Chapter 1 - Metaphilosophy and “Natural History”

Summary

One way of dealing with the question “what is philosophy?” is to ask what a philosopher is – or should be. For Nietzsche, this is a fundamental issue. He often frames the question in genetic terms: How does one become a philosopher? Giving an answer to this question is the task of the “natural history” (Naturgeschichte) of the free spirit. It is not an impersonal question: Nietzsche himself functions as the model for the “free spirit” (or “superior man”) whose “natural history” he intends to write (§ 1). Focusing on the writing process that led to Beyond Good and Evil, the present chapter reconstructs this project and its metaphilosophical implications (§ 2), asking whether this “natural history” can be qualified as naturalistic (§ 3). In the writings of 1888, questions about Nietzsche himself and his personal role in history come to take the place of general issues concerning the philosopher and his task. The conclusion of the chapter will briefly address this shift.