Nietzsche's Naturalism: Philosophy and the Life Sciences in the Nineteenth Century
Cambridge University Press, 5/29/2014
EAN 9781107059634, ISBN10: 1107059631
Hardcover, 263 pages, 22.9 x 15.2 x 1.6 cm
Language: English
Originally published in English
This book explores Nietzsche's philosophical naturalism in its historical context, showing that his position is best understood against the background of encounters between neo-Kantianism and the life sciences in the nineteenth century. Analyzing most of Nietzsche's writings from the late 1860s onwards, Christian J. Emden reconstructs Nietzsche's naturalism and argues for a new understanding of his account of nature and normativity. Emden proposes historical reasons why Nietzsche came to adopt the position he did; his genealogy of values and his account of a will to power are as much influenced by Kantian thought as they are by nineteenth-century debates on teleology, biological functions, and theories of evolution. This rich and wide-ranging study will be of interest to scholars and students of Nietzsche, the history of modern philosophy, intellectual history, and history of science.
Introduction
Part I. Varieties of Philosophical Naturalism
1. Introduction
2. The neo-Kantian stance
3. Nietzsche's 'anti-Darwinism'?
4. Psychology, experiment, and scientific practice
5. Three kinds of naturalism
Part II. Evolution and the Limits of Teleology
6. Introduction
7. Problems with purpose
8. The politics of progress
9. Naturalizing Kant
10. Genealogy and path dependence
Part III. Genealogy, Nature, and Normativity
11. Introduction
12. 'Darwinism's' metaphysical mistake
13. Living things and the will to power
14. Toward a natural history of normativity
15. 'Naturalism in morality'
Bibliography
Index.