Godfrey, Andrew R. (2014) Nietzsche and 'aspect-blindness'. PhD thesis, Birkbeck, University of London.
|
PDF
Nietzsche and 'Aspect-Blindness' A Godfrey.pdf - Full Version Download (1MB) | Preview |
Abstract
In this thesis, I draw on Wittgensteinian philosophical thought to critically explore Nietzsche’s diagnosis of (and proposed therapy for) the alleged malaise in modernity. In chapter 1, I argue that Wittgenstein’s concepts of aspect-seeing and certainty provide the resources to resolve several apparently contradictory claims Nietzsche makes about the predicament of his fellow moderns. I show that the condition Wittgenstein calls ‘aspect-blindness’ offers a unified account of the predicament Nietzsche describes. In chapter 2, I explore Nietzsche’s claim that some overarching framework (what Wittgenstein calls a ‘form of life’) has ‘died’. I argue that the pathological attitude of Wittgenstein’s interlocutor towards frameworks provides the most satisfactory model for understanding the nature of the supposed ‘death’ of frameworks in modernity. In chapter 3, I argue that Nietzsche’s proposed remedy for the malaise of modernity is a form of therapy akin to Wittgenstein’s attempt to free his readers from a picture which holds them captive. I show that our understanding of Nietzsche’s therapeutic method will be improved if we bear in mind certain distinctions and ambiguities highlighted by Wittgensteinian discussion of pictures. In chapter 4, I address the concern that Nietzsche appears to characterise modernity in two contradictory ways as both excessively and insufficiently emotional and excessively and insufficiently sceptical. I resolve the appearance of contradiction by showing that (on Nietzsche’s view) the moderns are inherently prone to extreme shifts between poles and that many of the apparent emotions and ideals of the moderns are ‘fake’.
Metadata
| Item Type: | Thesis |
|---|---|
| Copyright Holders: | The copyright of this thesis rests with the author, who asserts his/her right to be known as such according to the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988. No dealing with the thesis contrary to the copyright or moral rights of the author is permitted. |
| Depositing User: | Acquisitions And Metadata |
| Date Deposited: | 03 Sep 2014 11:46 |
| Last Modified: | 04 Jul 2024 06:07 |
| URI: | https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/40067 |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.18743/PUB.00040067 |
Statistics
Additional statistics are available via IRStats2.
Archive Staff Only (login required)
