Nietzsche's New Darwinism

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Modern, History, Criticism, & Surveys
Cover of the book Nietzsche's New Darwinism by John Richardson, Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: John Richardson ISBN: 9780199883653
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: October 14, 2004
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: John Richardson
ISBN: 9780199883653
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: October 14, 2004
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

Nietzsche wrote in a scientific culture transformed by Darwin. He read extensively in German and British Darwinists, and his own works dealt often with such obvious Darwinian themes as struggle and evolution. Yet most of what Nietzsche said about Darwin was hostile: he sharply attacked many of his ideas, and often slurred Darwin himself as "mediocre." So most readers of Nietzsche have inferred that he must have cast Darwin quite aside. But in fact, John Richardson argues, Nietzsche was deeply and pervasively influenced by Darwin. He stressed his disagreements, but was silent about several core points he took over from Darwin. Moreover, Richardson claims, these Darwinian borrowings were to Nietzsche's credit: when we bring them to the surface we discover his positions to be much stronger than we had thought. Even Nietzsche's radical innovations are more plausible when we expose their Darwinian ground; we see that they amount to a "new Darwinism." The book's four chapters show how four of Nietzsche's most problematic ideas benefit from this Darwinian setting. These are: his claim that life is "will to power," his insistence that his values are "higher" yet also "just his," his disturbing ethics of selfishness and politics of inequality, and his elevation of aesthetic over moral values. Richardson argues that each of these Nietzschean ideas has a clearer and stronger sense when set on the scientific ground he takes from Darwin.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Nietzsche wrote in a scientific culture transformed by Darwin. He read extensively in German and British Darwinists, and his own works dealt often with such obvious Darwinian themes as struggle and evolution. Yet most of what Nietzsche said about Darwin was hostile: he sharply attacked many of his ideas, and often slurred Darwin himself as "mediocre." So most readers of Nietzsche have inferred that he must have cast Darwin quite aside. But in fact, John Richardson argues, Nietzsche was deeply and pervasively influenced by Darwin. He stressed his disagreements, but was silent about several core points he took over from Darwin. Moreover, Richardson claims, these Darwinian borrowings were to Nietzsche's credit: when we bring them to the surface we discover his positions to be much stronger than we had thought. Even Nietzsche's radical innovations are more plausible when we expose their Darwinian ground; we see that they amount to a "new Darwinism." The book's four chapters show how four of Nietzsche's most problematic ideas benefit from this Darwinian setting. These are: his claim that life is "will to power," his insistence that his values are "higher" yet also "just his," his disturbing ethics of selfishness and politics of inequality, and his elevation of aesthetic over moral values. Richardson argues that each of these Nietzschean ideas has a clearer and stronger sense when set on the scientific ground he takes from Darwin.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction by John Richardson
Cover of the book Thriving Under Stress by John Richardson
Cover of the book Into the Desert by John Richardson
Cover of the book Organized Innovation by John Richardson
Cover of the book The Unfinished Bombing by John Richardson
Cover of the book Love of Freedom by John Richardson
Cover of the book Arguing over Texts by John Richardson
Cover of the book Handbook of Culture and Consumer Behavior by John Richardson
Cover of the book Civil Society in China by John Richardson
Cover of the book The Oxford Handbook of Public Choice, Volume 2 by John Richardson
Cover of the book The Riddle of the Sands - With Audio Level 5 Oxford Bookworms Library by John Richardson
Cover of the book Prevention Diaries by John Richardson
Cover of the book Plain English at Work by John Richardson
Cover of the book Empathy and the Novel by John Richardson
Cover of the book Natural Philosophy by John Richardson
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy