Beyond Good and Evil: The Philosophy Classic

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John Wiley & Sons, Dec 16, 2019 - Philosophy - 272 pages

A deluxe, high-quality edition of Friedrich Nietzsche’s seminal work

Beyond Good and Evil is one of the final books by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. This landmark work continues to be one of the most well-known and influential explorations of moral and ethical philosophy ever conceived. Expanding on the concepts from his previous work Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Nietzsche adopts a polemic approach to past philosophers who, in his view, lacked critical sense in accepting flawed premises in their consideration of morality. The metaphysics of morality, Nietzsche argues, should not assume that a good man is simply the opposite of an evil man, rather merely different expression of humanity’s common basic impulses.

Controversial in its time, as well as hotly debated in the present, Nietzsche’s work moves beyond conventional ethics to suggest that a universal morality for all human beings in non-existent – perception, reason and experience are not static, but change according to an individual’s perspective and interpretation. The work further argues that philosophic traditions such as “truth,” “self-consciousness” and “free will” are merely inventions of Western morality and that the “will to power” is the real driving force of all human behaviour. This volume:

  • Critiques the belief that actions, including domination or injury to the weak, can be universally objectionable
  • Explores themes of religion and “master and slave” morality
  • Includes a collection of stunning aphorisms and observations of the human condition

Part of the bestselling Capstone Classics Series edited by Tom Butler-Bowdon,this collectible, hard-back edition of Beyond Good and Evil provides an accessible and insightful Introduction by leading Nietzsche authority Dr Christopher Janaway.

This deluxe volume is perfect for anyone with interest in philosophy, psychology, science, history and literature.

 

Selected pages

Contents

Cover
About Christopher Janaway
The Free Spirit
The Religious Mood
Apophthegms And Interludes
VThe Natural History of Morals
We Scholars
Our Virtues
Peoples And Countries
What Is Noble?
Aftersong

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About the author (2019)

Friedrich Nietzsche was a 19th Century German philosopher famous for his critiques of European morality, Christian religion and ethics, and the Western philosophical tradition. Nietsche's prolific writings explore themes of truth, aesthetics, nihilism, domination, consciousness, and the meaning of humankind's existence.

Christopher Janaway is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Southampton, UK. His recent research has been on the philosophy of Schopenhauer and Nietzsche. His books include Schopenhauer: A Very Short Introduction and Beyond Selflessness: Reading Nietzsche's Genealogy.

Tom Butler-Bowdon is series editor for the Capstone Classics series. He has written Introductions for Capstone editions of Plato's The Republic, Machiavelli's The Prince, Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations, Sun Tzu's The Art of War, Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching, and Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich. Tom is the author of the 50 Classics series and is a graduate of the London School of Economics and the University of Sydney. www.Butler-Bowdon.com

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