Nietzsche: Philologist Philosopher and Cultural Critic

The book contains the proceedings of a seminar Nietzsche: Philologist Philosopher and Cultural Criticheld at Jawaharlal Nehru University Delhi in November 2004.The papers appearing here were written by scholarsfromIndia France Germany and Spain. They also come from several disciplinary backgrounds such as Philosophy Literature Political Science Semiotics Mathematics and Aesthetics. The authors deal with different and variedaspects of the 19th century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsches life and work. Nietzsche has been one of the most important influences on contemporary cultural criticism. Post-structural and post-modern thought in the late 20th century French context owes much to Nietzsches philosophical critique of European culture in particular and by extension of any totalising cultural political and ethical theory or practice anywhere. Beginning his career as a trained philologist Nietzsche employed a mode of critical hermeneutics in order to deconstruct the highly cherished values and orientations of Europe especially those associated with post-Socratic Greek thought puritan Christianity and modern science. Nietzsches critical relationship with philology was similar to that between post-structuralismand structuralism in the 20th century. Nietzsche was a controversial colourful and multifaceted philosopher. The effects of his philosophy have been felt in fields as literature aesthetics religion ethics musiccriticism ecology and feminism. The over-valuation of art with respect to the domain of knowledge was one of his enduring contributions to modern/post-modern philosophy. Nietzsche is also known not the least as a stylist of philosophical writing: the transformation and transgression of the limits of the dominant discourse being one of his more important philosophical concerns.