Joy and Laughter in Nietzsche’s Philosophy : Alternative Liberatory Politics

In assembling and editing this book, we have accrued debts of gratitude for the institutional and individual support we have received along the way. We are thankful for one another and those who participated, including Professor Daniel Conway and Assistant Professor George Shea, in our panel, "The Political Significance of Joyfulness in Nietzsche's Thought, " at the 2019 Southern Political Science Association conference, at which some contributions to this volume were initially presented. In addition, we thank those who attended our respective presentations at the 2019 Friedrich Nietzsche Society conference for their feedback, the discussions that ensued, and for considerable laughter and joy. Dr. Kirkland thanks his partner H. Abbie Erler for her ongoing support throughout this process. Dr. McNeal thanks his partner Kurt Holzberlein for his support and expresses gratitude to the editors of the Southwest Philosophy Review. We are also indebted to our blind reviewers and all those at Bloomsbury Academic who assisted in the realization of this volume, particularly Jade Grogan and Suzie Nash. Finally, we are grateful to each of the contributors to this volume for their work. Cover Half Title Series Title Copyright Contents Acknowledgments Abbreviations and References for Nietzsche’s Texts Introduction Part One Joy and Knowledge 1 A Gay Science Avant La Lettre? Knowledge and Joy in Human, All too Human (Ruth Abbey) 2 Aesthetics of Joy and Levity for Nietzsche’s Free Spirit (Paul E. Kirkland) Part Two Nietzsche’s Joyful Teachings 3 Nietzsche’s Übermensch: From Shared Suffering to Shared Joy (Melanie Shepherd) 4 “Is the Sea Not Full of Verdant Islands?”: Zarathustra on Passing by the Great City (Peter S. Groff) 5 Why “All Joy Wills Eternity” for Nietzsche (Richard J. Elliott) Part Three Predecessors and Heirs 6 “What Do I Matter!”: Nietzsche on Pascal, Self-Obsession, and Good Cheer (Jamie Parr) 7 Schopenhauer’s Jokes and Nietzsche’s Riddles: Toward a Morphology of Laughter (Glen Baier) 8 Subversive Playfulness in Nietzsche and Dada (Philip Mills) Part Four Perspectives on Laughter 9 On Nietzsche’s “Teachings” about Learning to Laugh at Oneself: A Critical Approach* (Katia Hay) 10 Nietzsche on Masculinity: The Joys of Danger and Play (Jeffrey Church) 11 The Free Spirit’s Dionysian Mirth: A Laughing Storm to Herald Philosophers of the Future (Michael J. McNeal) Notes on Contributors Name Index Subject Index "This volume analyses the importance of cheerfulness, joy and laughter in Nietzsche's thought. A neglected topic in the secondary literature, the political implications of his thinking on joyfulness and its cultivation provide new insights into Nietzsche's key works and ideas. The 11 essays chart the importance of attending to his many references to festivity, cheerfulness, laughter, and joy, as well as his use of riddles, to reveal a version of Nietzsche who is far from the caricature of hopeless nihilism and instead is the unrealised champion of an alternative liberatory politics. Scholars from both philosophy and political science explore these emotions in Nietzsche's thought to situate their affirmative possibilities, illuminating their political character, as well as their broader significance to his philosophical aims. Contributors cover a wide range of topics; including, the attainment of joy in Human, All too Human, the possibility of cheerfulness after the death of God, Nietzsche's teachings on learning to laugh at oneself, the aesthetic of playfulness, and the role of riddles."-- Provided by publisher Analyzing the importance of joy, laughter, and cheerfulness in Nietzsche's thought, this volume addresses an under-examined topic in the secondary literature. By exploring disparate aspects of these interrelated emotions it provides new insights into his key ideas. The contributors-among them philosophers and political scientists-illustrate the significance of these feelings to reveal political ramifications of their affirmative potential and their broader role in Nietzsche's philosophical aims. These include how the joyful disposition Nietzsche commends informs his free spirit's self-overcoming, attempts to revalue all values, and prospects of ultimately transfiguring humanity. Among other topics, scholars assess the Übermensch and shared joy, learning to laugh at oneself, Schopenhauer's jokes, Pascal's cheerfulness, and the Dada movement's subversively playful aesthetic. By contemplating Nietzsche's emphasis on joy and laughter, the volume reveals a thinker who, far from being a caricature of hopeless nihilism, is in fact the hitherto unrecognised champion of an alternative liberatory politics.