On the Genealogy of Morality has become the most common point of entry into Nietzsche's thought. It offers relatively straightforward, sustained explanatory narratives addressing many of the main ideas of Nietzsche's mature thought, such as 'will to power,' 'nihilism,' 'perspectivism,' and the 'value of truth'. It also directs its attention to what is widely taken to be Nietzsche's important philosophical contribution, the critique of morality. Yet it is challenging to understand because Nietzsche intended it as an expansion and elaboration of his ideas developed elsewhere.Presupposing no prior knowledge of Nietzsche or the text Robert Guay provides the interpretive and philosophical context to make Nietzsche's thought more accessible and shows how Nietzsche's narratives engage with philosophical issues about agency, self-knowledge, historical explanation and the critique of morality.
Robert Guay is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Binghamton University. He is the editor of Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment: Philosophical Perspectives (Oxford University Press, 2019). He is the author of a number of articles in the Journal of Nietzsche Studies and The European Journal of Philosophy.
ChronologyIntroductionThe PrefaceApproaching the GenealogyKnowing ourselves A memoir of the genealogistThe descent of our moral prejudicesThe critique of morality: the value of valuesThe Dionysian Drama of the soulFirst Treatise: ‘Good and Evil’, ‘Good and Bad’IntroductionThe basic narrativePhilosophical argumentsMethodological and rhetorical issuesSecond Treatise: ‘Guilt’, ‘Bad Conscience’, and Related MattersIntroductionThe basic narrativePhilosophical argumentsMethodological and rhetorical issuesThird Treatise: What Do Ascetic Ideals Mean?IntroductionThe basic narrativePhilosophical argumentsMethodological and rhetorical issuesConclusionGlossary of Key TermsGuide to Further ReadingIndex
Written with clarity and intelligence, Guay’s guide to Nietzsche’s Genealogy offers a sensitive and original reading of the text as well as a careful engagement with the wider secondary literature on it. All students of Nietzsche will benefit from the lucidity of the analysis and argument that Guay offers. Highly recommended.
Ryan Harvey, Aaron Ridley, The California State University) Harvey, Ryan (Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Southampton) Ridley, Aaron (Professor of Philosophy
Ryan Harvey, Aaron Ridley, The California State University) Harvey, Ryan (Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Southampton) Ridley, Aaron (Professor of Philosophy