In his effort to reformulate Nietzsche’s will to power as the strength for self-sovereignty, Kaufmann argued that it was not the basis of a political program. He insisted that “Nietzsche begs his readers to keep in mind that he does not write to endorse a course of action. His [philosophy] wants to stimulate thought,‘nothing else’ … it is meant for people ‘to whom thinking is a delight, nothing else.’” Kaufmann’s Nietzsche embodied the philosopher of the vita contemplativa, for whom contemplation was itself a vital, life-affirming activity.
