The Problem of Affective Nihilism in Nietzsche: Thinking Differently, Feeling Differently

by Kaitlyn Creasy

Overview

Nietzsche is perhaps best known for his diagnosis of the problem of nihilism. Though his elaborations on this diagnosis often include descriptions of certain beliefs characteristic of the nihilist (such as beliefs in the meaninglessness or worthlessness of existence), he just as frequently specifies a variety of affective symptoms experienced by the nihilist that weaken their will and diminish their agency. This affective dimension to nihilism, however, remains drastically underexplored. In this book, Kaitlyn Creasy offers a comprehensive account of affective nihilism that draws on Nietzsche’s drive psychology, especially his reflections on affects and their transformative potential. After exploring Nietzsche’s account of affectivity (illuminating especially the transpersonal nature of affect in Nietzsche’s thought) and the phenomenon of affective nihilism, Creasy argues that affective nihilism might be overcome by employing a variety of Nietzschean strategies: experimentation, self-narration, and self-genealogy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783030371326
Publisher:	Springer International Publishing
Publication date:	06/10/2020
Edition description:	1st ed. 2020
Pages:	188
Product dimensions:	5.83(w) x 8.27(h) x 0.00(d)

About the Author

Kaitlyn Creasy is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at California State University, San Bernardino. Her work has been published in the Journal of Nietzsche Studies, Environmental Philosophy, and anthologies in Nietzsche studies and environmental philosophy.

Table of Contents

1 Introduction

2 Nietzsche’s Genealogy of Nihilism

a. Introduction

b. European nihilism: A genealogy

c. European nihilism and the structure of life-denial

d. Conclusion

3 Nihilism as Life-Denial

a. Introduction

b. Life-denial as a cognitive phenomenon: beliefs, judgments of life, and epistemic practices

i. Belief in a “beyond”

ii. Belief in a higher purpose

iii. Belief in objectivity or “knowledge as such”

iv. Life-denying morality: The harm of the “the Good”

v. Life-denying epistemic orientations and practices

c. Life-denial as socio-cultural: institutions and ideologies

d. Life-denial as psychophysiological: drives, affects, and the will

e. Conclusion

4 Before Affective Nihilism, Understanding Affect

a. Introduction

b. Affect in Nietzsche

i. Affects as inclinations and disinclinations (with a first-personal, phenomenal character) that produce beliefs, experience, and behavior

ii. Affects as drive-induced evaluative orientations

iii. Second-order affects and the transpersonal nature of affect

c. Conclusion

5 The Problem of Affective Nihilism

a. Introduction

b. Affective nihilism

i. On the problem of affective nihilism

ii. The psychophysiology of affective nihilism

iii. The transpersonal dynamics of affective nihilism

c. Conclusion

6 Affective Nihilists, Weak Agents

a. Introduction

b. Affective nihilists, weak agents: nihilism as a (variety of) psychological states

i. N1: Affective nihilism involving drive suppression

ii. N2: Affective nihilism involving the fragmentation of the will

c. Conclusion

7 Who is Nietzsche’s Affective Nihilist?: Thinking Cognitive Nihilism, Affective Nihilism, and their Interplay

a. Introduction

b. The scope of affective nihilism in Nietzsche

c. A crucial interplay: The relationship between affective and cognitive nihilism

d. Conclusion

8 Overcoming Affective Nihilism

a. Introduction

b. Affective nihilism, redux: Getting the problem in full view

c. Overcoming affective nihilism: What it isn’t

d. Overcoming affective nihilism: What it is

i. Psychophysiological and affective features

ii. Characteristic beliefs, judgments, and epistemic tendencies manifest by the individual with an attitude of radical affirmation

iii. An ability to maintain the conditions of one’s flourishing

e. Nietzschean Strategies for Overcoming Affective Nihilism

i. Experimentation and the production of affect

ii. Self-knowledge as self-narration

iii. Self-genealogy: Learning to master the affects and creating the conditions of one’s flourishing

f. Conclusion

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Recent scholarship has recognized the centrality of overcoming nihilism for Nietzsche’s overall philosophical ambitions. In this crisp new book, Kaitlyn Creasy makes a compelling case for the importance of nihilism’s affective side within that project. She clarifies the psychology of affect and explains the complex interactions between the affective bases of nihilism and its cognitive, ideological, and cultural manifestations. Every serious Nietzsche scholar will want to engage with The Problem of Affective Nihilism.”
—R. Lanier Anderson, Professor of Philosophy, Stanford University, USA

“Creasy offers a comprehensive, insightful, and nuanced discussion of Nietzschean nihilism and its connection to moral psychology. She explains how nihilism manifests as an affective condition in which a stable, mutually reinforcing cluster of depressive affects lead a person to a life-denying stance. This book is essential reading for anyone with an interest in Nietzsche on nihilism and moral psychology.”
—Paul Katsafanas, Professor of Philosophy, Boston University, USA

“This book gives a very engaging account of the current state of debate on Nietzsche's idea of nihilism, and argues persuasively that it is crucially 'affective': nihilism is a problem in our feeling more than in our thinking. Creasy explores insightfully Nietzsche's diagnosis of the symptoms of this disorder, as well as his strategies for treating it. The book will be valuable to any student or scholar grappling with this topic.”
—John Richardson, Professor of Philosophy, New York University, USA