Synopses & Reviews
This book argues, against recent interpretations, that Nietzsche does in fact have a metaphysical system--but that this is to his credit. Rather than renouncing philosophy's traditional project, he still aspires to find and state essential truths, both descriptive and valuative, about us and the world. These basic thoughts organize and inform everything he writes; by examining them closely we can find the larger structure and unifying sense of his strikingly diverse views. With rigor and conceptual specificity, Richardson examines the will-to-power ontology and maps the values that emerge from it. He also considers the significance of Nietzsche's famous break with Plato--replacing the concept of "being" with that of "becoming." By its conservative method, this book tries to do better justice to the truly radical force of Nietzsche's ideas--to demonstrate more exactly their novelty and interest.
Review
"...the detail with which Richardson systematically connects will to power as an ontology with other prominent Nietzschean ideas is impressive."--The Review of Metaphysics
"Richardson writes clearly and without jargon....Nietzsche's System would make an excellent advanced survey course of Nietzsche without over-burdening the students, both intellectually and financially....[he] has crafted the best introduction to Nietzsche to date."--Teaching Philosophy
"This book contributes a valuable overview of Nietzsche's incorporation of scientific theories of his era."--German Studies Review
Richardson's study is noteworthy for its engagement with rival interpretations of Nietzsche, and for its scrupulous attention to the many recalcitrant passages in his writings. It is a useful and provocative contribution to the understanding and evaluation of Nietzsche's thought."--Ethics
Synopsis
In recent years post-modernist critics have embraced Nietzsche as a philosopher who broke fundamentally free from the traditions of Western philosophy, even to the point of rejecting the goal of truth. In this original study that is sure to provoke stimulating discussion, John Richardson challenges these interpretations with a "conservative" reading of Nietzsche which, instead, displays his deep continuities with those philosophical traditions. Richardson carefully and systematically extrapolates from Nietzsche's work a metaphysical system that demonstrates how Nietzsche did indeed aspire to find and state essential truths, both descriptive and valuative, about us and the world. Scrutinizing the controversial philosopher's basic thoughts, Richardson seeks to unveil the larger structure and unifying sense to Nietzsche's strikingly diverse views.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 295-303) and indexes.