Date: Sat, 31 Jan 1998 16:10:08 -0500 (EST)
From: Kelly Timothy Lynch <ktlynch-AT-vex.net>
Subject: Inkonsequenz Spinozas (6 of 11)


(6 0f 11)

                              III

I am, I must confess, inviting a comparison between
Spinoza's "conatus in suo esse perseverare" and
Nietzsche's "Wille zur Macht".  At one point I even went
so far as to echo section 22 of _Beyond_Good_and_Evil_,
where Nietzsche speaks of necessity in things arising
solely from every power drawing its consequences,
even though, or rather precisely because, there are no
laws in nature.  But what am I saying?  The invitation
is Nietzsche's:  Spinoza is the only philosopher whom
Nietzsche mentions in any of the few sections of _Beyond_
Good_and_Evil_ dealing explicitly with his central 
conception of Wille zur Macht--perhaps not without reason [1].

In section 22 Nietzsche begins, as an "old philoogist",
by speaking critically of the "Laws of Nature" of physicists--
it is only interpretation, not text--setting the stage for a
presentation of his own hypothesis, to which I alluded
above.  But before I continue, allow me to make a few
comments on the plan of the first chapter of
_Beyond_Good_and_Evil_.

Nietzsche presupposes the superiority of philosophy.  He
begins his book accordingly.

The chapter opens by speaking of the will to truth--
presumably the will to truth of the philosophers, for whom
this is so important, and who are, if the title is to be
trusted, the chapter's theme.  Indeed section 2 speaks
of metaphysicians, section 3 of philosophers, and
sections 5 to 9 either of philosophers or of philosophy,
with a reference in section 4 to "a philosophy".  This
is the first main group of sections, culminating in 
section 9, where Nietzsche's conviction steps onto
the stage (cf. section 8), identifying philosophy with
the most spiritual will to power.  In this group four
philosophers are mentioned, in two pairs, Kant and
Spinoza (section 5), and Epicurus and Plato (section 7).
Section 9 speaks of the "noble Stoics".

After speaking of philosophy through the ages, in a
sense timelessly, section 10 immediately directs our
attention to what is near at hand and timely, that is,
to modern thought.  Section 11 continues in this vein,
dealing with recent German philosophy, which is
traced back to Kant.  Section 12, which mentions
the scientists Copernicus and Boscovich, begins the
group on modern natural science already spoken of
(sections 12 to 15).  This group completes the second major
group of sections.  The unifying theme of this group is a
critique of intellectual modernity, that is, modern philosophy
and science.


[Note added Jan. 1998 for this posting:  The two footnotes 
are given exactly as they were in the original piece.  As
originally formatted, they were placed at the end.  KTL]

[1] Strictly speaking, this is inaccurate.  In section 186 of
Chapter 5 Nietzsche mentions Wille zur Macht in passing
and speaks of Schopenhauer.  (The reader might find a
list of the sections in _Beyond_Good_and_Evil_ which speak
explicitly of "will to power" useful.  Aside from those 
mentioned in this paper, they are sections 51, 186, 211,
227, and 259).


     Kelly Timothy Lynch     ||    "Dei potentia est
       ktlynch-AT-vex.net       ||  ipsa ipsius essentia."
   Toronto, Ontario, Canada  ||         Spinoza



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