Abstract
How can we think the de-humanized (entmenschte) human being when the human being is the de-animalized (entthierte) animal? – Friedrich Nietzsche 1
In aphorism 230 of Beyond Good and Evil (1886), Nietzsche coins the enigmatic term homo natura to capture his understanding of the human being as a creature of nature. In this aphorism, the question of human nature takes the form of a task, the “strange ( seltsame ) and insane ( tolle ) task” to “translate ( zurückübersetzen) the human being back into nature.” 2 Over the last two decades, the meaning of homo natura has taken center stage in discussion among Nietzsche scholars. Primarily the debates have revolved around the question of Nietzsche’s acclaimed naturalism and its relation to the life sciences in the nineteenth century. 3 In these debates, Nietzsche’s naturalism is associated with a neo-Kantian naturalist epistemology that provides an account of human nature modeled on the natural sciences.
In aphorism 230 of Beyond Good and Evil (1886), Nietzsche coins the enigmatic term homo natura to capture his understanding of the human being as a creature of nature. In this aphorism, the question of human nature takes the form of a task, the “strange ( seltsame ) and insane ( tolle ) task” to “translate ( zurückübersetzen) the human being back into nature.” 2 Over the last two decades, the meaning of homo natura has taken center stage in discussion among Nietzsche scholars. Primarily the debates have revolved around the question of Nietzsche’s acclaimed naturalism and its relation to the life sciences in the nineteenth century. 3 In these debates, Nietzsche’s naturalism is associated with a neo-Kantian naturalist epistemology that provides an account of human nature modeled on the natural sciences.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Animals, Animality, and Literature |
| Editors | Bruce Boehrer, Molly Hand, Brian Massumi |
| Place of Publication | Cambridge, UK |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| Chapter | 11 |
| Pages | 197-214 |
| Number of pages | 18 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781108595278 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781108429825 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2018 |
Publication series
| Name | Cambridge critical concepts |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press |
Keywords
- Friedrich Nietzsche
- Human Nature
- Philosophical Anthropology
- Animal Studies
- English literature -- History and criticism
- Animals in literature
- Animals in motion pictures
- Human-animal relationships in literature
- Human-animal relationships in motion pictures
- Animals (Philosophy)
- Human-animal relationships -- Philosophy