Nietzsche on Conflict, Struggle and War (Modern European Philosophy)

313 Pages·2022·2.088 MB·English

by  James S. Pearson

NIETZSCHE ON CONFLICT, STRUGGLE
AND WAR
Nietzsche controversially valorizes struggle and war as necessary
ingredients of human flourishing. In this book, James S. Pearson
reconstructs Nietzsche’s rationale for placing such high value on
relations of conflict. In doing so, Pearson reveals how Nietzsche’s
celebrationofsocialdiscordisinterwovenwithhisunderstandingof
nature as universal struggle. This study thus draws together
Nietzsche’s writings on politics, culture, metaphysics, biology and
human psychology. It also overcomes an entrenched dispute in the
criticalliterature.Untilnow,commentatorshavetendedtointerpret
Nietzscheeitherasanadvocateofradicalaristocraticviolenceor,by
contrast, a defender of moderate democratic contest. This book
navigates a path between these two opposed readings and shows
how Nietzsche is able to endorse both violent strife and restrained
competitionwithoutcontradictinghimself.
james s. pearson is Research Fellow in Philosophy at the
UniversityofTartu.Heistheauthorofnumerousarticlesonmodern
GermanphilosophyinjournalsincludingInquiry,SocialTheoryand
PracticeandTheCanadianJournalofPhilosophy.
Published online by Cambridge University Press
modern european philosophy
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Published online by Cambridge University Press
Published online by Cambridge University Press
NIETZSCHE ON CONFLICT,
STRUGGLE AND WAR
JAMES S. PEARSON
UniversityofTartu
Published online by Cambridge University Press
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names:Pearson,JamesStephen,author.
title:Nietzscheonconflict,struggleandwar/JamesS.Pearson.
description:Cambridge,UnitedKingdom;NewYork,NY,USA:CambridgeUniversity
Press,2021.|Series:ModernEuropeanphilosophy|Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
identifiers:lccn2021023815(print)|lccn2021023816(ebook)|isbn9781316516546
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subjects:lcsh:Nietzsche,FriedrichWilhelm,1844–1900.|Conflict(Psychology)|War
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Contents
ListofAbbreviations pageix
ListofTranslations xiii
Acknowledgments xv
Introduction 1
ABriefHistoryofthePhilosophyofConflict 6
Nietzsche’sAmbiguousVocabularyofConflict 26
EvaluativeAmbiguity 29
OutlineofThisBook 32
part i agon versus war 37
1 ReasonsforWar 39
1.1 MurderandMetaphysicsintheEarlyNietzsche 41
1.2 WarintheWakeofMetaphysics 51
1.3 ViolentNaturalismintheLaterNietzsche 59
1.4 Conclusion 71
2 BoundingNietzsche’sAgon 74
2.1 TheRelationofAgontoAnnihilation 77
2.2 DemocracyorAristocracy?TheInclusivityofNietzsche’sAgon 91
2.3 OntheSourcesofAgonalMeasure 116
2.4 Conclusion 137
part ii the struggle for organization 141
3 ConflictualUnityintheUntimelyMeditations 143
3.1 TheCrisisofCulturalDisintegration 147
3.2 ThePathstoUnity 150
3.3 Nietzsche’sAttackontheFoundationsofOrganization 174
3.4 Conclusion 182
vii
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viii Contents
4 OrganizationalStruggleintheLaterNietzsche 184
4.1 ReconceivingtheCrisisofDisintegration 187
4.2 ANon-MetaphysicalAccountofOrganizationalStruggle 201
4.3 IndividualOrganization 223
4.4 CollectiveOrganization 245
4.5 Conclusion 266
Conclusion 269
References 277
Index 286
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Abbreviations
’
NietzschesWritings
Cited numbers principally refer to section numbers. Thus, GS 21 = GS,
Section21.Wherethesectionsoftextaretoolongforthesectionnumber
tobesufficientlyinformative,Iprovideareferencetotherelevantvolume
andpageintheKSA.Thus,GMI13,KSA5.279=GM,Essay1,Section13
(KSA, Volume 5, page 279). Likewise, when citing Nietzsche’s unpub-
lished notebooks (his Nachlaß), I provide the KSA reference, giving the
volume,notebook,fragmentandpagenumber.Thus,KSA10:15[36],488=
KSA, Volume 10, Notebook 15,Fragment 36,page 488.For textsthat are
notcontainedintheKSA(e.g.,Nietzsche’slecturenotes),IcitetheKGW,
givingthevolume,partandpagenumber.Thus,KGWII/5,519=KGW,
Volume 2, Part 5, page 519. When citing Nietzsche’s letters, I refer to the
KGB,givingthevolume,partandpagenumber.Thus,KGBIII/1,182–183
=KGB,Volume3,Part1,pages182–183.
KGW Werke: Kritische Gesamtausgabe. Edited by Giorgio Colli and
MazzinoMontinari.Berlin:deGruyter,1967–
KSA SämtlicheWerke:KritischeStudienausgabein15Bänden.Edited
by Giorgio Colli and Mazzino Montinari. Berlin: de Gruyter,
1980
KGB Briefwechsel: Kritische Gesamtausgabe. Edited by Giorgio Colli
andMazzinoMontinari.Berlin:deGruyter,1977
’
NietzschesPublishedWorks
AOM Vermischte Meinungen und Sprüche (in Menschliches
AllzumenschlichesII)(AssortedOpinionsandMaxims)
BGE JenseitsvonGutundBöse(BeyondGoodandEvil)
BT DieGeburtderTragödie(TheBirthofTragedy)
CW DerFallWagner(TheCaseofWagner)
ix
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