What a Philosopher Is

Becoming Nietzsche

By: Laurence Lampert

Write A Review

Hardcover | 19 January 2018 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Hardcover
352 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
2.38 x 1.6 x 0.31

Hardcover

$158.75

or 4 interest-free payments of $39.69 with

Ships in 5 to 10 business days

The trajectory of Friedrich Nietzscheâs thought has long presented a difficulty for the study of his philosophy. How did the young Nietzscheâ"classicist and ardent advocate of Wagnerâs cultural renewalâ"become the philosopher of Will to Power and the Eternal Return?

With this book, Laurence Lampert answers that question. He does so through his trademark technique of close readings of key works in Nietzscheâs journey to philosophy: The Birth of Tragedy, Schopenhauer as Educator, Richard Wagner in Bayreuth, Human All Too Human, and âSanctus Januarius,â the final book of the 1882 Gay Science. Relying partly on how Nietzsche himself characterized his books in his many autobiographical guides to the trajectory of his thought, Lampert sets each in the context of Nietzscheâs writings as a whole, and looks at how they individually treat the question of what a philosopher is. Indispensable to his conclusions are the workbooks in which Nietzsche first recorded his advances, especially the 1881 workbook which shows him gradually gaining insights into the two foundations of his mature thinking. The result is the most complete picture weâve had yet of the philosopherâs development, one that gives us a Promethean Nietzsche, gaining knowledge even as he was expanding his thought to create new worlds.

Industry Reviews

"What a Philosopher Is demonstrates how truth, life, and the relation between them inform and govern Nietzsche's thought. What Lampert undertakes is nothing less than to describe, drawing on Nietzsche's writings and correspondence, what the Germans call the Werdegang -- translated loosely, the 'becoming' -- of Nietzsche as the philosopher he is known for being today."--Paul Bishop, University of Glasgow

"In his preface to the Genealogy of Morality, Nietzsche asks that his readers develop a new art of reading--what he will call "rumination"--so that he may be understood. Lampert is undoubtedly one of the best readers Nietzsche has ever had, and in identifying the eternal return as the way out of nihilism he has transcended the type of close textual reading Strauss offers. With What a Philosopher Is, Lampert has started to practice this new art of rumination."

--Hugo Drochon "The Review of Politics"
"In What a Philosopher Is: Becoming Nietzsche Laurence Lampert examines Nietzsche's early writings through what he calls the first mature work--the fourth book of The Gay Science, known as "Sanctus Januarius"--in order to reveal the coherence of Nietzsche's seemingly disparate projects. But reading the workbooks themselves does allow Lampert a convincing account of the continuity that is otherwise hidden. He shows, to take the most prominent example, that Nietzsche's idea of the eternal recurrence of the same didn't come from nowhere. It can be thrilling to see Nietzsche's ideas contextualized this way."-- "Rain Taxi"

Shipping

	Standard Shipping	Express Shipping
Metro postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Regional postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Rural postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95

Orders over $89.00 qualify for free shipping.

How to return your order

At Booktopia, we offer hassle-free returns in accordance with our returns policy. If you wish to return an item, please get in touch with Booktopia Customer Care.

Additional postage charges may be applicable.