Nietzsche's Naturalism

Abstract

This book explores Nietzsche's philosophical naturalism in its historical context, showing that his position is best understood against the background of encounters between neo-Kantianism and the life sciences in the nineteenth century. Analyzing most of Nietzsche's writings from the late 1860s onwards, Christian J. Emden reconstructs Nietzsche's naturalism and argues for a new understanding of his account of nature and normativity. Emden proposes historical reasons why Nietzsche came to adopt the position he did; his genealogy of values and his account of a will to power are as much influenced by Kantian thought as they are by nineteenth-century debates on teleology, biological functions, and theories of evolution. This rich and wide-ranging study will be of interest to scholars and students of Nietzsche, the history of modern philosophy, intellectual history, and history of science.

Moral physiology and vivisection of the soul: why does Nietzsche criticize the life sciences?

“…But this reading is also implausible. Emden (2014), for instance, suggests that 'it was Spencer's translation of Darwin into the realm of social and political ideas that was, for Nietzsche, the main point of contention ' in BGE 13 and GS 349 (2014, 162-163). There is some support for this suggestion.…”

“…See richardson (2004), Johnson (2010), Emden (2014), Acampora (2013), Moore (2002). Many other interpreters casually invoke Darwinism in order to explain these passages: e.g.…”

Herbert Spencer: A Case History of Nietzsche’s Conception of Decadence

“…For example, following a discussion of decadent types pertaining to the Gospels that mentions the Messiah, Nietzsche obliquely refers to a "most interesting decadent", which is almost certainly a characterisation of Jesus (A: 31). In a similar fashion, the following individuals can also be considered to be exemplars as their names are mentioned in connection with the term 'decadence': Buddha (A: 42), Saint Paul (A: 24 & Nachlass 1887-1889, KSA: 13:14[57] = WP: 171), Immanuel Kant (A: 11 & TI: Reason, 6), Leo Tolstoy (A: 7), Victor Hugo (Nachlass 1887-1889, KSA: 13: 16[29] = WLN, pp. 274-275/WP: 838), Blaise Pascal, Gustave Flaubert (Nachlass 1887-1889, KSA: 13: 16[29] = WLN, pp.…”

“…In a similar fashion, the following individuals can also be considered to be exemplars as their names are mentioned in connection with the term 'decadence': Buddha (A: 42), Saint Paul (A: 24 & Nachlass 1887-1889, KSA: 13:14[57] = WP: 171), Immanuel Kant (A: 11 & TI: Reason, 6), Leo Tolstoy (A: 7), Victor Hugo (Nachlass 1887-1889, KSA: 13: 16[29] = WLN, pp. 274-275/WP: 838), Blaise Pascal, Gustave Flaubert (Nachlass 1887-1889, KSA: 13: 16[29] = WLN, pp. 274-275/WP: 838), and Johannes Brahms (CW: 2 nd Postscript).…”

“…310-328, De Gruyter, (Berlin); Fornari, Maria Cristina (2009), Die Entwicklung Der Herdenmoral: Nietzsche Liest Spencer Und Mill, Schröder, Leonie (Trans. ), Harrassowitz Verlag, (Wiesbaden); Johnson (2010); Solms-Laubach, Franz zu (2012), Nietzsche and Early German and Austrian Sociology, De Gruyter, (Berlin); Emden (2014); O'Connell, Jeffrey (2017), 'Nietzsche's Rejection of Nineteenth-Century Evolutionary Ethics' in Ruse, Michael & Richards, (Eds. ), The Cambridge Handbook of Evolutionary Ethics, pp.…”