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Chapter 8 - Eternal recurrence

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 December 2009

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Summary

It is certainly not the least charm of theory that it is refutable; it is precisely thereby that it attracts subtler minds. It seems that the hundred-times-refuted theory of the “free-will” owes its persistence to this charm alone; again and again someone comes along who feels he is strong enough to refute it (BG 18).

Substantial agreement exists that Nietzsche considered the eternal recurrence his most important teaching. He calls it the “fundamental conception” of Zarathustra, which he celebrates as “the highest book there is … also the deepest, born out of the innermost wealth of truth” (EH III, Z 1; P 4). And he identifies himself in a special way with its teaching when summing up his philosophical intentions and achievements in one of his last books: “I, the last disciple of the philosopher Dionysus – I, the teacher of the eternal recurrence” (TI X, 5). If it is his central teaching, however, it is also the most frequently and effectively criticized of Nietzsche's doctrines. The body of philosophically sophisticated and interesting criticism of the doctrine of eternal recurrence remains unmatched by the literature on any other aspect of Nietzsche's philosophy. I will organize my interpretation of eternal recurrence as a response to the most important objections that have been raised against it.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 1991

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  • Eternal recurrence
  • Maudemarie Clark
  • Book: Nietzsche on Truth and Philosophy
  • Online publication: 04 December 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511624728.010
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  • Eternal recurrence
  • Maudemarie Clark
  • Book: Nietzsche on Truth and Philosophy
  • Online publication: 04 December 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511624728.010
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Eternal recurrence
  • Maudemarie Clark
  • Book: Nietzsche on Truth and Philosophy
  • Online publication: 04 December 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511624728.010
Available formats
×