Agonist : Current Issue

“Philosophy in the manner of Plato should rather be defined as an erotic contest, as a further development and inward intensification of the old agonal gymnastics and their Presuppostions.



—Nietzsche, Twilight of the Idols, Sum 23.”







Dear Readers,

We are excited to introduce several new essays to our readers. This special issue is structured in two parts. The first part examines Nietzsche reception in China and Nietzsche’s relationship to current scholarship in China. The second part evolved out of an event, “Nietzsche in History,” which was organized at Mercy College in March 2015. Three of the five essays, by Nicholas Birns, David Kilpatrick, and Yunus Tuncel, were presented at this event. With this issue we hope to revitalize the discussion on Nietzsche’s relevance in the history of ideas, not only in Western context, but worldwide. We consider this issue to be a small, but an inspirational, step in that direction. We would like to thank all contributors to this issue and look forward to hearing your thoughtful comments.

Editors, December 2015

VOLUME IX, ISSUES I & II, FALL 2015 - SPRING 2016

Essays Author Read Part I: Nietzsche and Chinese Thought Introduction by James Luchte, Guest Editor for this Section By James Luchte Read Daggers and Spears: Lu Xun and Nietzsche on Cultural Revolution By James Luchte Read Nietzsche on ‘The Question Mark,’ A Note on Section 346, Book Five of The Gay Science By Soraj Hongladarom Read On Tranquility: The Essential Word of Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra By Wang Shunning Read Part II: Nietzsche in History Every Name in History: The Cosmopolitan Kindergarten, Introduction By David Kilpatrick Read Libido Dominandi: Nietzsche and Sallust By Nicholas Birns Read Nietzsche, Darwin, and the Greeks: On the Aesthetic Interpretation of Life By Michael Steinmann Read The Seed of All Thought: Nietzsche’s “The Uses and Disadvantages of History For Life” By Barry Stephenson Read Nietzsche and La Rochefoucauld: The Art of Concise and Polemical Writing By Yunus Tuncel Read Contributors’ Bios

The Agonist