Table Of ContentNIETZSCHE 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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HenrySomers-Hall:JudgementandSenseinModernFrenchPhilosophy
FrederickA.Olafson:HeideggerandtheGroundofEthics
GünterZöller:Fichte’sTranscendentalPhilosophy
WarrenBreckman:Marx,theYoungHegelians,andtheOriginsofRadicalSocialTheory
WilliamBlattner:Heidegger’sTemporalIdealism
CharlesGriswold:AdamSmithandtheVirtuesofEnlightenment
GaryGutting:PragmaticLiberalismandtheCritiqueofModernity
AllenWood:Kant’sEthicalThought
KarlAmeriks:KantandtheFateofAutonomy
AlfredoFerrarin:HegelandAristotle
CristinaLafont:Heidegger,Language,andWorld-Disclosure
NicholasWolsterstorff:ThomasReidandtheStoryofEpistemology
DanielDahlstrom:Heidegger’sConceptofTruth
MichelleGrier:Kant’sDoctrineofTranscendentalIllusion
HenryAllison:Kant’sTheoryofTaste
AllenSpeight:Hegel,Literature,andtheProblemofAgency
J.M.Bernstein:Adorno
WillDudley:Hegel,Nietzsche,andPhilosophy
TaylorCarman:Heidegger’sAnalytic
DouglasMoggach:ThePhilosophyandPoliticsofBrunoBauer
RüdigerBubner:TheInnovationsofIdealism
JonStewart:Kierkegaard’sRelationstoHegelReconsidered
MichaelQuante:Hegel’sConceptofAction
WolfgangDetel:FoucaultandClassicalAntiquity
RobertM.Wallace:Hegel’sPhilosophyofReality,Freedom,andGod
JohannaOksala:FoucaultonFreedom
BéatriceLonguenesse:KantontheHumanStandpoint
WayneMartin:TheoriesofJudgment
HeinrichMeier:LeoStraussandtheTheologico-PoliticalProblem
OtfriedHöffe:Kant’sCosmopolitanTheoryofLawandPeace
BéatriceLonguenesse:Hegel’sCritiqueofMetaphysics
RachelZuckert:KantonBeautyandBiology
AndrewBowie:Music,PhilosophyandModernity
PaulRedding:AnalyticPhilosophyandtheReturnofHegelianThought
KristinGjesdal:GadamerandtheLegacyofGermanIdealism
Jean-ChristopheMerle:GermanIdealismandtheConceptofPunishment
SharonKrishek:KierkegaardonFaithandLove
NicolasdeWarren:HusserlandthePromiseofTime
BenjaminRutter:HegelontheModernArts
AnneMargaretBaxley:Kant’sTheoryofVirtue
DavidJames:Fichte’sSocialandPoliticalPhilosophy
EspenHammer:PhilosophyandTemporalityfromKanttoCriticalTheory
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RobertStern:UnderstandingMoralObligation
BradyBowman:HegelandtheMetaphysicsofAbsoluteNegativity
FabianFreyenhagen:Adorno’sPracticalPhilosophy
JeanineGrenberg:Kant’sDefenseofCommonMoralExperience
LudwigSiep:Hegel’s“PhenomenologyofSpirit”
SachaGolob:HeideggeronConcepts,FreedomandNormativity
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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title:Nietzscheonconflict,struggleandwar/JamesS.Pearson.
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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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