Europe: A Nietzschean Perspective (Routledge Advances in European Politics, 11)

There has been a deliberative, but as yet unsuccessful, attempt by scholars and policy makers to articulate a more meaningful idea of Europe, which would enhance the legitimacy of the European Union and provide the basis for a European identity. Using a detailed analysis of the writings of Nietzsche, Elbe seeks to address this problem and argues that Nietzsche's thinking about Europe can significantly illuminate our understanding. He demonstrates how Nietzsche's critique of nationalism and the notion of the 'good European' can assist contemporary scholars in the quest for a vision of Europe and a definition of what it means to be a European citizen. Book Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 4 Contents......Page 5 Preface......Page 12 Acknowledgements......Page 14 Europe......Page 16 God or nothingness?......Page 32 Labyrinths of the future......Page 56 Europe wants to become one......Page 80 We good Europeans......Page 104 Free thoughts......Page 124 Notes......Page 138 Select bibliography......Page 162 Index......Page 178 "This book is the first systematic study of Nietzsche's European throught, and provides a rare philosophical approach to the idea of 'Europe'."--BOOK JACKET