Nietzsche's On The Genealogy of Morality: A Guide (Oxford Guides to Philosophy)

On the Genealogy of Morality is one of Nietzsche's greatest works. Taking recent scholarship on board and using it to inform its analysis of this challenging text, Rex Welshon's Guide introduces readers of all levels to the major arguments found in the Genealogy . Welshon also shows how arguments Nietzsche develops elsewhere clarify and buttress what he says in the Genealogy . The guide begins by introducing the reader to Nietzsche's life, identifying some of his major intellectual influences, and tracking his influence on subsequent philosophers, artists, literary critics, social and political thinkers, and moral psychologists. Then, in four longer chapters, the Genealogy's Preface and three essays are investigated in detail. Each chapter is divided into two parts, the first dedicated to section-by-section examinations of Nietzsche's claims and arguments as they unfold in the book, the second to detailed analyses of the most important, intricate, and perplexing of those arguments. This structure permits readers to remain oriented through the Genealogy's unusual development and unique style. The guide then unpacks Nietzsche's arguments in greater detail, steering readers through arguments that sometimes lie behind the Genealogy's surface text and showing how recent scholarship has improved our understanding of some of its more cryptic claims. Throughout, the guide strives to remain accessible and avoid technical jargon and to keep Nietzsche's fascinating, if disturbing, insights into moral evaluation, moral history, and moral psychology front and center. Having read the guide, readers will be prepared to appreciate the Genealogy's many merits and identify some of its gaps. Cover Series Nietzsche’s On the Genealogy of Morality Copyright Contents Preface and Acknowledgments Citation Style and Abbreviations Introduction: Genealogy and the Revaluation of Values I.1 Overview of Genealogy and This Book 1. Biography, Intellectual Development, and Legacy 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Biography Childhood The Basel Years The Peripatetic Years Collapse, Incapacitation, and Death 1.3 Intellectual Development Schopenhauer Lange, Boscovich, and Drossbach Roux and Rolph 1.4 Legacy 2. Genealogy Preface 2.1 Introduction 2.2 The Preface by the Sections Sections 1–​3 Sections 4–​6 Sections 7–​8 2.3 Discussion Genealogy as a Method Naturalism and Philosophy Philosophical and Theological Psychology Morality and Moral Evaluation 3. Genealogy Essay I 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Essay I by the Sections Sections 1–​3 Sections 4–​5 Sections 6–​9 Section 10 Sections 11–​12 Sections 13–​15 Sections 16–​17 3.3 Discussion Different Kinds of Morality and Moral Psychology Drives and Affects Evolution, Interpretation, and Evaluation 4. Genealogy Essay II 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Essay II by the Sections Sections 1–​3 Sections 4–​7 Sections 8–​11 Sections 12–​15 Sections 16–​18 Sections 19–​23 Sections 24–​25 4.3 Discussion Subjectivity, Continuity, Self-​Awareness, and Self-​Control Agency, Free Will, and Willing Power and Willing Power 5. Genealogy Essay III 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Essay III by the Sections Sections 1–​5 Sections 6–​10 Sections 11–​14 Sections 15–​16 Sections 17–​22 Sections 23–​25 Sections 26–​28 5.3 Discussion Perspectival Perception, Interoception, and Knowledge Relativism and Paradox Asceticism, Decadence, and Nihilism Defending Life against Antilife Morality Bibliography Index