Nietzsche's sovereign individual and the ethics of subjectivity

Sharli Paphitis

pp. 71-102

in: Elvis Imafidon (ed), The ethics of subjectivity, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2015

Abstract

Nietzsche is perhaps one of the most controversial figures in Western philosophical history. This is in no small part owed to his attacks on Christianity and conventional morality, as well as his skepticism about human freedom. Nietzsche's skeptical views of human freedom and the self might initially make him seem an unlikely candidate for providing us with a robust account of subjectivity, and his attacks on morality might similarly make him a seemingly unlikely proponent of an account of human flourishing. However, in this chapter I explore Nietzsche's understanding of the ethics of subjectivity, showing that Nietzsche provides us with an attractive positive account of human agency, personhood, and flourishing.

Cited authors

Nietzsche Friedrich