Nietzsche, Biology and Metaphor

Abstract

Nietzsche, Biology and Metaphor explores the German philosopher's response to the intellectual debates sparked by the publication of Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species. By examining the abundance of biological metaphors in Nietzsche's writings, Gregory Moore questions his recent reputation as an eminently subversive and (post-) modern thinker, and shows how deeply Nietzsche was immersed in late nineteenth-century debates on evolution, degeneration and race. The first part of the book provides a detailed study and interpretation of Nietzsche's much disputed relationship to Darwinism. Uniquely, Moore also considers the importance of Nietzsche's evolutionary perspective for the development of his moral and aesthetic philosophy. The second part analyzes key themes of Nietzsche's cultural criticism - his attack on the Judaeo-Christian tradition, his diagnosis of the nihilistic crisis afflicting modernity and his anti-Wagnerian polemics - against the background of fin-de-siècle fears about the imminent biological collapse of Western civilization.

Unfinished Stories on Viral Quasispecies and Darwinian Views of Evolution

“…In Nietzschean terms: "(The) organism may be destroyed by its own pregnant potency". 129 We may speculate that this could be the basis of lethal mutagenesis in terms of lethal defection as described above. Theoretical and experimental studies suggest that mutation rates for RNA viruses are close to the error threshold and can be forced into error catastrophe by a moderate increase in mutation rate.…”

Fabricated Truths and the Pathos of Proximity: What Would be a Nietzschean Philosophy of Contemporary Technoscience?

“…Still, most scholars agree that Nietzsche, notwithstanding his lack of scientific training, and especially his inaptitude for (and dislike of) mathematics (Brobjer 2004, p. 21, p. 24;Heit 2014, p. 33;Schiemann 2014, p. 47), invested much time and effort in familiarising himself with important scientific debates (Moore 2004, p. 12;Heit and Heller 2014a, b, p. 2;Dahlkvist 2014, p. 138), such as evolutionary biology (Moore 2002) and organismal biology (Müller-Lauter 1971. And although Nietzsche's reading focussed on specific scientific issues (on specific discursive "samples" as it were), many Nietzsche experts endorse Alwin Mittasch's claim that, despite his limited scientific training and selective reading, Nietzsche demonstrated a rare talent for discerning the basic tendencies at work in the sciences of his time (Mittasch 1952, p. 50;cf.…”

“…Babich 1999a, b;Moore and Brobjer 2004;Heit et al 2011;Heit and Heller 2014a, b), monographs (e.g. Babich 1994;Moore 2002;Johnson 2010) and journal articles have now been devoted to this topic. This prolific scholarly discourse not only analyses Nietzsche's critical assessments of nineteenth-century scientific theories (e.g.…”

On the institution of the moral subject: on the commander and the commanded in Nietzsche's discussion of law

“…For his relation to Darwin: Richardson (2004); Stegmaier (1987) is also of interest. For his place within the general intellectual environment of his time: Moore (2002). For a general account of the history of Darwinism and Evolutionary Theory, Mayr (1991) is excellent.…”

“…Lange, 2000Lange, (1865 For detailed discussion, seeMoore, 2002, chapter 2. 5 Lange, 2000(1865, p. 303.…”