Nietzsche and the Horror of Existence

by Philip J. Kain Santa Clara University

Overview

Nietzsche believed in the horror of existence: a world filled with meaningless suffering_suffering for no reason at all. He also believed in eternal recurrence, the view that that our lives will repeat infinitely, and that in each life every detail will be exactly the same. Furthermore, it was not enough for Nietzsche that eternal recurrence simply be accepted_he demanded that it be loved. Thus the philosopher who introduces eternal recurrence is the very same philosopher who also believes in the horror of existence. In this groundbreaking study, Philip Kain develops an insightful account of Nietzsche's strange and paradoxical view that a life of pain and suffering is perhaps the only life it really makes sense to want to live again.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780739126943
Publisher:	Lexington Books
Publication date:	05/16/2009
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Philip J. Kain is professor of philosophy and chair of the department of philosophy at Santa Clara University.

Editorial Reviews

In Nietzsche and the Horror of Existence, Philip Kain deftly navigates the landscape of contemporary Nietzsche scholarship. His detailed analysis brings into alignment many of Nietzsche's seemingly self-contradictory claims. Kain reveals the profoundly subversive character of Nietzsche's thought and provides a new understanding of both the redemptive power of the affirmation of eternal recurrence and the complex relationship between master and slave morality.

Peter Heckman

Philip Kain's Nietzsche and the Horror of Existence is elegantly, precisely, and forcefully written with a comprehensive knowledge of Nietzsche's entire body of work. By pulling together Nietzsche's disparate thoughts on a few selected topics and systematically reconstructing them, Kain makes an important contribution to our understanding and appreciation of this nineteenth-century philosopher. The book is so well written that it can be profitably read by undergraduate and graduate students, as well as established scholars in philosophy, sociology, political theory, cultural studies, and literary criticism.

George McCarthy

In Nietzsche and the Horror of Existence, Philip Kain deftly navigates the landscape of contemporary Nietzsche scholarship. His detailed analysis brings into alignment many of Nietzsche's seemingly self-contradictory claims. Kain reveals the profoundly subversive character of Nietzsche's thought and provides a new understanding of both the redemptive power of the affirmation of eternal recurrence and the complex relationship between master and slave morality.--Peter Heckman, Nebraska Wesleyan University

Philip Kain's Nietzsche and the Horror of Existence is elegantly, precisely, and forcefully written with a comprehensive knowledge of Nietzsche's entire body of work. By pulling together Nietzsche's disparate thoughts on a few selected topics and systematically reconstructing them, Kain makes an important contribution to our understanding and appreciation of this nineteenth-century philosopher. The book is so well written that it can be profitably read by undergraduate and graduate students, as well as established scholars in philosophy, sociology, political theory, cultural studies, and literary criticism.--George McCarthy, Kenyon College

From the Publisher