Description: Nietzsche controversially valorizes struggle and war as necessary ingredients of human flourishing. In this book, James S. Pearson reconstructs Nietzsche's rationale for placing such high value on relations of conflict. In doing so, Pearson reveals how Nietzsche's celebration of social discord is interwoven with his understanding of nature as universal struggle. This study thus draws together Nietzsche's writings on politics, culture, metaphysics, biology and human psychology. It also overcomes an entrenched dispute in the critical literature. Until now, commentators have tended to interpret Nietzsche either as an advocate of radical aristocratic violence or, by contrast, a defender of moderate democratic contest. This book navigates a path between these two opposed readings and shows how Nietzsche is able to endorse both violent strife and restrained competition without contradicting himself.
Brief description: James S. Pearson is Research Fellow in Philosophy at the University of Tartu. He is the author of numerous articles on modern German philosophy in journals including Inquiry, Social Theory and Practice and The Canadian Journal of Philosophy.
Review Quotes: 'Understanding Nietzsche's philosophy of conflict lies at the heart of any attempt at making sense of his overall philosophical project. Pearson's study is admirably rich in content and yet, due to its clear structure, transparent and accessible. It illuminates the background of Nietzsche's thinking in a manner that is always interesting and never tedious, and provides a wealth of new insights.' Beatrix Himmelmann, The Arctic University of Norway