Nietzsche, Tension, and the Tragic Disposition

Nietzsche, Tension, and the Tragic Disposition exposes the role of tension in Nietzsche’s recovery, in his mature thought, of the Greek tragic disposition. Matthew Tones examines the ontological structure of the tragic disposition presented in Nietzsche's earliest work on the Greeks and then explores its presence in points of tension in the more mature concerns with nobility. In pursuing this ontological foundation, Tones builds upon the centrality of a naturalist argument derived from the influence of the pre-Platonic Greeks. He examines the ontological aspect of the tragic disposition, identified in Nietzsche’s earliest interpretations of Greek phusis and in the inherent tensions of the chthonic present in this hylemorphic foundation, to demonstrate the importance of tension to Nietzsche’s recovery of a new nobility. By bringing to light the functional importance of tension in the ontological for the Greeks, the book identifies varying points of tension present in different aspects of Nietzsche’s later work. Once these aspects are elaborated, the evolving influence of tension is shown to play a central role in the re-emergence of the noble who possesses the tragic disposition. With solid argumentation linking Nietzsche with the pre-Platonic Greek tradition, Nietzsche, Tension, and the Tragic Disposition brings new insights to studies of metaphysics, ontology, naturalism, and German, continental, and Greek philosophies.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: The Greek Origin of Tragic Disposition Chapter 2: Growth from Becoming: Phusis as Nurturer Chapter 3: Sacrilege: The Need for Promethean Nobility Chapter 4: Unknown Paths: The Tension of the Journey Chapter 5: New Antipodes: Pathos, Vertigo, Wanderings

About the Author :
Matthew Tones is adjunct research fellow at Griffith University.

Review :
This is an impressive study of the central role that the tragic plays in Nietzsche's philosophy, including how creativity and nobility figure in this core notion. Noteworthy is an account of how Nietzsche both relied upon, and then diverged from, the Greek sense of tragedy. A welcome contribution to the literature. Nietzsche himself emphasized how much he owed to the ancients, and now this challenging and fascinating study by Matthew Tones reveals how the "tragic disposition" of Nietzsche’s thought is intimately bound up with the question of the future of nobility. An invaluable volume for intellectual historians and classicists alike, and for anyone interested in understanding Nietzsche's tragic wisdom. Nietzsche, Tension and the Tragic Disposition traces the development of Nietzsche’s philosophical vision from his earliest contacts with pre-Socratic and pre-Platonic thinking to its final apogee in the therapeutic teachings of Beyond Good and Evil, and Zarathustra. It gives an excellent account of the unavoidable suffering implied in the human condition, and how the attainment of great heights of nobility of soul is always dependent on acts of sacrilege. Matthew Tones deftly reveals Nietzsche’s proclamation of the death of God as a new act of such sacrilege, enabling new heights of vision over deep abysses of terror.