Heidegger and Jaspers on Nietzsche

GENERAL PROBLEMS IN NIETZSCHE INTERPRETATION Every philosopher presents special problems of interpretation. With Nietzsche these problems are especially crucial. The very richness of Nietzsche's thought and expression becomes a trap for the incautious or imaginative mind. Perhaps the greatest temptation for the in­ terpreter of Nietzsche is to attempt to "systematize" his thought into a consistent whole. Any such attempt necessarily results in distortion, for there is a fluidity in Nietzsche's thought which does not lend itself to strict categorization. This is not to deny that there are certain organic patterns in his philosophy. These patterns emerge, however, as Jaspers correctly insists, only upon careful, critical comparison of pertinent passages drawn from the entire corpus of Nietzsche's works. No single passage can be taken as a definitive statement of Nietzsche's views of any particular subject. Frequently, by presenting two or three especially relevant quotations from the author being considered, the correctness of his interpretation. With Nietz­ a critic can support sche, however, such a procedure is inadequate, for in many cases other passages can be found which will support an alternative, if not oppo­ site, interpretation. Nor is this difficulty alleviated by vast compi­ lations of relevant passages, for then one could gain just as much, and quite likely more, from re-reading Nietzsche's works themselves.

General Problems in Nietzsche Interpretation. - Special Problems in Jaspers Nietzsche Interpretation. - Special Problems in Heidegger s Nietzsche Interpretation. - An Alternative Interpretation: A Fundamental Dualism. - I. Nietzsche as a Man and as a Philosopher. - The Relevance of Nietzsche s Life to His Thought. - Nietzsche s Extremism and Honesty: A Theory of Communication. - Nietzsche: Poet, Philosopher, Psychologist or Social Critic. - Summary. - II. Nietzsche s Metaphysics and Epistemology. - Being and Becoming. - The Will to Power. - Nietzsche s Doctrine of Truth. - Eternal Recurrence. - Transvaluation and Nihilism. - Some Concluding Remarks. - III. Nietzsche s Philosophical Anthropology. - Nietzsche s Theory of Man and the Will to Power. - The Death of God and Nihilism. - The Superman. - Nietzsche s Ethics and the Transvaluation of All Values. - Eternal Recurrence, Truth and Truths. - Nietzsche s Anthropocentrism. - Some Concluding Remarks. - IV. an Evaluation of Heidegger s and Jaspers Interpretations. - How Jaspers Reads His Own Philosophy into Nietzsche s. - How Heidegger Reads His Own Philosophy into Nietzsche s. - Parallels-Nietzsche and Jaspers: An Expanded View. - Parallels-Nietzsche and Heidegger: An Expanded View. - Doctrines versus Contradictions. - V. an Alternative Interpretation: a Funda- Mental Dualism in Nietzsche s Thought. - Nietzsche s Metaphysics and Epistemology. - Nietzsche s Philosophical Anthropology. - The Question of Telos. - Some Concluding Remarks. - Index of Names.