Subject Area: Philosophy

As the author of provocative and puzzling statements such as "God is dead", "truth is a metaphor", "life is nothing but will to power", "the soul is just a word about the body", and the "social contract was written in blood", Nietzsche was arguably one of the most controversial thinkers of the modern era. This course will examine some of the more enduring ideas and controversial themes in Nietzsche's philosophy, including his ideas about language, truth, morality, justice, power, subjectivity and the body, history, and time. His philosophical method of 'genealogy' and its influence will also be examined. The impact of his philosophy on 20th Century thought will be explored by examining interpretations of his work by philosophers such as Deleuze, Derrida, Foucault, Heidegger, Irigaray, and Kofman.