Nietzsche on the Methods and Aims of Philosophy

We are says Nietzsche often unknown to ourselves. Most recent studies of Nietzsche's works focus on our reactions to conditions of self-estrangement particularly nihilistic despair or decadence. Allison Merrick takes a different approach focusing on what she argues is Nietzsche's greatest contribution to philosophical thought: the method of genealogy. While genealogical analysis is often understood as having vindicatory subversive or problematizing aims Merrick emphasizes its emancipatory potential. Nietzsche's analysis reveals how our motivations and our feelings our reflective thoughts and our judgments are shaped by evaluative 'templates' of which we are often unaware and how these templates can be revealed articulated and overcome. By uncovering and challenging these hidden frameworks Nietzsche's genealogical approach aims to render us less obscure to ourselves to liberate us from value systems that no longer serve our interests and to demonstrate how we might become less prone to guilt and shame.