Abstract

Interpreters of Nietzsche fall into two camps. On the one hand, there are those who contend that Nietzsche represents "the last metaphysician of the west," one who, in an attempt to overcome metaphysics, actually closes the circle on the self-destructive venture of western philosophical thought. Foremost among these interpreters are Heidegger, Gadamer, and Lowith. On the other hand, interpreters such as Derrida, Deleuze and Pippin portray Nietzsche as the first "post-modernist," a pioneer in the liberation of "discourse" from the repressive hegemony of metaphysics and rationality. For all their disagreement concerning the nature of Friedrich Nietzsche's contribution, these schools of interpretation are in fundamental agreement concerning Nietzsche's estimation of philosophy or philosophical thinking: it is something that must be "overcome." ;This dissertation maintains that Nietzsche, despite appearances to the contrary, could not have disagreed more with his interpreters on this crucial point. In other words, it is argued that Nietzsche did not believe that philosophy must be overcome, but that, on the contrary, his thought constitutes a singular affirmation of the philosophical life as the search for wisdom and knowledge. To this end it is shown that his writings are devoted to demonstrating the nature of the obstacles that stand in the way of such a life, the possibility and desirability of such a life despite these obstacles, the way in which these obstacles can be overcome and the character that such a life must assume once these obstacles have been left behind. ;This argument about Nietzsche's conception of philosophy is made principally through an examination of a theme central to his thought: the will and its conflict with time. This examination involves an exposition of Nietzsche's teaching concerning the will to power and his notion of the eternal return. The former serves as a means of interpreting the will's conflict with time and the latter points the way to overcoming this conflict. This analysis of the will and time in Nietzsche's philosophy is pursued by offering a reading of that work which Nietzsche himself considered to be his most important: Thus Spake Zarathustra