scolarsi about im&

or a toroug general introduction to te istor$ of te terms neglecting ,ietsce see ,icolas LobEo'ic

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,ietsceJs 'orE is a form of ilosoical ractice insofar as is booEs are not to be read as a

series of roositions dogma or arguments but as in%itations to eBeriment 'it a range of

ersecti%es attitudes st$les and 'a$s of li%ing& Te reader sould not stand bacE but must

undergo te ilosoical labor tat te teBts erform& ,ietsceJs 'ritings are erformati%e

troug teir st$listic %ariet$R ranging bet'een aorism essa$ oem treatise and bacE again

and eBibiting a great subtlet$ of r$tm and metaor& Te musicalit$ of te teBts is a deliberate

attemt on ,ietsceJs bealf to blur te distinctions bet'een roositional language and

retoric oetr$ and rose cognition and imagination&

Te tesis is di%ided into tree caters:

Te first cater anal$ses some of te central ilosoical concets tat ,ietsce critiGues to

maEe 'a$ for is different understanding of iloso$ and 'ic ser%e as teoretical rinciles

to guide is eBeriments and to direct is readers& Tese are: te critiGue of antroomorism

te reFection of teleolog$ and te resumed a-istorical nature of roositional language& 4arl$

in is life ,ietsce sent a lot of effort in 'riting more traditional studies of ilosoical terms

as art is arenticesi and it is in tis eriod bet'een 1868 and 187+ tat is iloso$

alread$ taEes sae at a concetual le%el& Central to ,ietsce.s criticism is a recEoning 'it te

antian tradition e absorbed troug is reading of coenauer and && Lange& Insired b$

teir mutual interretations of ant ,ietsce became increasingl$ critical of te inerent

cogniti%ism and antroomorism of ant.s eistemolog$& It is troug tis critiGue tat

,ietsce 'ill begin to de%elo is $siologicall$ grounded genealogical metod&

Te reFection of antroomorism is at root of ,ietsce.s critiGue of te alleged centralit$ of

uman concerns and moti%ations to te rest of te natural 'orld and tat is '$ e goes on to

Theory and +ractice: The History of a oncet from Aristotle to "ar% =(ni%ersit$ of ,otre )ame Press 1/67>& or

an introduction to te emerging metod of ilosoical tera$ or counseling Eno'n as Pilosoical Practice

'ic attemts to incororate ,ietscean aroaces see lomit custer+hilosohy +ractice5 An Alternative to

ounseling and +sychotheray=;reen'ood Publising 1///>& T'o oter maFor roonents of tis t$e of ractical

ilosoical tera$ are Lou and Peter 3aabe+hilosohical

ounselling5 Theory and +ractice=Praeger Publising 2000>& or a recent attemt to utilise te notion of ractice as

ntrootecnicsJ as te basis for a ilosoical antroolog$ see Peter loterdiFE.s =ou "ust hange =our $ife

trans& Aieland #oban =Polit$ Press 201+>& =(ni%ersit$ of ,otre-)ame Press 1/67>& or a reconstruction of te 'a$

in 'ic iloso$ 'as understood as a life ractice in te ancient Aestern 'orld see te 'orEs of Pierre #adot in

articular *hat (s Ancient +hilosohy>, trans& &

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reare a dissertation on te istor$ of teleolog$ in ;erman iloso$& Te critiGue and

reFection of teleolog$ and finalit$ in nature 'ill become central asects of ,ietsce.s adotion

of metamorosis and self-o%ercoming as ri%al ilosoical roFects to te re%alent ideas of

self-de%eloment and fulfillment remised as te$ are on an understanding of istor$ as

redemtion&

Central to te critiGue of self-master$ =te dominant %alue of Aestern culture according to

,ietsce> is te critiGue of language& ,ietsce argues tat desire for master$ and domination is

beind te mistaEen belief in te obFecti%it$ of roositional language& Tis mistaEe is remised

on a misunderstanding of te $siological and metaorical origins of linguistic eBression&

Tis teor$ lies beind ,ietsce.s ematic reFection of .trut. as an outcome of linguistic

descrition& Te metaorical nature of linguistic eBression is 'at allo's im to unco%er teistor$ of science and moralit$ as a series of sociall$ and istoricall$ roduced lies m$ts and

ragmaticall$ ser%ing customs tat a%e mistaEenl$ been areended as true la's of realit$

determining uman conduct& If tradition consists of a series lies tat 'e mistaEenl$ taEe to be

truts genealog$ in te form of self-o%ercoming and ilologicall$ eBecuted istorical

in%estigations of origins becomes a necessar$ correction for an$ nai%e adotion of essential

definitions of uman nature or identit$& Aitout belief in trut tere can be no .true belie%ers.&

Tis critiGue also grounds ,ietsce.s reFection of istorical and cultural teories tat roose to

lead te secies to its fulfillment and eternal ainess Fust as muc as it is an antidote to te

niilistic reFection of an$ roFect for umanit$& Te critiGue of language eBlains te 'a$ in

'ic ,ietsce goes about racticing is o'n self-transformations& Te deri%ati%e and

metaorical nature of language is central to is critiGue of trut and subFecti%it$ and tus

fundamental to is refasioning of critical ilosoical ractice as subFecti%e metamorosis&

Te second cater of tis tesis is a stud$ of ,ietsce.s ractice of self-o%ercoming as a

sub%ersion of te dominant role tat trut la$s in iloso$ and 'a$ in 'ic tis sub%ersion

allo's im to ractice iloso$ as s$cological unmasEing& ,ietsce seeEs to maEe a

connection bet'een te st$le and ersonalit$ of a tinEer and teir form of istorical

consciousness or ilosoical metod& Te cater terefore focuses on te 'a$ in 'ic

,ietsce does tis in is teBt !n the )ses and Disadvantages of +hilosohy for $ife=(&

Tis attemts to imlicate te reader in an etical ractice of self-critiGue in order to transform

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te reader.s belief in te %alue of trut and te aims of Eno'ledge& In tis 'a$ te teBt is a first

earl$ eBamle of te otential of ,ietsce.s genealogical ractice&

,ietsce.s critical delineation of t$es of istorical consciousness does not onl$ al$ to te

'a$ in 'ic oter ilosoers construct teir o'n 'orE and ersonalit$ but also to te 'a$ in

'ic te$ interret ,ietsce.s o'n 'ritings& Tus te critiGue of istor$ de%eloed b$ te

istorian in Guestion re%eals teir o'n ersonal istor$ of critiGue tat is te measure of self-

critiGue racticed b$ te istorian in Guestion& ,ietsce.s critiGue of trut tus ser%es as a guide

to a roer reading ractice of is o'n iloso$ and ence as an imortant element in te

rearator$ eBercise is 'orE asEs is readers to erform& In order to do Fustice to is ideas

,ietsce imself ractices 'at e reaces and eBoses in is 'ritings is o'n reFudices and

transformations troug is retoric& Tat st$le betra$s temerament is a crucial asect of ise%aluation of ilosoical eBression& It is necessar$ to erform te critical eBercise tat

,ietsce asEs te reader to engage in b$ eBosing te reader to te temerament of te autor&

Tis allo's for te reader to understand and criticise imself or erself more immediatel$ and

oenl$ b$ taEing a risE& Tis is for te saEe of affording te reader 'it an oortunit$ to maEe a

more onest areciation of te ideas in Guestion and teir o'n reFudices on teir 'a$ to .self-

o%ercoming&.

Te tird cater so's o' ,ietsce erforms tis self-critiGue b$ 'riting critical Prefaces to

is o'n ublised booEs uon re-ublication in 1886& Te Prefaces of 1886 ser%e as a laborator$

for stud$ing ,ietsceJs ilosoical ractice insofar as it is eBressed in 'riting& Troug te

Prefaces e igligts te lacE of corresondence bet'een uman eBeriences and te acceted

'a$ of understanding and eBlaining tem at an$ gi%en time& Te 'a$ in 'ic ,ietsce.s

refaces undermine te meanings of is o'n booEs and re-conteBtualise te e%ents of is o'n

life ro%ides an eBamle of te 'a$ in 'ic e 'ises is readers temsel%es to eBeriment

'it teir o'n li%es troug genealogical inGuir$&8

8"ne could a%e cosen ,ietsce.s autobiogra$JEcce Homoas a test case but tis is unsuitable for a number

of reasons& irstl$ te teBt is %er$ comleB in its strategies of eBression and 'ould reGuire a treatment tat is not

ossible 'itin te limits of tis tesis& econdl$ te teBt is comosed as a communication of te results of

,ietsce.s transformations and as an indication of ne' ositi%e and roducti%e stage of 'riting& It is in te

Prefaces o'e%er tat 'e see te strategies ,ietsce emlo$s as art of is rearation for tat ne' stage& or tis

reason a discussion of te Prefaces is more re%ealing for our uroses& or a recent and roducti%e discussion of

Ecce Homoas an eBamle of ,ietsce.s istorical metod see nton$ & Densen2iet3sche4s +hilosohy of

History=C(P 201*>&

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rom is ersonal case ,ietsce 'ill dra' a general conclusion: language cannot be te onl$

medium troug 'ic to ractice te hilosohy of the future&J/If te roblem ten is te

relationsi bet'een life and language te callenges anded do'n to us b$ ,ietsceJs

iloso$ sould be addressed not onl$ troug language but also troug oter ractices suc

as music dance cultural rituals consiratorial olitics10and oter forms of non-linguisticall$

oriented acti%it$&11

)esite initiall$ oerating 'itin te dominant modes of te establised ilosoical tradition

,ietsce stra$ed too far from tis at and turned is bacE on it& #e became an indeendent

tinEer tat sould not be laced into an$ ilosoical tradition but rater understood as e

imself 'ised: as an e%ent tat slits the history of humanity into t'o arts1?b$ undermining

te %er$ need for iloso$ as iterto understood& Aat could ,ietsce.s )ion$sian 'isdomconsist of oter tan calling into Guestion te %er$ institution of iloso$ and te media

resonsible for its dissemination b$ learning to li%e 'it a critical relationsi to te %alue of

trutO ,ietsceJs 'orE asEs us to set ne' tasEs for our age b$ facing te actual and ractical

roblems of our o'n li%es 'itout sentimentalit$ insofar as te$ are necessaril$ reflecti%e of

our o'n time& #is 'orE is an attemt at a ne' beginning an attemt to in%ent ne' tasEs for is

readers and not an attemt at finding more meaning in old ones& It is to'ards furtering tis

attemt tat tis tesis is offered as a contribution&

Te sub-title ,ietsce cose for is o'n booE ; is Prelude to te Piloso$ of te utureJ&

9;,ietsce indeed ad more eBlicit olitical ambitions to'ards te end of is acti%e life& )ue to is gro'ing

notoriet$ mainl$ troug te efforts of te )anis ilosoer ;eorges randes and te 'edis la$'rigt ugust

trindberg ='it 'om ,ietsce ad a brief eBcange of letters> ,ietsce.s gained rene'ed confidence in is

mission& fter man$ $ears of deression tese corresondences insired im to articulate in clearer and more direct

language is consiratorial ambitions to form a art$ of lifeJ& Te art$ once establised consiratoriall$ 'ould

attemt to influence te course of 4uroean istor$& It is be$ond te scoe of tis 'orE to anal$se in detail tese

attemts as our focus is on te ilosoical means internal to ,ietsce.s metod of tinEing rater tan is more

o%ertl$ olitical tactics& or a detailed and illuminating discussion of te art$ of lifeJ see #ugo #alfert$ )rocon

Te Time Is Coming Aen Ae Aill 3elearn PoliticsJ@ournal of 2iet3sche #tudies ,o& +/ =ring 2010>&

99In a more FoEing tone ,ietsce eBlains in a sort staged dialogue from The Gay #cience'$ e noneteless

continues to 'rite as art of is ilosoical ractice:But then 'hy do you 'rite> & A5 ( am not one of those 'ho

think 'ith a 'et 0uill in hand much less one of those 'ho abandon themselves to their assions right before the

oen ink'ell, sitting on their chair and staring at the aer. ( am annoyed or ashamed by all 'riting to me, 'riting

is nature4s call & to seak of it even in simile is reugnant to me. B5 But 'hy, then, do you 'rite> & A5 *ell, my friend,

( say this in confidence5 until no' ( have found no other means of getting rid of my thoughts. & B5 And 'hy do you

'ant to get rid of them> & A5 *hy do ( 'ant to> Do ( 'ant to> ( have to. & B5 Enough< Enough=; N /+>&

9212 4# A$ I am )estin$J N 8&

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I,t%(-."ti(,/ Life is no argument.13

Troug recogniing tat te ractice of iloso$ istoricall$ understood is a cultural

s$mtom of a secific and degenerate social arrangement ,ietsce.s 'orE becomes te

consirac$ of an isolated indi%idual 'o uses te means of is class not onl$ against is o'n

class but against te eBisting form of te uman secies as a 'oleJ&1* consirator ten not a

teraist or an educator and most imortantl$ not a ilosoerJ&

,ietsce.s consirac$ acGuires its o'er b$ forcing te tension bet'een te uses and

disad%antages of iloso$ to breaEing oint& "ffering imself u as a testament and gift to

osterit$ on te aards of te eBamined life a counter-ocrates ,ietsce uts is o'n life at

staEe b$ eBamining relentlessl$ and meticulousl$ te effects of ilosoical eBamination on is

ealt and abits& #is $siologicall$ grounded critical roFect terefore adots and sub%erts te

same means troug 'ic iloso$ as managed to articulate itself as a uman ractice @

consciousness and language& ,ietsce.s aroac does not eBclude acti%e Guestioning but

recognises te artificialit$ and istoricall$ deendent nature of language and concetual tinEing&

Language and concets for im do not articulate realit$ in a iger or better 'a$ but rater

construct a articular form of eBerience tat is resented as being morall$ suerior and

eistemologicall$ clearer& ,ietsce seeEs to unco%er bot te suosed sueriorit$ of tis mode

of eBerience along 'it te bene%olence and sincerit$ of te moti%ation beind tose 'o

931+ ; N 121&

94Pierre losso'sEi2iet3sche and the icious ircle trans& )aniel A& mit =(ni%ersit$ of Cicago Press 1//7>&

Tat Pierre losso'sEi understood tis alread$ in te conteBt of a stifling atmosere of late 60s


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romote it& #is diagnostic aroac is at its most unner%ing 'en e Guestions te ealt of

tose 'o accet te claims of tis ilosoical tradition or 'a$ of life&

3eif$ing 'at are istoricall$ generated enomena as uman .faculties. te ilosoical

tradition as eld language and consciousness ostage b$ t$ing teir de%eloment to te

liberation and destin$ of te uman secies& "osed to teleological tinEing in all its forms and

te antroomorism it deends on ,ietsce 'ises to detrone bot consciousness and

language as ri%ileged features of uman life b$ releasing tem from teir cati%it$ as faculties

and returning tem to te fluB of istorical and $siological de%eloment&

rom tis ersecti%e ,ietsce diagnoses 'at e sa' to be te fundamental caracteristic of

Aestern Culture - te ultimatel$ moralistic attemt of rendering te 'orld eBlicable and

erfectible troug rational inGuir$ - as a atological s$mtom of a rofound sicEness:

/Every hilosohy that ranks eace above 'ar, every ethic 'ith a negative definition of

hainess, every metahysics and hysics that kno's some finale, a final state of some sort,

every redominantly aesthetic or religious craving for some Aart, Beyond, !utside, Above,

ermits the 0uestion 'hether it 'as not illness that insired the hilosoher =; Preface N 2>15

Te efforts to 'ard off te fundamental lacE of corresondence bet'een uman endea%ors and

te nature of tings is not onl$ mistaEen but malicious& ar from a a$ rogression of

enligtenment and release from domination tis attemt at establising clarit$ and eace is

maintained troug te concerted and %iolent efforts to maintain social life troug systems of

crueltyJ =; deendent on te siritualiation of suffering& #a%ing eralded te no'

commonlace belief in te )eat of ;od or te lacE of corresondence bet'een uman cultural

eBeriences and te nature of tings ,ietsce claimed tat noneteless 'e still li%e in te

sado' of tis ;od as an aorism titled ,e' trugglesJ 'arns us:

95,ietsce.s contention is tat contrar$ to still current oular oinion ocrates. Guestioning does not inaugurate

or cause te de%eloment of dialectical tradition but rater tat is radical and fanatical Guestioning is a late and

deri%ati%e de%eloment and tus a s$mtom of a rofound siritual disorientation as a result of te increasing

rationalisation of ncient ;reeE culture& eeBT, N 1* N 15 and T(Te Problem of ocratesJ&

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/After Buddha 'as dead eole sho'ed his shado' for centuries after'ards in a cave, & an

immense frightful shado'. God is dead5 & but as the human race is constituted, there 'ill

erhas be caves for millenniums yet, in 'hich eole 'ill sho' his shado'. & And 'e & 'e have

still to overcome his shado'&

o e%en after te )eat of ;odJ 'e are far from eBiting tis s$stem of cruelt$J and insist on

orienting our culture around attemts to Eee eBistential disorienation at ba$ at an$ costs rater

tan celebrating tis lacE of corresondence as a ermanent feature of life&

or ,ietsce te istor$ of rational culture tus aears as a refined form of torture albeit 'it

uneBected and interesting outcomes of 'ic te istor$ of iloso$ is but one& ,ietsce is

uneGui%ocal 'en e eBlains 'at tis effort entails: The meaning of all culture is the

reduction of the beast of rey /man to a tame a civili3ed animal, a domestic animalC=;& ,ietsce eGuated tis domestication 'it te creation in te case of Aestern istor$ of te

calculable consistent and communicable uman being- te .so%ereign indi%idual.- 'o due to

is or er abilit$ to maEe romises renders im or erself useful to te interests of tose

'ielding o'er&

(nderstood from tis ersecti%e te istor$ of iloso$ is noting but te reeated attemts

on bealf of cultural reformers to transform te frame'orE troug 'ic uman life becomescommunicable and measurableR becomes go%ernable& Te different ilosoical scools and

teories are seen as cometing metods and ractices in go%erning and regulating te irreducible

and unfatomable eBerience of uman eBistence& Piloso$ terefore far from being a tool for

te liberation or enligtenment of te uman is one of te leading tools 'itin te dark

'orkshoJ =; of rational culture tat attemts to maEe life transarent b$ creating a

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corresondence bet'een eBerience and communicabilit$&16It is from 'itin tis darE

'orEsoJ tat ,ietsce.s o'n ilosoical ractice struggles to find an eBit&

Pilosoical ractice as traditionall$ understood is terefore art and arcel of 'at ,ietsce

defines as ocratic otimism and tus but anoter cater in te sordid istor$ of te 'ill to trut

@ te noBious roosition tat kno'ledgevirtuehainess or te )nshakable faith that

thought, using the thread of causality, can enetrate the deeest abysses of being, and that

thought is caable not only of kno'ing being but of even correcting itJ =T N 15>& ,ietsce

taEes aim at tis reFudice b$ in%estigating te belief structure tat renders suc an idea ossible&

t first glance it migt seem strange tat te cure for otimism is a merciless critiGue and

consiratorial mission& Aould it not be enoug to maEe a better argumentO ut tis 'ould

alread$ accet te terms of te debate set b$ te ilosoical tradition ,ietsce reFects& Indeed

,ietsce.s roFect aears %er$ strange if 'e understand otimism to be 'at its ractitioners

rofess it to be: a bene%olent attemt to render ser%ice to te secies& or ,ietsce argues tat

desite te na%e and simle minded belief of ositi%ists te trium of rationalism is not due

siml$ to te istorical success of scientific demonstrationR tis success is onl$ ossible if one

belie%es in its necessit$ in te first lace& Tus instead of demanding a 'idening of scientific

inGuir$ 'it te aim of te rogress of Eno'ledge ,ietsce calls for a ;a$ cienceJ tat b$

understanding te $siological underinnings of meta$sical and moral s$stems 'ould seeE

not to dominate te 'orld troug Guantification and measurement but rater enance life b$ de-

antroomorising nature and along 'it it te uman secies and tus maEing room for oter

tan uman all too uman concerns&

96Tis understanding of te istor$ of iloso$ as been articulated in recent $ears b$ ;iorgio gamben 'o

continues ,ietsce.s roFect troug an in%estigation of te 'a$s in 'ic Aestern olitics attemts to imlicate

te uman being in language as a means of ensuring te go%ernabilit$ of te secies& Aat ,ietsce describes as

conditions for te creation of so%ereign indi%iduals in TheGenealogy of "oralsis elaborated b$ gamben %ia a

detour troug oucault and rendt as te rocess in 'ic olitics becomes articulated troug a searation

bet'een te umanit$ and non-umanit$ of li%ing beings or bet'een te seaEing and te non-seaEing uman

being& Politics for gamben is te rocess of te antroomorisation of te uman animal& It is clear tat desite

distancing imself from ,ietsce eras due to is being influenced b$ #eidegger.s one-sided interretation

gamben.s roFect elaborates in teological and ontological terms 'at ,ietsce rooses in is iloso$& ee

;iorgio gambenHomo #acer,trans& )aniel #eller-3oaen =(P 1//6> The !en "an and Animal trans&

e%in ttel =(P 200+>andThe #acrament of $anguage, trans& dam otsEo =(P 2010>.

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LiEe'ise ,ietsce does not succumb to a simle istoricist teor$ of cometing claims for

egemon$ 'ic claims tat rationalism is but te %ictorious religion of a triumant social

class managing to conGuer its eGuall$ eligible ri%als& 3ater tan seeEing a metod of

reconciliation 'eter troug interaction and dialogue or troug initial %iolence tat aims at

e%entual armon$ ,ietsce calls for an o%ertro' of te %er$ beliefs tat maEe suc an

interretation of istor$ ossible: te belief in te inerent rationalit$ of cometing 'orld-%ie's

and te belief in te rogressi%e nature of istor$&

Instead ,ietsce argues tat te trium of rationalism 'as made ossible due to its moral

caracterJ& or 'at are te beliefs in rogress gradual uman imro%ement and te lausibilit$

of a total understanding of te natural 'orld and societ$ if te$ are not s$mtoms of an incurable

siritual and ci%iliational otimismO /(s scientific method erhas no more than fear of andflight from essimism> A subtle defense against & truth> !r, to ut it in moral terms, is it

something like co'ardice and insincerity>J=T n ttemt at elf-CriticismJ N 1>& or

,ietsce tis 'orld istorical otimism is a s$mtom of a sicEness tat seeEs to ide its

condition a 'ill-to-o'er tat lies about its intentions& "timism and its manifestation in

rationall$ moti%ated enterrises of te ursuit of erfection =science> and te ursuit of rofit

=caitalism> is a istorical enomenon tat indicates a rofound crisis on bealf of its

aderents& Tis crisis ,ietsce understands to be te result of an inabilit$ on bealf of te

maForit$ of umanit$ bot istoricall$ and in te resent to accet te fact of its o'n cosmic

insignificance relati%e 'eaEness and te total lacE of s$mmetr$ bet'een te nature of uman-

beings self-understanding and desires for temsel%es and te real nature of tings& rrogance

arades as trut and otimism and antroomorism 'alE and in and to'ards an ab$ss& It is

te desire for uman domination tat launces te roFect of umanisation of te eart&

,ietsce follo'ing inoa ='om e admired> 'agers tat otimists are tose 'o failing to

recognise te istor$ of umanisation 'ill constantl$ onl$ see 'at te$ 'ere alread$ looEing

for: a sign of recognition from te 'orld around tem& )en$ing bot istor$ and societ$

otimists tinE tat 'at te$ find to be teirs must a%e al'a$s been teirs and 'at is

ossessed b$ oters te$ 'ill al'a$s lacE& Tis otimism is terefore articulated eiter as

nai%etU and stuidit$ on bealf of te ossessor or as resentment on bealf of te ossessor to

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be& ,ietsce.s attacE on te moralism of otimism is terefore an attacE on bot sides engaged

in te 'ar for ossession&

gainst ocratic otimism ,ietsce adots a essimism of strengthJ& ar from a morbid

resignation tis essimism is a critical ractice rooted in a sober but Fo$ous affirmation of

eBistence desite its tragic Gualities& ,ietsce asEs:

/(s essimism necessarily a sign of decline, decay, malformation, of tired and debilitated

instincts F. . .> (s there a essimism of strength> An intellectual reference for the hard,

gruesome, malevolent and roblematic asects of e%istence 'hich comes from a feeling of 'ell&

being, from overflo'ing health, from an abundance of e%istence> (s there erhas such a thing

as suffering from overabundance itself> (s there a temting bravery in the sharest eye 'hich

demands the terrifying as its foe, as a 'orthy foe against 'hich it can test its strength and from

'hich it intends to learn the meaning of fear>J=T, n ttemt at elf-CriticismJ N 1>.

essimism of strengt leads ,ietsce to reorient ilosoical inGuir$ from a uni%ersalised

need based on te belief in its o'n %irtue and e%entual fulfillment17to a ursuit based on an

inGuisiti%eness tat is not concerned 'it recognitionR a transformati%e and disruti%e form of

'isdom& Te ocratic ilosoical etos stems from te blacEmail of suosedl$ a%ing no

oter otions and roclaims in ilosoicall$ eugenicist tones tat te uneBamined life is not'ort li%ingJ&

or te maForit$ of ilosoers in te ocratic tradition resisting ilosoical 'isdom is a

sign tat one as lost teir ead& 3ater tan turning iloso$ into a guillotine tat 'e are

condemned to lace oursel%es under 'itout understanding te carges and no matter 'at te

conditions ,ietsce adots iloso$ as a graceful but difficult callenge tat 'e sould

engage inR an acrobatic eBercise - to sa%e our eads&

,oneteless desite ,ietsce.s critiGue of roositional language and te resumed %irtues of

ilosoical reflection e does not abandon eiter tinEing or 'riting but indeed becomes a

%irtuoso of bot and is a 'onderful st$list of te mind and on te age& It is recisel$ due to te

97"n te 'a$ in 'ic ristotle ingeniousl$ transforms ocratism a nascent cultural mo%ement into a uni%ersal

uman desire based on a .'ill to Eno'. see oucault.s anal$sis in$ectures on the *ill to no':$ectures at the

ollege De 7rance 1IJ&1IJ1 and !edial no'ledge; trans& ;raam urcell =Palgra%e


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lacE of an$ uni%ersal or meta$sical foundation for uman endea%our tat ,ietsce as fait in

tis Eind of ilosoical ractice& ffirming bot te necessit$ and artificialit$ of meta$sics

=language and consciousness> and te tragic nature of all cultural endea%or ,ietsce

noneteless de%otes imself to iloso$ as te tragic artar e%cellenceand continues to

ractice iloso$ troug te media of intellectual concets and language rater tan

abandoning is 'ritten 'orE or desite is consiratorial ambitions taEing on a more deliberate

.criminal. relationsi to societ$ or finding a different 'a$ to send is time&

Te strengt ,ietsce dre' from is essimism e%entuall$ matured into a ne'l$ found fait&

,ietsce found is o'n Eind of otimism: a dee 'is tat te eole around im 'ould

a'aEen to te unrecedented cultural situation te$ found temsel%es in 'it te onset of

modernit$ and taEe it uon temsel%es to consciousl$ rebuild and eBeriment 'it teir li%es&Central to te metods of eBerimentation and e%aluation tat ,ietsce adots and calls for is

te ractice of self-transformation or metamorosis& s racticed troug te Prefaces

,ietsce attaced to is booEs uon re-ublication and emasised in te seec b$

aratustra titled ."n elf-"%ercomingJ ,ietsce rooses self-o%ercoming as a %alue tat

seeEs to relace self-master$ as te central ilosoical and cultural %alue of te Aest and to

a%e te 'a$ for a future iloso$ on te ruins of te old one&18

It is ,ietsce.s oe tat is reorts concerning te uses and disad%antages of iloso$ for

life 'ill lead to te de%eloment of a ne' t$e of ilosoising and ence a ne' t$e of uman

being freed from te sacEles and blacEmails of ocratic culture& ,ietsce acGuired tis ne'l$

found fait in a future umanit$ after is self-roclaimed trium o%er misantro$&1/It

romted te follo'ing intimate disclosure titled 4Intellectual Conscience. 'ic betra$s a

98 Te ossibilit$ tat ,ietsceJs 'orE could be best understood in relation to te ilosoical traditions of India

Daan and Cina articularl$ )aoism and en uddism or from a broader trans-cultural ersecti%e is lausible

and& due to eBiting recent studies %er$ romising& Tese Guestions are be$ond te scoe of tis tesis 'ic

discusses ,ietsceJs 'orE rimaril$ in relation to te 4uroean tradition e 'as reFecting& or an introductor$

discussion of tese Guestions see2iet3sche and Asian Thought ed& ;raam ParEes =(ni%ersit$ of Cicago Press

1//6>& "n ,ietsceJs relation to uddism see ndre %an der raaE2iet3sche and -en5 #elf&!vercoming *ithout

a #elf =LeBington ooEs 2011> and &

9s described ematicall$ in ) Preface of 1886 and ; Preface of 1886&

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fidelit$ to an almost fanatic demand tat still laces im sGuarel$ in te ocratic tradition e 'as

at ains to eBtricate imself from:

(ntellectual onscience

( kee having the same e%erience and kee resisting it ane' each time ( do not 'ant to believe

it although ( can gras it as 'ith my hands5 the great ma9ority lacks an intellectual conscience &

indeed, it has often seemed to me as if someone re0uiring such a conscience 'ould be as lonely

in the most densely oulated cities as he 'ould be in the desert. Everyone looks at you 'ith

strange eyes and goes on handling their scales, calling this good and that evil nobody as much

as blushes 'hen you notice that their 'eights are under'eight & nor do they become indignant

'ith you erhas they laugh at your doubts. ( mean5 to the great ma9ority it is not contemtible

to believe this or that and to live accordingly 'ithout first becoming a'are of the final and most

certain reasons ro and con, and 'ithout even troubling themselves about such reasons

after'ards5 the most gifted men and the noblest 'omen still belong to this 4great ma9ority. But

'hat are goodheartedness, refinement, and genius to me 'hen the erson ossessing these

virtues tolerates slack feelings in his believing and 9udging and 'hen he does not consider the

desire for certainty to be his inmost craving and deeest need & as that 'hich searates the

higher human beings from the lo'er< ( discovered in certain ious eole a hatred of reason and

( 'as 'ell disosed to'ards them for that5 at least this betrayed their bad intellectual

conscience< But to stand in the midst of this rerum concordia discors and the 'hole marvelous

uncertainty and ambiguity of e%istence 'ithout 0uestioning, 'ithout trembling 'ith the craving

and rature of 0uestioning, 'ithout at least hating the erson 'ho 0uestions, erhas even being

faintly amused by him & that is 'hat ( feel to be contemtible, and this is the feeling ( look for

first in anyone. #ome folly kees ersuading me that every erson has this feeling, simly as

human. That is my tye of in9ustice. =; N 2>

Te inFusticeJ ,ietsce admits to is is eBectation tat e%er$one ractice iloso$&

3ecognising tat tis eBectation still betra$s a fidelit$ to te ocratic condemnation of te

unreflected life ,ietsce re-orients is demands and sifts from an aeal to reason to a

ractice of metamorosis& rom aratustra.s mout te demand for intellectual conscience is

refasioned as roFect of self-o%ercoming& "%ercoming is o'n lingering ocratism ,ietsce

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as aratustra begin is transformation b$ Guestioning te moti%es of trut seeEing: *ill to

truth you call that 'hich drives you and makes you lustful, you 'isest ones> *ill to thinkability

of all being, that4s 'hat ( call your 'ill< =ou first 'ant to make all being thinkable, because you

doubt, 'ith roer susicion, 'hether it is even thinkableJ& = art t'o "n elf-"%ercomingJ>&

3ater tan of a condemnation of eBistence ,ietsce as aratustra re%eal tat it is recisel$

te lacE of Fustification for eBistence tat is te secret to its m$ster$ and maFest$& aratustra

continues is sermon b$ declaring tat troug is o'n transformations e disco%ered tat it is

te Fo$ in self-o%ercoming and not te attemt to render te 'orld tinEable tat is te befitting

temerament for a ilosoer:And this secret life itself soke to me5 /Behold, it said, /( am that

'hich must al'ays overcome itself. To be sure, you call it 'ill to beget or drive to a urose, to

something higher, more distant, more manifold5 but all this is one, and one secret. ( 'ould rathererish than renounce this one thing and truly, 'herever there is decline and the falling of

leaves, behold, there life sacrifices itself & for o'er< That ( must be struggle and becoming and

urose and the contradiction of uroses & alas, 'hoever guesses my 'ill guesses also on 'hat

crooked aths it must 'alk< *hatever ( may create and ho'ever ( may love it & soon ( must

oose it and my love, thus my 'ill 'ants it. = art 2 "n elf-"%ercomingJ>&

Tis Fo$ful temerament animates ,ietsce.s ilosoical ractice and is tus central to is

broader roFect& tarting from a dee sEeticism as te %alue and romise of iloso$ as a

'a$-of-life ,ietsce graduall$ sifts to'ards a rene'ed fait in te ossibilities of a different

Eind of ilosoical ractice& 3ater tan a cause for desair ,ietsce.s announcement tat

;od is )eadJ and along 'it im te traditions suorted b$ ocratic moralism is a cause for

celebration tat maEes iloso$ ossible again& In lace of a searc for trut or an attemt to

imro%e manJs estateJ ,ietsce calls for an eBerimental ilosoical ractice tat 'ill tro'

off its umanistic crutces its tougtless otimism and te belief in its o'n %irtue and allo'

for a naturalistic cautious and more onest transformation of indi%iduals and cultures& It is te

aim of te follo'ing tree caters to elucidate te form tat tis ne' iloso$ migt taEe&

Tese caters 'ill attemt to ro%ide te reader 'it te necessar$ orientation to continue 'it

tis eBeriment and taEe u ,ietsceJs ilosoical ractice as art of teir o'n li%es&

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C#'*te% O,e T#e Hi!t(%+ (& Oe%"(i,3

It is crucial to understand 'at ilosoical conclusions ,ietsce dra's from is earl$

ilosoical in%estigations into modern tougt and to establis te imortance tese

reflections ad for im from te %er$ beginning of is career& Tese conclusions 'ould be

de%eloed refined and transformed from guiding rinciles into a full blo'n critical social

teor$ or genealogical metod& It is imortant to resent tem in teir nascent form in order to

so' tat ,ietsce did not come to iloso$ late but rater aroaced is ilological

academic teacing and researc acti%ities al'a$s alread$ from 'itin a %er$ secific ost-

antian ilosoical orion mediated troug te teacings of coenauer and && Lange&

,ietsce.s iloso$ acGuires its o'er b$ forcing te tension bet'een te uses and

disad%antages of iloso$ for life to breaEing oint& Tis tension is generated b$ ,ietsceJs

adotion of ant.s eistemological critiGue of meta$sics tat affirms te imossibilit$ $et

ine%itabilit$ of meta$sical seculation and Eno'ledge& Te tension tus generated 'ill

ultimatel$ lead to ,ietsce.s o%ercoming of te antian frame'orE e inerited and to'ards te

searc for a racticall$ oriented critical iloso$&

rom te e%idence in ,ietsce.s letters recent biograical studies ne' and more comlete

4nglis translations and scolarl$ reconstructions it is clear tat from earl$ in is life ,ietsce

ad an ambition to become a ilosoer&20lread$ as a student in Leiig ,ietsce 'as

reoccuied 'it contemorar$ ilosoical roblems alongside is strictl$ ilological and

classical studies lectures and ublications& ,ietsce.s ilosoical ambitions 'ere so

ronounced tat e alied unsuccessfull$ for te cair of iloso$ at asel in earl$ 1870

2; Dulian Houng2iet3sche5 A +hilosohical Biograhy=C(P 2010> ;eorge& D& tacE$ange and 2iet3sche,

=Aalter de ;ru$ter 1/8+> Dames Porter, 2iet3sche and the +hilology of the 7uture =(P 2000> Claudia Cra'ford

The Beginnings of 2iet3sches Theory of $anguage=Aater de ;ru$ter 1/88> Cristian D& 4mden riedric

2iet3sche and the +olitics of History=C(P 2008> and Paul A& 'iftBecoming 2iet3sche=LeBington ooEs 2005>&

Ailst te 'orE of all tese scolars is in%aluable and crucial for a rearaisal of ,ietsce.s life and tougt tere

is not muc disagreement amongst tem about te content and imortance of te earl$ ilosoical 'ritings but

rater differences in emasis concerning te intellectual influences on ,ietsce.s tougts&


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Fust before te decline in is status and reutation as a scolar follo'ing te scandal surrounding

te ublication of The Birth of Tragedy& ,ietsce.s disco%er$ and intense reoccuation 'it

coenauer in te mid 1860.s is 'ell Eno'n as are is studies of materialism re-Platonic

iloso$ te origins 'orEings of language and is indebtedness to a resurgent ost-antian

iloso$ mediated troug is encounter 'it te 'orE of && Lange& ,ietsce.s interest in

ilosoical Guestions 'as so strong tat in 1868 e begins 'orE on a dissertation on te

concet of teleolog$ titled Te Concet of te "rganic ince ant. abandoned because e 'as

offered a rofessorsi in Pilolog$ in asel on te basis of is strictl$ ilological ublications

'itout a%ing to submit a doctorate&

Indeed from te time ,ietsce reads & Lange.s .#istor$ of eriod& Aat

canges most dramaticall$ bet'een te t'o eriods is ,ietsce.s o'n 'a$ of life and a sift in

te means e tougt necessar$ to fulfill is tasE but not te tasE itself& #a%ing realised earl$ on

tat te onl$ 'a$ of doing iloso$ is troug utilising its articular ractices 'it te aim of

regenerating culture ,ietsce initiall$ subordinated is scolarl$ 'orE to te 3icard Aagner.s

attemted cultural re%olutionJ& ;ro'ing disillusioned 'it bot te man and te mo%ement e

lead ,ietsce refuses to subordinate is life to te aims of Aagnerism lea%es te uni%ersit$

and begins to refasion ilosoical ractice 'it te aim of a muc more far-reacing cultural

transformation&

29&& LangeHistory of "aterialism and riti0ue of its +resent (mortance in "ne olume trans& 4rnest Cester

Tomas =3outledge and egan Paul 1/57>&

28


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,ietsce.s debt to and e%entual o%ercoming of antian critical iloso$ desite is o'n

distaste for .modern. %alues maEes im noneteless a deel$ modern tinEer 'o seeEs to a%e

an imact on modern societ$ troug secificall$ modern means tat is troug a radicalised

%ersion of critical iloso$&22,ietsce.s ilosoical concerns and ractice are te guiding

tread troug is life and 'riting and te unif$ing element to te t'o maFor emases of is

'orE: classical scolarsi and modern social critiGue& )ue to teir mutual deendence on

iloso$ tese t'o emases comlement eac oter and eBress similar concerns but

articulated in relation to different istorical settings and t$es of discourse& "n te one and

,ietsce in%estigates te intermingling of )ion$sian and ollonian m$ts and cultural forms

in is attemt to identif$ te cultural reconditions for te decline of ;reeE traged$ and te

istorical trium of rationalism& Tis emasis is resented rimaril$ troug is ilological

'orE and academic ublications culminating 'it ublication of The Birth of Tragedy?Kand

lecture courses at te (ni%ersit$ of asel& Te second emasis is te critiGue of modernit$ in

'ic ,ietsce attemts to unco%er te origin and te meaning of niilismR te term e uses to

describe te atologies of rationalised modernit$& Tese ideas ublicl$ come to te fore

increasingl$ from te time of ,ietsceJs earl$ lectures on 4ducation2*and is )ntimely

"editationson'ards& n eBamination of ,ietsce.s notes and ublised studies from te eriod

so's tat it is imossible to sa$ 'ic emasis receeds te oter or 'eter it is ossible to

isolate one cultural diagnosis from anoter& It is incorrect to argue tat ,ietsce transoses is

critiGue of antiGuit$ onto contemorar$ societ$ or transoses te latter onto te former& 3ater

bot ersecti%es emerge in conFunction to suc an eBtent tat for ,ietsce te critiGue of

antiGuit$ is art and arcel of te critiGue of modernit$ and tat te roblems of modern societ$

are directl$ related to te 'a$ 'e andle te eritage of te #ellenic 'orld& In tis sense te

22$ claiming ,ietsce is indebted to antian iloso$ I am not tr$ing to reclaim im as art of tat

intellectual tradition antian or Post-antian or to argue for is belonging to an$ articular tradition& #e is certainl$

more tan an$ of tose tings& Ailst remaining indebted to numerous intellectual and creati%e sources ,ietsce.s

iloso$ maEes sense more in relation to o' e tried to ractice it tan in relation to its aderence to an$ secificacademic or intellectual tradition& or a scolarl$ account of ,ietsce.s relationsi to ant see e%in #ill,

2iet3sche4s riti0ues5 The antian 7oundations of his Thought ="(P 200+>&

23It is an unsurrising but noneteless a magnificent %indication of ,ietsce.s osition tat te 'orE in 'ic e

bemoaned te trium of ocratic rationalism and #ellenic academicism o%er )ion$sian traged$ is te 'orE tat led

to is academic demise&

24riedric ,ietsce !n the 7uture of !ur Educational (nstitutions trans&

2


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same ilosoical conclusions can be dra'n from ,ietsce.s anal$sis of ant as from is

discussion of ;reeE Traged$: It is te combination of tese t'o ersecti%e tat ,ietsce

describes as .tragic 'isdom. 'ic relaces te lust for o'er stemming from eBaustion of

ocratic "timism 'it a critical etos tat seds cool ligt but does not attemt master&25

Is it not ossible tat ,ietsce faitful to te intellectual climate of is time is noneteless an

intellectual and edagogue in te tradition of ost-antian enligtenment albeit aesteticall$

insiredO #is 'orE could tus best be interreted academicall$ as art of an attemt to radicalie

te antian critical roFect of culti%ation but still faitful to its edagogical aims and

resuositions: intellectuall$ mediated criticism and a olitics remised on te gradual but

assured imro%ement of te secies& Tis interretation is temting as not onl$ does ,ietsce

occasionall$ aear to be addressing similar concerns but it is 'idel$ Eno'n tat isilosoical arenticesi 'as conducted under te tutelage of arguabl$ te t'o most

rominent ost-antian tinEers of is time @ rtur coenauer and && Lange 'o desite

teir criticisms of antJs tougt retained a fidelit$ to some of its central eistemological and

antroological roositions& Indeed earl$ in is career ,ietsce engages in researc on %er$

antian roblems and 'rites drafts for dissertations of ant.s concet of te .organic. focusing

on te concet of teleolog$ in nature and 'ould seem to be 'orEing criticall$ troug te

roblems of antian eistemolog$ and antroolog$ is 'ole life&

,oneteless ,ietsce 'as alread$ at te age of 22 celebrating te .free and. gi%en to

iloso$ to erform a cultural role larger tan tat afforded to it b$ te uni%ersit$ or curc&

25mongst man$ eBamles in ,ietsceJs 'orE of tis d$namic eras te most telling is one of te earliest ones&

In The Birth of Tragedy considered to be ,ietsce.s most istorical teBt 'e read te follo'ing eBortation in te

midst of a meditation on ancient Tragic Pessimism:$et us imagine a rising generation 'ith this fearless ga3e, 'ith

this heroic attraction to 'hat is monstrous, let us imagine the bold stride of these dragon&killers, the roud

recklessness 'ith 'hich they turn their backs on all the enfeebled doctrines of scientific otimism so that they may

4live resolutely4, 'holly and fully 'ould not the tragic man of this culture, given that he has trained himself for 'hat

is grave and terrifying, be bound to desire a ne' form of art, the art of metahysical solace, in fact to desire tragedy

as his very o'n Helen, and to call out along 'ith 7aust:JAnd shall ( not, 'ith all my longing4s vigour, Dra' into life

that eerless, lovely figure> =T N 12>& Commenting on tis assage ,ietsceJs constant reminder tat it is onl$

for te saEe of te resent and future tat 'e sould engage in istorical eBamination is re-enforced in te Preface e

attaced to The Birth of Tragedyin 1886& #ere e remarEs tat te onl$ ossible urose of adoting a Tragic

Aisdom in te st$le of te ncient ;reeEs is to ser%e te needs of our o'n li%es& Criticising te mobilisation of te

ast for te saEe of .meta$sical solace. e tells te reader: =ou ought to learn the art of this&'orldly comfort first

you ought to learn to laugh, my young friends, if you are hell&bent on remaining essimists. Then erhas, as

laughers, you may someday disatch all metahysical comforts to the devil metahysics in front.=T ttemt at

a elf-CriticismJ N 7>&

3;


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,ietsce reFected ant.s attemts to delimit te boundaries of ilosoical ractice b$

transforming it into a science of te critiGue of reason& ar from diminising te ambition of

iloso$ te antian critical s$stem as ,ietsce understands it - troug its $siological

radicalisation b$ && Lange - frees iloso$ e%en more to ser%e a culturall$ regenerati%e role&

s unsatisfied as Lange 'it te teoretical imasse of antian eistemolog$ ,ietsce 'ill

e%entuall$ transcend te false and ultimatel$ idealistic dicotom$ bet'een materialism and

idealism and adot a ractical concetion of iloso$ as a articular 'a$-of-life rater tan a

solel$ scolarl$ or contemlati%e acti%it$&

O, t#e Si.)t',e(.! I*(!!i5i)it+ ',- Ne"e!!it+ (& Met'*#+!i"!/ T#e P#+!i()(3+ (&

A,t#%(*((%*#i!

In 1866 te 22-$ear-old ,ietsce 'rites entusiasticall$ to is friend Count on ;ersdorff about

a booE e recentl$ read b$ an eBtremel$ enligtened antian and natural scientistJ& Tis booE is

&& LangeJs recentl$ ublisedHistory of "aterialism?L'ic ,ietsce read and re-read

se%eral times trougout is life in %arious editions and as recent scolarsi as affirmed

arguabl$ forms te bacEground not onl$ to is transition from ilolog$ to iloso$ but te

source of man$ of is o'n ideas concerning te 'ill-to-o'er te eternal return and te

niilistic structure of Cristianit$& Te central ilosoical roblematic ,ietsce inerits from

Lange is a antian one: te recognition of te ine%itabilit$ of meta$sics desite te

recognition of its artificialit$& ,ietsce reformulates tis insigt trougout is 'ritings as te

aestetic dimension of uman Eno'ledge and ractice: te necessit$ of creati%e fictions and

falsit$ in uman eBistence&27

,ietsce.s ilosoical ractice is deendent on is adotion of a antian insired

ilosoical materialism a standoint e de%eloed 'it te aid of Lange.s understanding of

26Lange Ibid&

27;eorge& D& tacE, $ange and 2iet3sche=Aalter de ;ru$ter 1/8+> and Dames Porter2iet3sche and the +hilology

of the 7uture=(P 2000>&

39


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te term& ,ietsce taEes u tis legac$ and insired b$ is encounter 'it ancient ;reeE

atomism troug is reading of )emocritus28materialism acGuires a more radical dimension

coming into its o'n as a ilosoical doctrine adeGuate to te anal$sis of modern societ$&

)esite being influenced greatl$ b$ LangeJs istor$ and is more traditional definition of

materialism ,ietsce goes on to de%elo a soisticated and radical materialism 'ic is as

sensiti%e to te d$namic nature of modern social life&as


34/103

tat desite te claims of materialism to o%ercome meta$sics and acie%e a true

reresentation of realit$ it reeats te same gestures of idealistic tougt and ends u becoming

Fust anoter %ariant of te meta$sics it claims to o%ercome& or Lange tis is because te

concet of .matter. as used b$ te materialist tradition in all its %ariants is a ostulate of te

uman mind rimaril$ ser%ing cultural uroses and tus ideal in its %er$ nature& Lange claims

tat materialism onl$ becomes a comlete s$stem 'en matter is concei%ed asurely material@

tat is 'en its constituent articles are not a sort of thinking matter but $sical bodies 'ic

are mo%ed in obedience to merel$ $sical rinciles and being in temsel%es 'itout

sensation roduce sensation and tougt b$ articular forms of teir combinations&J+2

s Dames Porter eBlains for Lange te real 'orld as material entit$ is al'a$s terefore an

incoerenc$& Located 'itin and not be$ond te limits of tougt emirical and meta$sicalentities are best described as te result of a rocess of recirocal determinationsQ and

blendingsQ- for instance bet'een sensation and concetion or bet'een natural and biological

rocesses and teir antroological =and antroomorising> correlates&J++Dust as te bod$ is

onl$ Eno'able as an otical image desite its materialit$ so ideas are eBlainable as originating

in our material surroundings& Ae can ne%er Eno' matter 'itout its concetual reresentation

and 'e can ne%er Eno' ideas 'itout teir material foundation& Te antian bacEground to tis

is ob%ious if 'e remember antJs dictum from te irst CritiGue tat concets 'itout intuitions

are emt$ and intuitions 'itout concets are blind& s a reader of )ar'in Lange could not be

satisfied 'it an idealist imasse of tis sort and re-interrets te antian s$stem b$ grounding it

naturalisticall$ as an e%olutionaril$ Fustified organic s$stem of reresentation& Lange concludes

tat because of te un-decidabilit$ bet'een ideal and material eBlanations of te 'orld te t'o

form an indisensable unit$ te nature of 'ic is based on te structure of ilosoical

reasoning itself located firml$ and sGuarel$ 'itin and arising from te natural 'orld&

Te transosition of te antian s$stem onto a naturalistic register 'ould a%e a great influence

on ,ietsce 'o b$ tat time 'as a discile of coenauer and tus sensiti%e to a

iloso$ grounded in an emasis on te non-rational or naturalistic origins of reason& s

earl$ as 1866 'en ,ietsce reads Lange for te first time e formulated 'at for im 'ere

32Lange Ibid& *&

33Dames PorterThe (nvention of Dionysus =(P 2000> 15-16&

33


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te essential lessons of Lange.s #istor$& #e 'rites to on ;ersdorff tat Lange.s conclusions are

summed u in:

/The follo'ing three roositions5

1. The 'orld of the senses is the roduct of our organi3ation.

?. !ur visible :hysical; organs are, like all other arts of the henomenal 'orld, only images of

an unkno'n ob9ect.

K. !ur real organi3ation is therefore as much unkno'n to us as real e%ternal things are. *e

continually have before us nothing but the roduct of both.+*

,ietsce ten taEes time to articulate eBactl$ 'at is crucial about tese insigts and o' te$

so' tat for all intents and uroses iloso$ is an aestetic endea%or& Insofar as /the true

essence of things the thing in itself& is not only unkno'n to us the concet of it is neither more

nor less than the final roduct of an antithesis 'hich is determined by our organisation, an

antithesis of 'hich 'e do not kno' 'hether it has any meaning outside our e%erience or not.

onse0uently, $ange thinks, one should give the hilosohers a free hand as long as they edify

us in this sense.K6

Te eculiar form of edification ,ietsce as in mind is not an idealistic one but a )ion$sian

insired eBosure to irrational eBeriences& ,ietsce in ligt of is $siological interretation

of ant rooses a )ion$sian %ision of te uman being as a re-subFecti%e animal of dreams

intoBication ain ecstas$ and aesteticall$ dri%en irrationalit$& In The Birth of Tragedy from the

#irit of "usic,ietsce articulates te )$onisian in terms of an o%ercoming of te rinciium

individuationistroug te ritualised and r$tmic intoBication of collecti%e life =BT,N1>&+6It

'as onl$ troug normalisation and socialisation of tese rituals b$ te creation of Tragic

34 Letter to ;ersdorff ugust 1886J In #elected $etters of 7riedrich 2iet3sche ed& and trans& Cristoer

&

35,ietsce Letter to ;ersdorff ugust 1886J Ibid&

36rom earl$ on ,ietsce articulated is iloso$ in terms of a reFection of socialised indi%idualisation& )esite

is subseGuent reFection of te 3omanticism inerent in suc a 'olesale reFection e 'ould continue searcing for

a form of indi%idual eBistence tat did not deend for its coerence on te ressures and rescritions of modern

socialisation determined as te$ are b$ te demands of te ureaucratic tate and te


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Teatre and its festi%als tat #ellenic culture managed to maintain its %italit$& In te same 'a$ in

'ic #ellenic culture ad to socialie tese rituals in order to flouris antian meta$sics

ser%e a necessar$ culturall$ regenerati%e role in ,ietsce.s adotion of a form of 'at

loterdiFE atl$ coined )ion$sian


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It is ,ietsceJs radicalisation of materialism tat is at te base of is reformulation of antian

critical iloso$& ant.s critical roFect aimed at Guestioning te conditions of ossibilit$ of

Eno'ledge& #e seeEs to unco%er 'at enables uman beings to Eno' obFects in te 'a$ te$

Eno' tem& $ critiGue ant does not mean a critiGue of booEs and s$stemsJ rater a critiGue

of te facult$ of reason in general in resect of all te cognitions after 'ic reason migt stri%e

indeendentl$ of all eBerience and te ence te decision about te ossibilit$ or imossibilit$

of a meta$sics in general and te determination of its sources as 'ell as its eBtent and

boundaries all o'e%er from rinciles&J*0rguing against dogmatic idealism and teologicall$

grounded rationalism of is da$ ant so's in The riti0ue of +ure Measontat te conditions

determining te ossibilit$ of Eno'ledge are internal to reason itself @ tat is te$ are generated

b$ te s$ntetic cogniti%e oerations of te uman mind& or ant uman understanding itself

roduces obFects of Eno'ledge& "bFects are terefore aearances mediated troug te forms of

sace and time 'ic are internal to te 'orEings of te uman mind and te 'orld onl$

aears as obFecti%e to us because of te s$ntetic o'ers of our cogniti%e aaratus& *1

#a%ing acie%ed a maFor critical breaEtroug @ a Coernican re%olution in iloso$ @ b$

relacing teologicall$ oriented eistemolog$ 'it one grounded in uman reason ant

according to ,ietsce noneteless relases into anoter form of idealism& #e merel$ relaces

te role of ;od or nature as te guarantors of te coerence of eBerience 'it an

antroomorism b$ entroning an a-istorical notion of umanit$ as te sole originator of

Eno'ledge& ant erformed te Coernican turn to safeguard te ossibilit$ of Eno'ledge& In

tis sense e still belie%es in te %alue of trut and still belie%es in te sueriorit$ of uman

4;Immanuel ant The riti0ue of +ure Meason Preface trans& ;u$er and Aood =C(P 1///>&

49ant 'ised to construe rational inGuir$ itself as a form of self-criticism& Te social and olitical conseGuences

of ant.s critical metod 'as to secure te indeendence of uman reason from its teoretical and olitical

deendence on te Curc or te absolutist state& CritiGue terefore is an attitude tat demands te indeendent and

ublic use of reason to interrogate te resent olitical social and scientific norms and ractices of societ$ troug

rationall$ guided ublic debate based on e%idence and argumentation 'itout recourse to coercion or maniulation&

ant.s aim 'as to allo' for uman beings to liberate temsel%es from non-rationall$ grounded eBternal autorit$

troug a rocess of mutual criticism& Te autonom$ of reason is secured troug its free ublic use tat taEes te

form of mutual and agonistic argumentation& ant.s critical roFect terefore taEes 4nligtenment to be a ublic

rocess tat deends on articular structures of free debateJ 'ic are grounded in te self-legitimising structure of

uman cognition tat is re-enforced troug rationall$ grounded communication 'it oters& or ant one is onl$

free if one is free to argue 'it oters ublicl$ and to secure one.s autonom$ ublicl$ and oliticall$ and not onl$

ri%atel$& Te critiGue of reason is te fli side of te ractice of reasonable critiGue and art of te culture of

enligtenment and terefore needs to be understood as a oliticall$ moti%ated ilosoical roFect& ee Aat is

4nligtenmentOJ inant4s +olitical *ritings, ed& 3eiss and trans& ,isbet =C(P 1/77>&

36


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reason as te sole source of trut in general =needless to sa$ tis also means for ,ietsce tat

ant still belie%es in moralit$R e still belie%es in te trutfulness and %irtue of uman reason&>*2

It is recisel$ tis attemt to secure uman reason from te o'er and lenitude of nature te

attemt to generate an unbreacable ga bet'een nature and uman reason tat ,ietsce

subFects to criticism& ,ietsce accuses ant of acie%ing te umanisation of nature at te rice

of doing so at one ste remo%ed& or ant insofar as uman cognition grass te 'orld it is

onl$ under te limits roduced internall$ to te uman mind& In tis 'a$ eistemological

certaint$ is acGuired at te rice of a more fundamental ignorance as to te nature of tings

temsel%es& ,ietsce maEes te oint tat tis occurs because ant fails to asE: 'at is te

moral %alue and natural origin of reasonO ant falls bacE onto an idealistic iloso$ because

e still ri%ileges uman cognition o%er an$ oter asect or function of te uman organism&

,ietsce does not den$ tat uman beings roduce te obFects of teir eBerience and e

accets 'at e terms te fundamental roducti%e or .lastic. o'er of te uman being& s

,ietsce uts it eBlaining te nature and necessit$ of antroomoric roFection:

After all, 'hat is a la' of nature as such for us> *e are not ac0uainted 'ith it in itself, but only

'ith its effects, 'hich mean in its relation to other la's of nature& 'hich, in turn, are kno'n to

us only as sums of relations. Therefore all these relations al'ays refer again to others and arethoroughly incomrehensible to us in their essence. All that 'e actually kno' about these la's of

nature is 'hat 'e ourselves bring to them& time and sace, and therefore relationshis of

succession and number. But everything marvelous about the la's of nature, everything that 0uite

astonishes us therein and seems to demand our e%lanation, everything that might lead us to

distrust idealism5 all this is comletely and solely contained 'ithin the mathematical strictness

and inviolability of our reresentation of time and sace. But 'e roduce these reresentations

in and from ourselves 'ith the same necessity that a sider sins. (f 'e are forced to comrehend

all things only under these forms, then it ceases to be ama3ing that in all things 'e actually

comrehend nothing but these forms. 7or they must all bear 'ithin themselves the la's of

number, and it is recisely number 'hich most astonishing in things. =T?L N 1>&

42or ,ietsceJs most clearl$ articulated %ersion of tis argument see ;4 1 N 11&

37


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#o'e%er unliEe ant ,ietsce does not attribute tis lasticit$ to an unaided cogniti%e

aaratus of reason but to te uman being in its organic totalit$ as art of nature& ,ietsce

does not 'is to resort to an$ transcendent or suernatural rincile or to an$ re-critical

meta$sics 'ic camions materialism or idealism in a one sided fasion& 3ater te

meaning of ,ietsceJs idealist-materialism ='ic e taEes from Lange> is )ion$sian

materialism is tat tis roducti%it$ or lasticit$ is an organic function of te uman insofar as

te uman being is art of nature& #e radicalies ant.s critiGue b$ transosing it into a

$siological register and turns te acie%ement of antian iloso$ against itself&

or ,ietsce tis imlies tat 'e cannot locate te %alue and o'er of umanit$ in an$ one of

te suosedl$ distincti%e or uniGue faculties tat are belie%ed to searate uman beings from te

rest of nature and te animal Eingdom if tese faculties are taEen to be obFecti%e or grounded ina transcendent or unEno'n realit$& gainst ant 'o located te dignit$ of te uman race in its

moral autonom$ its searation from nature ,ietsce taEing a cue from Lange.s )ar'inism*+

tinEs te cogniti%e o'er of te uman secies is $siological in origin but culti%ated under

social ressures& ,ietsce tougt tat it made no sense to on te one and maEe te case tat

te la's of nature 'ere roFections of te uman mind and on te oter to argue tat tese

roFections are located as art of an obFecti%el$ ascertained cogniti%e o'er of uman origin& or

ant tis o'er tat searated uman eBerience from natural causalit$ 'as located in

consciousness as a s$ntetic being and e terefore neglected to asE o' tis consciousness

itself comes into being tat is e neglected to taEe into account its organic and istorical

becoming& nd so as ndrea 3eberg uts it ,ietsce tinEs ant did not realise tat Tis

becoming-conscious is as muc a function of an organism as an$ oter of its $siological

functions suc as ingestion or digestion& ecoming-conscious occurs in te ser%ice of te

organism and is not intrinsicall$ functionall$ suerior to an$ oter of its in%oluntar$

rocesses&J**

43"n ,ietsce.s comleB relationsi to )ar'inism see )irE Donson2iet3sche4s Anti&Dar'inism=C(P 201+>&

Tis booE demonstrates tat desite being s$matetic at first to te naturalism of )ar'inian e%olution ,ietsce

reFected bot te reducti%e and teleological assumtions and te moralistic Fudgments tat follo'ed and 'ere

re%alent in te interretations of )ar'inJs teor$ rimaril$ as romulgated b$ #erbert encer&

44ndrea 3ebergBecoming&Body5 The Meetition of antian riti0ue in the +hysiological Thinking of 2iet3sche,

Tesis =P&)&> =(ni%ersit$ of Aar'icE 1//+> 18&

38


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Tus far from consciousness being a roof of our dignit$ or uniGueness manEind is onl$ of an$

interest as a secies because of te 'a$s it saes itself understood naturalisticall$& Tis

creati%it$ ,ietsce 'ill come to understand in increasingl$ socio-istorical terms& #e asserts

tat if tere is an$ting secial or interesting about manEind it is not located in te moral and

rational sueriorit$ of te uman secies o%er oter non-rational animals but 'ould a%e more

to do 'it te infinite 'a$s uman beings a%e de%ised to unis tame subdue and defeat

temsel%es and oter secies& or ,ietsce te istor$ of uman self-generation is terefore

not a marE of dignit$ but a sordid tale of infam$ and brutal domestication&*5

Tis istor$ of infam$ is one of te sources of ,ietsce.s anti-umanism is belief tat .man is

something that should be overcome4 = NN +-5>& or ,ietsce te sense of uman dignit$ or

ri%ilege sould not be te foundation uon 'ic culture and olitics are based& ant summedu is critical s$stem as a motto of 4nligtenment 'en e demanded to a%e te courage to

use $our o'n understanding!J *6and tus attemted to elicit te o'ers of critiGue for moral

scientific and institutional regeneration& ut in is attemts to ro%ide a istorical Fustification

for 4nligtenment ant remo%es te necessit$ for courage in%oEed in is demand b$ aealing

instead to an idealisticall$ grounded istorical rogress - a teleolog$ of culture& or if manEind is

indeed .imro%ing. and it is nature.s o'n 'is tat enligtenment s'ee te eart one 'onders

'$ one needs courage at all& Ae can Fust sit bacE and enFo$ te ride& ,ietsce clearl$ a'are of

te connection ant maEes bet'een te critiGue of reason and te roFect of enligtenment*7

realises tat te legitimac$ of tat roFect rests on te legitimac$ of an alleged teleolog$ in nature

and for te secies& eeEing to undermine an$ sense of uman cau%inism and self-satisfaction

b$ eBosing te antroomoric nature of all cognition as art of nature ,ietsce undermines

te rogressi%e and umanistic ieties tat underlie te ideological smugness of so called liberal

45Tis is te main focus of te tree essa$s ,ietsce ublised under te title of !nthe Genealogy of "orals, ed&

eit nsell-Pearson trans& Carol )iete =C(P 1//7>&

46ant Aat is 4nligtenmentJ inants +olitical *ritings ed& 3eiss and trans& ,isbet =C(P 1//7>&

47Ailst imlicit in all of antJs ost-critical 'ritings tis connection is dra'n out most eBlicitl$ in antJs

istorical essa$s most of 'ic are collected inants +olitical *ritings o cit&

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socialist or democratic societies& If uman Eno'ledge is noting more tan .uman Eno'ledge.

tat is Eno'ledge tat as its origin in te $siological maEeu of te uman organism and

grounded in te %ital needs of tat organism tere is no basis for tinEing tat umanit$ as an$

obFecti%el$ granted or naturall$ guaranteed tasEs goals or meaning& Te conseGuences of tis are

momentous: Te uman faculties and caacities ri%ileged b$ te ilosoical tradition suc as

Aill 3eason and Consciousness are accidental roducts of natural selection and uman istor$

tere is no Fustification for te assumtion of a secial or suerior lace for uman beings on te

lanet o%er and abo%e oter secies or life forms or for te ri%ilege of one t$e of uman being

o%er anoter& If iloso$ is to sed its deendence on te antroolog$ of domination if man

is someting tat must be o%ercomeJ tan te tasE for a $sician of culture after te deat of

god is to de%elo a doctrine and ractice tat can teac uman beings a .ne' ealt.& Te crucial

Guestion for us follo'ing ,ietsce is o' it is ossible to de%elo a science of ealt if one

can no longer ascertain te la's of natureO Tat is to sa$ if tere is no telos for te secies @ no

naturall$ gi%en tasE goal or aimO or ,ietsce 4nligtenment comes not onl$ from

recognising te conditions for te realisation of reason but from recognising tat tere is no

guarantee tat tis roFect is ilosoicall$ legitimate or guaranteed& If tere is no reason or

meaning in istor$ ten te Guestion becomes 'at to do 'it tis Eno'ledge rater tan an$

antian attemt to establis te obFecti%it$ of Eno'ledge in te first lace& In tis case courage is

needed muc more tan te free use of te understanding&

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Niet!"#e! C%iti6.e (& Te)e()(3+/ P%e).-e t( t#e Oe%"(i,3 (& H.',i!

In 1868 ,ietsce begins 'riting a dissertation on The concet of the !rganic since antJ in

'ic e eBlores te de%eloment of te idea of organism from ;oete to ant.s riti0ue of

@udgment.N8,ietsce recognises tat te %er$ tenabilit$ of te concet of .organism. deends on

te %iabilit$ of a urose or aim in nature tat 'ould allo' for te disarate elements tat maEe

u a li%ing being to be understood as in an$ 'a$ unified& Tis urosi%eness is referred to as te

teleolog$ of nature& In is notes for te dissertation ,ietsce criticises ant for illegitimatel$

assuming tat teleological Fudgments could be used to eBlain te origins of organic beings&

)esite ant.s recognition tat te origin of te organism as a unit$ is outside te ur%ie' of te

discursi%e intellect e tinEs 'e can borro' b$ analog$ a teleological eBlanation and ercei%e

te organisation of te organism as a unit$& ,ietsce tinEs ant is mistaEen 'en e assumes

tis imlies a re-eBisting rational lan tat allo's for te de%eloment of organisms and ence

a rational lan of nature& )iscussing ;oete and coenauer.s different aroaces to tis

issue ,ietsce.s reflections oint to 'at 'ould become a ermanent feature of is tinEing:

te fundamental creati%e and artistic nature of uman cognition 'ic fabulates concets and

ideas 'ic do not eBist an$'ere outside uman eBerience& ,ietsce.s reFection of te

urosi%eness of nature later leads im to de%elo a conflict teor$ of dri%es 'ic e 'ill

ultimatel$ call .'ill-to-o'er.*/and is central to is attemt to find a .iger. goal for umanit$

48,ietsceJs earl$ essa$ on ant and teleolog$ is rerinted in Paul & 'iftBecoming 2iet3sche=LeBington

ooEs 2005>&

4"n ,ietsce.s de%eloment of tis teor$ te best account is tat b$ Aolfgang


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tat 'ilst understood $siologicall$ does not originate from an$ lan of nature but from te

organic features creati%e uman acti%it$& If tere is no lan of nature tere is no reason in istor$

and so ,ietsce concludes liEe #hall ( sho' it to you in my mirror> This 'orld5 a monster of energy, 'ithout beginning, 'ithout

end a firm, iron magnitude of force that does not gro' bigger or smaller, that does not e%end itself but only

transforms itself as a 'hole, of unalterable si3e, a household 'ithout e%enses or losses, but like'ise 'ithoutincrease or income enclosed by /nothingness as by a boundary not something blurry or 'asted, not something

endlessly e%tended, but set in a definite sace as a definite force, and not a shere that might be /emty here or

there, but rather as force throughout, as a lay of forces and 'aves of forces, at the same time one and many,

increasing here and at the same time decreasing there a sea of forces flo'ing and rushing together, eternally

changing, eternally flooding back, 'ith tremendous years of recurrence, 'ith an ebb and a flood of its forms out of

the simlest forms striving to'ard the most comle%, out of the stillest, most rigid, coldest forms to'ard the hottest,

most turbulent, most self&contradictory, and then again returning home to the simle out of this abundance, out of

the lay of contradictions back to the 9oy of concord, still affirming itself in this uniformity of its courses and its

years, blessing itself as that 'hich must return eternally, as a becoming that kno's no satiety, no disgust, no

'eariness5 this, my )ion$sian'orld of the eternally self&creating, the eternally self&destroying, this mystery 'orld

of the t'ofold volutuous delight, my /beyond good

Nietzsche's Preface to Philosophy

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Transcript of Nietzsche's Preface to Philosophy