Parody and Truth in Nietzsche’s Genealogy
Dr Andrew Inkpin (The University of Melbourne)

October 2, 2012, 4:30pm - 6:00pm
Deakin University

C2.05
221 Burwood Highway
Melbourne 3125
Australia

Sponsor(s):

  • The Alfred Deakin Research Institute, the Centre for Citizenship and Globalization and the School of Humanities and Social Sciences

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In view of its apparently scholarly form the Genealogy of Morality is often viewed as a succinct, relatively systematic, and hence canonical exposition of Nietzsche’s mature views on morality. However, the status of this work’s claims appears to be challenged by Nietzsche’s views on the nature and value of truth, particularly through the self-cancellation of the ascetic ideal with which the work dramatically closes. In this paper I reconstruct a framework for interpreting the Genealogy’s project and argue that Nietzsche’s overarching intention was to parody a scholarly work. I then explore whether the intention to parody undermines the work’s apparent historical, psychological and metaethical claims, and whether it results in incoherence (intentional or otherwise). I attempt to show how successful negotiation of these difficulties allows the Genealogy to be seen as exemplifying Nietzsche’s idea of ‘Gay Science’ and – in supposed contrast to Wagner – blending cheerfulness and profundity.

Andrew Inkpin is Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Melbourne. He has first degrees in theoretical physics from the University of York, and in philosophy, art history and psychology from the Friedrich Schiller University, Jena. His graduate studies in philosophy were at University College London, where he completed an MPhil and PhD. His main research interests are in modern European philosophy, especially phenomenology (in particular Heidegger and Merleau-Ponty), Wittgenstein and Nietzsche.

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