Nietzsche's Naturalism

Rezensionen / Stimmen

'Emden manages to convey the broader historical and scientific backdrop against which Nietzsche was operating, and he offers the reader new material with which to assess Nietzsche's thought. His work - well-written, accessible and meticulously researched - has an impressive command of the secondary research, and it will be considered a welcome addition to the recent arsenal of naturalist perspectives on Nietzsche.' Dirk R. Johnson, Hampden-Sydney College 'This is an important, timely study that throws fresh light on the formation and development of Nietzsche's thought by examining it in the context of contemporary German debates about the 'philosophy of nature' (Naturphilosophie) and Darwinism. Emden intelligently combines close readings of individual works with more general discussions of the changes in philosophy and science that took place in the second half of the nineteenth century to arrive at a new interpretation of Nietzsche's unique brand of naturalism.' Martin A. Ruehl, University of Cambridge 'Although recent years have witnessed a renaissance of interest in Nietzsche's naturalism, we lack in English-speaking commentary an adequate appreciation of his relation to the life sciences of his time. Christian J. Emden's study corrects this situation and provides a concerted reconstruction of Nietzsche's philosophical naturalism. His insights into Nietzsche's relation to Darwinism and into what it means to naturalize Kant are amongst the most subtle and incisive I have encountered. This is a fine and important study and will appeal to readers across the disciplines, including intellectual history, philosophy, cultural studies, and German studies.' Keith Ansell-Pearson, University of Warwick 'Christian J. Emden has written the book on Nietzsche's biological naturalism which many of us have been waiting for. Situating Nietzsche's later work amidst the shifting currents of nineteenth-century cell theory, embryology, neo-Kantianism, and evolutionary thought brings out new philosophical complexity and depth in his genealogical project, and reinforces Nietzsche's relevance to philosophy today.' Joseph Rouse, Wesleyan University, Connecticut