Nietzsche's eternal recurrence as an expression of the will to power /
In Nietzsche and What Is Called Thinking, Heidegger argues
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| Format: | Thesis Book |
| Language: | English |
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[Place of publication not identified] :
[publisher not identified] ;
1997.
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| Summary: | In Nietzsche and What Is Called Thinking, Heidegger argues that Nietzsche's "metaphysics of the absolute subjectivity of will to power" represents the "last thought" in the history of Western metaphysics. Having inverted Platonism by positing the will as the characteristic feature of human nature, its essence in the sense espoused by the metaphysical tradition, Nietzsche is "the last metaphysician." But Nietzsche's attempt to overcome metaphysics fails because the conjunction of the will to power (essence) and eternal recurrence (existence) cannot coherently be reconciled within the confines of his philosophy. I argue that the weight of textual evidence and difficulties of conceiving the will to power and eternal recurrence as metaphysical principles point toward a different conclusion. After presenting Heidegger's reasons and arguments for holding to this particular interpretation, I explain why they seem to me insufficient grounds for sustaining his criticism. Because there are treatments of Nietzsche's thought that do not for their coherence depend on selective omission of sources, they are primafacie preferable to Heidegger's interpretation for just that reason. Moreover, these "antimetaphysical" treatments, guided by Nietzsche's claim that "the way ... does not exist," avoid rendering the conjunction of eternal recurrence and the will to power incoherent. Stated positively, the will to power and eternal recurrence are Denkmittel, means of opening up new avenues for thought and philosophical reflection. As such, their function is to characterize a mode of thought whose practice consists of becoming familiar with the conditional, temporal, and finite elements of existence. Familiarity with the conditions of life is at least to some degree a prerequisite for any organism's success in dealing with its environment. Successful interaction, in turn, represents an enhancement of the will to power on the part of the organism, which finds its highest expression in Nietzsche's concept of eternal recurrence, an affirmative stance toward life whose momentum provides additional grounds for enhancement. I conclude that, all other things being equal, the antimetaphysical reading is the more tenable, plausible, and coherent rendering of Nietzsche's thought, and thus to be favored over Heidegger's account. |
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| Item Description: | Vita. "Major subject: Philosophy". |
| Physical Description: | v, 42 leaves ; 28 cm. Issued also on microfiche from Lange Micrographics. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references: pages 40-41. |