The Routledge Philosophy Guidebook to Nietzsche On Morality (Routledge Philosophy GuideBooks) [Paperback]

Brian Leiter (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415152852 | ISBN-13: 978-0415152853 | Publication Date: August 31, 2002

Nietzsche is one of the most important and controversial thinkers in the history of philosophy. His writings on moral philosophy are amongst the most widely read works both by philosophers and non-philosophers. Many of the ideas raised are both startling and disturbing and have been the source of great contention.

On the Geneaology of Morality is Nietzsche's most sustained and important contribution to moral philosophy, featuring many of the ideas fir which he is best known: the slave revolt in morals, will to power, geneaology, perspectivism. The Routledge Philosophy GuideBook to Nietzsche on Morality introduces the reader to these and other important Nietzschean themes patiently and clearly. It is the first book to examine the work in such a way and will be a vital point of reference for any Nietzsche scholar.

The Routledge Philosophy GuideBook to Nietzsche on Morality will be vital for all studentnts coming to Nietzsche for the first time.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...offers one of the most comprehensive and compelling interpretations of Nietzsche's critique of morality to date. With its distinctive emphasis on naturalistic themes, it forms a very significant contribution to the study of Nietzsche, and is poised to become a work of reference in the field.
–Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews

...the most important full length study to date of Nietzsche's primary text on the subject...[T]he book sets the standard by which future treatments of this subject matter will be measured and I would expect it to be a primary point of reference for discussions of Nietzsche and ethics for quite some time.
–Peter Poellner, University of Warwick

Leiter's book is both a major contribution to Nietzsche studies and a very helpful guide for students to Nietzsche's Genealogy of Morality.
–Maudemarie Clark, Colgate University

The book is clear, crisply written, and engaging. It operates on a level wholly appropriate to its main intended readership, given that [Nietzsche's On the Genealogy of Morality] itself is not the stuff of introductory undergraduate courses.
...the book does something novel and important, in seeking to expound Nietzsche's thinking specifically on morality to an undergraduate audience; while offering a highly stimulating reading of that thinking itself.
–Robert Hopkins, University of Sheffield

Leiter maintains a steady focus on important philosophical issues and ignores the trivia and nonphilosophical history of ideas to which so much of the secondary literature on Nietzsche is devoted. This is one of the clearest and best accounts of Nietzsche's moral philosophy and is a rare example of a book of considerable scholarly and philosophical merit that is accessible to a wide audience. Leiter's commentary on the Genealogy is very well done and can be recommended to both students and scholars. Leiter brings much needed rigor and clarity to Nietzsche studies. This is a very good book, and I highly recommend it to a wide audience.
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–Tom Carson, Moral Philosopher at Loyola/Chicago

About the Author

Brian Leiter is Professor of Law and Philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author of Objectivity in Law and Morals (2000).

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Routledge (August 31, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415152852
• ISBN-13: 978-0415152853
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #266,255 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A review based on actually reading the book, October 31, 2002

By 

London student (London) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Routledge Philosophy Guidebook to Nietzsche On Morality (Routledge Philosophy GuideBooks) (Paperback)

...The book I read, which is unusually lucid
in its discussion of Nietzsche (and doesn't do anything to make
Nietzsche a syetematic moral philosopher like Kant!), in fact
contains detailed critical engagements with Nehamas, Nussbaum,
Clark, Ridley, and many other commentators. The line in the
preface which has our Californian so agitated is a reference to
the fact that there are almost no books on Nietzsche's moral
philosophy, which is true. I can think of only one, by Peter
Berkowitz, and it is fairly dreadful. In any case, I think
Maudemarie Clark, quoted on the dustjacket gets it about right:
"Leiter's book is both a major contribution to Nietzsche studies
and a very helpful guide for students." Cheers and happy reading!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Clear Book on Nietzsche's View of Morality, February 28, 2007

By 

John Benintendi "J.K. Benintendi" (Ohio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Routledge Philosophy Guidebook to Nietzsche On Morality (Routledge Philosophy GuideBooks) (Paperback)

I must first confess that I am not a student of philosophy. I have become interested in the subject at the age of 38. I have now read books on Plato, Aristotle, Kant, Hobbes, Hume and Schopenhauer. I have to admit that I don't think that I understand half of what I read. This is the reason why I don't read the actual work of the philosopher at this time. I need to understand a little more about the philosophy of the author before I can understand the actual works.

With that being said, I did read the Geneology of Morals by Nietzsche before I read the Guidebook. I was not sure I understand half of what Nietzsche had to say in the acutal work. Because I had read the actual work, I believe I got more out of the Guidebook. I would suggest reading the work first or at least each essay before that portion of the book.

The Guidebook is a very good book for a full and better understanding of Nietzsche's thoughts on morality. I was happy to learn that I understood more of the actual work than I thought I had. However, the Guidebook was a wonderful book to follow the reading of the actual work. Mr. Leiter has a wonderful way of explaining Nietzsche's writing. He is clear and concise and places the writing in its proper historical context.

If you are interested in Nietzsche's view of morality and don't quite understand it, then this book will assit you in that understanding. If you don't read the actual work, this book will still be clear enough so that you can understand Nietzsche's thoughts on morality.

I realize that some may not agree with Lieter's interpreation of Nietzsche's Geneology of Morality. However, in philosophy, I am not sure there is one correct way to interpret such writings. Therefore, in the end, this is one very good book on Nietzsche's morality.

5.0 out of 5 stars A treasure, December 21, 2010

By 

freespirit (London) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Routledge Philosophy Guidebook to Nietzsche On Morality (Routledge Philosophy GuideBooks) (Paperback)

This work is a treasure for a Nietzsche scholar. Rigorous and lucid, it is the best available guidebook to Nietzsche's most important work - the Genealogy.