Abstract

This essay discusses Nietzsche’s neglected concept of convalescence, which appears often in his later work. I argue that this concept enables a more coherent account of Nietzsche’s thinking of ressentiment and renewal than do dominant philosophical readings of Nietzsche in terms of writing, forces, the Will to Power, etc. A Nietzschean notion of convalescent culture can be seen a model for the amelioration of our socio-historical malaise.