The Republic of Genius: A Reconstruction of Nietzsche's Early Thought. - hardcover

While his influence remains controversial, there is little disputeregarding the enormous influence and continuing relevance of Frederich Nietzsche. To the popular mind, Nietzsche is best-known as the iconoclastic philosopher of 'nihilism' who proclaimed "God is dead",and erected the "Superman" as the meaning and goal of life. Nietzsche is also commonly identified as the thinker who went "beyond good and evil" in the name of a "transvaluation of all values", culminating inan affirmation of the "will to power" and "eternal recurrence". Such associations are predictable insofar as the vast majority of what has been written about Nietzsche revolves around these doctrines, which are generally taken to constitute the essence of his thought. Yet two-thirds of Nietzsche's finished works contain no direct referencesto these doctrines. Rejecting the prevalent view that Nietzsche's early writings are significant only in relation to his 'mature' philosophy,Quentin Taylor has written the first full-length study of Nietzsche'searly philosophy. Drawing on a diffuse body of writings, Dr Taylor adeptly reconstructs the principal tenets of Nietzsche's early thought with an emphasis on its positive and constructive dimensions. As such,this study fills a sizeable gap in the literature on Nietzsche andrepresents a seminal contribution to a more balanced and accurate understanding of his philosophy.