Nietzsche on war PDF
Preview Nietzsche on war
N W ietzsche oN ar N W ietzsche oN ar Rebekah Peery Algora Publishing New York © 2009 by Algora Publishing. All Rights Reserved www.algora.com No portion of this book (beyond what is permitted by Sections 107 or 108 of the United States Copyright Act of 1976) may be reproduced by any process, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, without the express written permission of the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data — Peery, Rebekah S. Nietzsche on war / Rebekah S. Peery. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-87586-711-3 (trade paper : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-87586- 712-0 (hard cover : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-87586-713-7 (ebook) 1. Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm, 1844-1900. 2. War (Philosophy) I. Title. B3318.W37P44 2009 355.0201—dc22 2009009341 Front cover: Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzche, (1844-1900). © Bettmann/CORBIS Printed in the United States t c ableof oNteNts iNtroductioN 1 Part oNe 5 Part tWo 2 5 Part three 65 Part four 113 Part five 135 bibliograPhy 171 Nietzsche’s Writings 171 Related Works 172 ix iNtroductioN Given the increasing efforts in all ages to understand the nature of war — the possible causes, reasons, purposes — the reader of this book might question the possibility of any opportunity remaining for fur- ther enlightenment on the subject. The continuing impotence of men to comprehend the depth and breadth of this complex phenomenon, plus the rapid increase in the catastrophic effects of the power of war, make any and every new effort a moral imperative. Well into a new century, the subject is unavoidable. Repelled by the images and words — the anguish, the disbelief, the despair — we feel a compelling urgency to strengthen our efforts. The revulsion is becoming so intense and wide- spread that the overwhelming cruelty generated in war is serving to generate a response equally intense and widespread. Twenty-first cen- tury warfare is unacceptable and everything about it must be exposed. More puzzling perhaps, to the reader, might be the question of “why Nietzsche?” Why appeal on the topic of war to this philosopher whose time preceded our own by more than a century? Nietzsche’s thinking opened up new possibilities and opportunities in the arts, in the sci- ences, in history, in cultural studies, in philosophy, and in religion; thus he becomes the leading candidate — perhaps with challenging, rich, untapped, unexpected resources. 1 Nietzsche on War Nietzsche’s style of thinking and writing is tantalizing but difficult. His scholarly background, plus the wide range of his interests, suggest that his qualifications are exceptional. In addition to his philosophical endeavors, he studied theology and religion, and insisted on the impor- tance of rethinking philosophy “scientifically” and “historically.” And, significantly for purposes of questioning him concerning war, he pro- claimed that the new science of psychology was “now again the road to the basic problems.” Nietzsche was never under any illusion that his ideas, and his treatment of those ideas, were anything but revolution- ary and dangerous. This book is based on the presupposition that had Nietzsche di- rectly focused his critical powers on the urgent questions concerning hostile, violent war, his interpretations of the destructive, corrosive nature of such war would have matched his critique of Christianity in both substance and intensity. From different perspectives the book offers new interpretations of Nietzsche’s thinking — considering especially his ideas regarding power, values, nature, contrariety, language or words, truth and decep- tion, religion, experience, sexuality and sexual politics — that could provide new and provocative approaches toward dealing with the ris- ing menace of war. I have consulted selected earlier writers whom I believe could have influenced Nietzsche’s own thinking on the subject of war. Also, I have considered a few later writers whose thinking ap- pears relevant. Particularly as philosopher, psychologist, philologist, and his- torian, Nietzsche provides the immediate and best access to his thoughts through his own words. (Citations from Nietzsche’s works are referenced in the bibliography and cited in the text by initials in parentheses.) My project has been to probe these “deep thoughts” and to piece together answers to my questions — keeping in mind that he himself did not directly and critically address the problem of hostile war. Faced with the questions of war, there is little doubt that Nietz- sche’s primary concern would be to address the source, or origin, of such activities. He would agree with the necessity now to seek and re- veal this origin — whatever the risks. As with the polluting of our air, 2
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