In your recent video on Existentialism, Hank says that Nietzsche "Embraced Nihilism," yet, as I understand it, Nietzsche viewed himself as arguing against Nihilism, rather than embracing it as a position. I know, however, that many conceive of him as a nihilist regardless. Are there arguments in favor of his nihilism I am unaware of, and where would be a good source to find them?

We asked series writer, Ruth Tallman, this question and here’s her answer :)

“Hi. This is one of the areas (there are many, in philosophy), where there is scholarly disagreement about how best to categorize Nietzsche, as his writings seem to express one tendency here, and another there. The same is true of Kierkegaard, who is most often referenced as a existentialist, yet there are aspects of his works that really seems to make him not-at-all-an-existentialist.

Since the series is aimed at intro level philosophers, my habit has been to group the thinkers according to their most common classification, and I think it’s safe to say that Nietzsche, with his “God is dead and everything is permitted,” mentality, sounds pretty nihilistic. [You are] right, however, some scholars argue that he actually sees himself as working to overcome nihilism, rather than embracing it. The problem is, we impose their labels post hoc, so it’s not surprising that the authors don’t go to a lot of trouble to make sure they fit into a tidy box.

All that said, you [should have a look at] David Allison, who does a nice job of presenting the various understandings of Nietzsche that scholars hold. The texts I would start with are “New Nietzsche: Contemporary Styles of Interpretation”, and “Reading the New Nietzsche.” The former is a collection of essays, and the latter is Allison’s very helpful and accessible analysis.

Hope this helps!”



- Ruth Tallman