Friedrich Nietzsche and the Politics of History

by Christian J. Emden

This book explores Friedrich Nietzsche's understanding of modern political culture and his position in the history of modern political thought. Surveying Nietzsche's entire intellectual career from his years as a student in Bonn and Leipzig during the 1860s to his genealogical project of the 1880s, Christian Emden contributes to a historically informed discussion of Nietzsche's response to the political predicaments of modernity, and sheds new light on the intellectual and political culture in Germany as the ideals of the Enlightenment gave way to the demands of the modern nation state. This is a distinguished addition to the series of Ideas in Context, and a major reassessment of a philosopher and aphorist whose stature among post-enlightenment European thinkers is now almost unrivalled.

Genres: Philosophy

412 pages, Hardcover

First published June 8, 2008

Reviews

[JR Roach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent conceptualization and overview of 19th century intellectual trends in Germany, and putting Nietzsche in that context does produce valuable insights, but ultimately his attempt to domesticate and smooth off Nietzsche's dangerous edges is not convincing.