Exceeding Reason: Freedom and Religion in Schelling and Nietzsche (New Studies in the History and Historiography of Philosophy, 6)

The work of the later Schelling (in and after 1809) seems antithetical to that of Nietzsche: one a Romantic, idealist and Christian, the other Dionysian, anti-idealist and anti-Christian. Still, there is a very meaningful and educative dialogue to be found between Schelling and Nietzsche on the topics of reason, freedom and religion. Both of them start their philosophy with a similar critique of the Western tradition, which to them is overly dualist, rationalist and anti-organic (metaphysically, ethically, religiously, politically). In response, they hope to inculcate a more lively view of reality in which a new understanding of freedom takes center stage. This freedom can be revealed and strengthened through a proper approach to religion, one that neither disconnects from nor subordinates religion to reason. Religion is the dialogical other to reason, one that refreshes and animates our attempts to navigate the world autonomously. In doing so, Schelling and Nietzsche open up new avenues of thinking about (the relationship between) freedom, reason and religion. Acknowledgments 9 Contents 11 Abbreviations and Translation 15 Introduction 17 Chapter 1. Schelling and Nietzsche: A Philosophical Discussion? 25 Part I: Dualism, Rationalism and Cultural Fatigue 37 Chapter 2. Excessive Rationalism 37 Chapter 3. Goodness, Evil and the Tradition 63 Chapter 4. Mythology, Religion and Identity 88 Part II: Organicism, Freedom and Self-Formation 123 Chapter 5. Living Nature and Freedom in Schelling 123 Chapter 6. Culture, Style and Sovereignty in Nietzsche 162 Part III: Mythology, Revelation and Religion 211 Chapter 7. Making Way for Revelation in Schelling’s Spätphilosophie 211 Chapter 8. The Revealed: On Myth, Monotheism and Philosophical Religion 240 Chapter 9. Nietzsche’s Religion of a Brave New Future 277 Conclusion 308 Bibliography 313 Index 329 Endorsements 335 The series publishes monographs and essay collections devoted to the history of philosophy as well as studies in the theory of writing the history of philosophy. A special emphasis is placed on the contextualization of philosophical historiography into the areas of the history of science, culture, and the wider scope of intellectual history