Abstract

This dissertation is a discussion of the Nietzschean hypothesis that human nature is a double nature, human and animal. Human nature is not a given, but becomes through the antagonism of its animal and human life forces. The movement of human becoming is a movement of overcoming and self-overcoming. It involves effort and courage, sacrifice and suffering so as to lead the human species and individual to a higher type of humanity, a more future promising and more human humanity. Nietzsche claims that the forth bringing of a truly human, over-human nature requires the continuous return to the human animal forces. The animals stand at the beginning and re-beginning of humanity. ;I show that the problems of culture and civilization, of politics, of history, of truth and of morality in Nietzsche's philosophy are formulated on the basis of the antagonism of human and animal life forces. The dissertation develops the following theses. Against the animals, the human species gives rise to a political community based on slavery and tyranny. With the animal forces, it gives rise to a political community grounded in the singular individual's responsibility and freedom. Against the animals, the human species gives rise to a form of history that infinitely ties the human individual to its past. With the animal forces, it gives rise to a form of history as culture and self-culture, invested in the freeing of the human individual and species from the past so as to orient it towards its human, truly human becoming and overcoming. Against the animals, truth takes the form of an illusion of absolute and universal truth that opposes itself to human becoming and overcoming. With the animal forces, truth takes the form of an illusion of relative, contingent, singular and multiple truths, favoring the movement of becoming human. Finally, against the animals, the human species bases the relation to the other on the feelings of resentment, revenge and hatred. With the animals, it gives rise to the virtue of giving that establishes a relation of love and friendship between humans and animals, between humans and humans