Constructing the Agon
Constructing the Agon
From his early essay ‘Homer’s Contest’ to his final writings, Nietzsche’s fundamental model of both individual and collective modes of government is provided by the model of Greek institution of the agon, classically represented in the political contests conducted in the agora, in dramatic competitions such as the Dionysia, and in the Olympic games. Nietzsche’s agonism, it is argued, is bound up with his doctrine of will to power, his understanding of freedom (autonomy) and his perfectionism as well as his commitment to (psychological and sociological) realism in ethics and political theory, to his development of genealogy as an historical approach to philosophy, and to his deployment of exemplars to articulate alternative ethical ideals. Using this framework, this chapter explores Nietzsche’s relationship to contemporary political philosophy in terms of the themes of realism, agonism and genealogy.
299-313
Owen, David
9fc71bca-07d1-44af-9248-1b9545265a58
1 January 2018
Owen, David
9fc71bca-07d1-44af-9248-1b9545265a58
Owen, David
(2018)
Constructing the Agon.
In,
Katsafanas, Paul
(ed.)
The Nietzschean Mind.
1st ed.
Taylor & Francis, .
(doi:10.4324/9781315146317).
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Book Section
Abstract
From his early essay ‘Homer’s Contest’ to his final writings, Nietzsche’s fundamental model of both individual and collective modes of government is provided by the model of Greek institution of the agon, classically represented in the political contests conducted in the agora, in dramatic competitions such as the Dionysia, and in the Olympic games. Nietzsche’s agonism, it is argued, is bound up with his doctrine of will to power, his understanding of freedom (autonomy) and his perfectionism as well as his commitment to (psychological and sociological) realism in ethics and political theory, to his development of genealogy as an historical approach to philosophy, and to his deployment of exemplars to articulate alternative ethical ideals. Using this framework, this chapter explores Nietzsche’s relationship to contemporary political philosophy in terms of the themes of realism, agonism and genealogy.
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Constructing the Agon1
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Accepted/In Press date: 23 February 2016
Published date: 1 January 2018
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Local EPrints ID: 412484
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/412484
PURE UUID: 35a58353-1034-45e4-8c63-bf54ee9db886
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Date deposited: 17 Jul 2017 13:59
Last modified: 06 Jun 2024 01:35
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Editor:
Paul Katsafanas
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