Nietzsche, Care of Self and the Risk of Dionysian Transfiguration
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Nietzsche, Care of Self and the Risk of Dionysian Transfiguration Author Ercole, Venessa Published 2019-01 Thesis Type Thesis (PhD Doctorate) School School of Govt & Int Relations DOI https://doi.org/10.25904/1912/1276 Copyright Statement The author owns the copyright in this thesis, unless stated otherwise. Downloaded from http://hdl.handle.net/10072/384933 Griffith Research Online https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au Nietzsche, Care of Self and the chapRisk of Dionysian Transfiguration Venessa Ercole BSc (Psych), BA (Class I Hons.) School of Government and International Relations Griffith Business School Griffith University Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy January 2019 Copyright 2019 Venessa Ercole Abstract Recent interpretations of Nietzsche have focused on his revival of a kind of Ancient “care of self,” a move which is most often attributed to his middle period. The Nietzsche depicted in these readings is a moderate, Stoic-Epicurean seemingly at odds with the “disciple of Dionysus” he claims to be by his mature period. However, following Foucault’s close reading of Hellenic and Roman “care of self,” we can see that, especially in Cynicism, the “care of self” was closely connected to a parrhēsía (“courage of truth”) that involved risking, maybe even sacrificing, the self. By examining this neglected component of Ancient ethics, we find a form of the “care of self” that is compatible with Nietzsche’s Dionysianism. Indeed, in Nietzsche’s philosophy taken as a whole, we find that, for those who would stand “in a Dionysian relationship to existence,” risk is absolutely necessary to the process of self-transfiguration. Statement of Originality This work has not previously been submitted for a degree or diploma in any university. To the best of my knowledge and belief, the thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the thesis itself. (Signed) Venessa Ercole Name of Student Acknowledgments Many people contributed to the realisation of this work. First and foremost, I would like to thank my family to whom this work is dedicated. Without their love, patience, encouragement and support, none of this would have been made possible. I am especially grateful to my mother, Sandy, who encouraged and supported my love of philosophy, never stopped believing in me, and whose love, care and understanding provided me with the strength to get through many difficult days. I would like to thank my teachers who first introduced me to philosophy. I would especially like to thank Dr John Mandalios with whom this journey began. John’s lectures on philosophy and Nietzsche ignited my passion for philosophy and have shaped my own thinking on Nietzsche. I am also grateful to Dr Daniel Hourigan who encouraged my first ventures into philosophy. I would like to thank my supervisory committee, staff and faculty members of Griffith University, and the School of Government and International Relations for the support and help I received. I am especially indebted to my principal supervisor, Dr Gideon Baker, who patiently guided this long project. I would like to thank him for his wisdom, unflinching belief in me, and enthusiasm for the project from the beginning. His confidence in me allowed me to grow as a person and a philosopher, and his advice greatly improved the quality of my work. I would also like to thank Professor Haig Patapan, for generously giving his time and effort, especially in the final stages of this project. His thoughtful comments and constructive advice helped me to significantly refine my work. A number of people helped in ways which they might not realise. I am particularly grateful to Dr Jamie Parr, not only for his kindness, warm support and willingness to share his vast knowledge with me, but for his friendship which has been an invaluable source of strength. I wish to express my thanks also to Dr Mark Weblin, from whom I also received invaluable advice and support. I benefitted greatly from my long conversations with Mark on my work and on life. A heartfelt thanks goes to my friend, Dr Bekki Green, for her constant support over the years. Thanks also to Dr Mary Rodgers who opened up other opportunities for me during my candidature. I would like to thank Chris Boerdam and Joel Glazebrook for their encouragement, lively conversations, and friendship. Thanks to Michael Alsford and Danny O’Donnell for keeping my spirits high in the final months. I am also grateful to the Australasian Society for Continental Philosophy conferences where I benefited from the many fruitful conversations and discussions. Lastly, I profoundly thank my partner, Donovan, for his love, support, and understanding without which I may have never seen the end of this long project. I would also like to thank him for his patience with me, especially during the final stages. Portions of Chapter Four of this dissertation were originally published as, “Sacrifice, Self-Formation and Self-Overcoming in Nietzsche,” Parrhesia, 2017: 28, pp.156-175. Table of Contents Acknowledgments................................................................................................................v Abbreviations and Translations ...........................................................................................9 Introduction ........................................................................................................................11 Chapter I. Nietzsche and Care of Self ................................................................................20 Ancient Askesis and Nietzsche...............................................................................20 Abbey’s Middle Period ..........................................................................................22 Ure’s Stoic Self-Cultivation ...................................................................................28 Ansell-Pearson’s Epicurean Nietzsche ..................................................................33 Chapter II. Parrhēsía and “care of self” ............................................................................42 Political Parrhēsía ..................................................................................................47 Philosophical Parrhēsía .........................................................................................54 Socratic Parrhēsía...................................................................................................60 Cynic Parrhēsía .....................................................................................................76 Chapter III. The Dionysian ...............................................................................................99 Dionysus in Myth ...................................................................................................99 Dionysus in the Birth of Tragedy.........................................................................102 Dionysus in Nietzsche’s Middle Period (1878-1882) ..........................................115 Dionysus in Nietzsche’s Late Period (1883-1888) ..............................................127 Chapter IV. Dionysian “Care”: Self-Overcoming versus Self-Preservation ..................154 Dionysian Care of Self and the Musical Secret ...................................................155 Sacrifice and Self-Overcoming in Nietzsche .......................................................171 Danger, Risk and Fate in Nietzsche’s Dionysian.................................................200 Cynic Practices of Dionysian Affirmation ...........................................................209 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................221 Bibliography ....................................................................................................................233 Abbreviations and Translations Friedrich Nietzsche’s writings and notes are quoted according to the following editions and abbreviations: A The Anti-Christ (1888), trans. Walter Kaufmann, in The Portable Nietzsche, ed. Walter Kaufmann (New York: Viking, 1954). BGE Beyond Good and Evil (1886), trans. Walter Kaufmann (New York: Vintage, 1966). BT The Birth of Tragedy (1872), trans. Walter Kaufmann (New York: Vintage, 1967). D Dawn: Thoughts on the Presumptions of Morality (1881), trans. Brittain Smith (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2011). DD Dithyrambs of Dionysus, trans. R. J. Hollingdale. (London: Anvil Press Poetry, 1984) DW The Dionysian Worldview (1870), trans. Claudia Crawford, in ‘The Dionysian Worldview,’ Journal of Nietzsche Studies, 1997, 13, 81-97. EH Ecce Homo (1888), trans. Walter Kaufmann (New York: Vintage, 1967). GM On the Genealogy of Morals (1887), trans. Walter Kaufmann and R. J. Hollingdale (New York: Vintage, 1967). GS The Gay Science (1882; Part 5: 1887), trans. Walter Kaufmann (New York: Random House, 1974). HH Human, all too Human (1878), volume one, trans. Gary Handwerk (Standford: Stanford University Press, 1995). HL On the Uses and Disadvantages of History for Life (1874), trans. R.J Hollingdale in Untimely Meditations, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1983, pp. 57- 124). KGB Nietzsche Briefwechsel: Kritische Gesamtausabe. Eds. G. Colli and M. Montinari (Berlin and New York: Walter De Gruyter, 1981). KSA Friedrich Nietzsche: Samtliche Werke. Kritische Studienausgabe, Eds. G. Colli and M. Montinari (Berlin and New York/Munich: dvt