Nietzsche as Egoist and Mystic

This book is an attempt to make sense of the tension in Nietzsche's work between the unashamedly egocentric and the apparently mystical. While scholars have tended to downplay one or other of these aspects, it is the author's contention that the two are not only compatible but mutually illuminating. This book demonstrates Nietzsche's sustained interest in mysticism from the time of The Birth of Tragedy right through to the end of his productive life. This book argues against situating Nietzsche's religious thought in the context of Buddhist or Christian mystical traditions, demonstrating the inadequacy of attempts to mediate between Nietzsche and Meister Eckhart and the Bodhisattva ideal of Mahayana Buddhism. Rather, it is argued that Nietzsche's egoism and mysticism are best understood in the intellectual context which he himself avowed, according to which his ancestors were Heraclitus, Empedocles, Spinoza, and Goethe.

Seeks to resolve the tension in Nietzsche's work between the unashamedly egocentric and the apparently mystical Focusses on Nietzsche's 'ancestors' to illuminate his thought Demonstrates Nietzsche's sustained interest in mystical experience throughout his philosophical career

Auteur

Andrew Milne teaches philosophy at the University of Western Australia. His primary research interests are in Aesthetics and the Comparative Philosophy of Religion.

Texte du rabat

This book is an attempt to make sense of the tension in Nietzsche s work between the unashamedly egocentric and the apparently mystical. While scholars have tended to downplay one or other of these aspects, it is the author s contention that the two are not only compatible but mutually illuminating. This book demonstrates Nietzsche s sustained interest in mysticism from the time of The Birth of Tragedy right through to the end of his productive life. This book argues against situating Nietzsche s religious thought in the context of Buddhist or Christian mystical traditions, demonstrating the inadequacy of attempts to mediate between Nietzsche and Meister Eckhart and the Bodhisattva ideal of Mahayana Buddhism. Rather, it is argued that Nietzsche s egoism and mysticism are best understood in the intellectual context which he himself avowed, according to which his ancestors were Heraclitus, Empedocles, Spinoza, and Goethe.

Contenu

Chapter 1:The Sanctification of Nietzsche.- Chapter 2: Ancestors, Part I: Goethe.-Chapter 3: Ancestors, Part II: Heraclitus, Empedocles, Spinoza.- Chapter 4: Mysticism from Birth to Breakdown.- Chapter 5: Against Mediation.- Chapter 6: The Great Hospital.- Chapter 7: On Being Enamoured.- Chapter 8: Hafez Shrugs the Cloak.