Synopses & Reviews
Iconoclastic philosopher turns Nietzsche on his head.Nietzsche, the philosopher seemingly opposed to everyone, has met with too little opposition himself. He has dominated contemporary thought, becoming the touchstone for Freud, Heidegger, Deleuze, Lyotard, Bataille, Foucault, Derrida, Adorno and Weber. In this provocative, sometimes disturbing book, Bull argues that merely to reject Nietzsche is not to escape his lure. He seduces us by appealing to our desire for victory, and inviting the reader to identify with the will-to-power of the superman. Only by "reading like a loser" and failing to live up to his ideals can we move beyond Nietzsche to a different form of nihilism, capable of a still more radical revaluation of all values. This opens the way to a philistinism and subhumanism that expand the boundaries of society, gradually undermining culture - and even language - until we are left with nothing in common.
Anti-Nietzsche is a subtle and subversive engagement with Nietzsche and his interpreters. Written with economy and clarity, it shows how a 'politics of failure' might change what it means to be human.
Review
"“Seven witty, erudite, and highly stylized chapters. Recommended.”" CHOICE
Review
"“Bull is an excellent writer of philosophical prose … it is hard to deny the boldness of his thinking, or the seductive force of his writing.”" Times Higher Education
Review
"“A stimulating and delightful book … Bull’s argument is also subtle and deep”" Times Literary Supplement
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"“The breadth and depth of Bull’s scholarship are … incredibly impressive.”" Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews
Review
"“Brilliant … Bull asks us to do more than just abandon our conceited sense of strength and beauty. His book remodels revolutionary politics as not a Nietzschean act of revaluation but an experience of radical, runaway entropy.”
" The New Inquiry
Review
"Seven witty, erudite, and highly stylized chapters. Recommended." CHOICE
Review
"Bull is an excellent writer of philosophical prose … it is hard to deny the boldness of his thinking, or the seductive force of his writing." Times Higher Education
Review
"A stimulating and delightful book … Bull’s argument is also subtle and deep." Times Literary Supplement
Review
"The breadth and depth of Bull’s scholarship are … incredibly impressive." Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews
Review
"Brilliant … Bull asks us to do more than just abandon our conceited sense of strength and beauty. His book remodels revolutionary politics as not a Nietzschean act of revaluation but an experience of radical, runaway entropy.
" The New Inquiry
Review
"Bull’s book deserves attention both as a scholarly engagement with continental philosophy and political theory, and as a challenging intervention into contemporary left politics." Socialism and Democracy
Synopsis
A provocative intellectual assault on the iconic philosopher.
About the Author
Malcolm Bull is a theorist and art historian who teaches at Oxford. His books include Seeing Things Hidden, The Mirror of the Gods, and Anti-Nietzsche. He is on the editorial board of New Left Review and writes for the London Review of Books.