Philosophy 226
Schopenhauer and Nietzsche

Curtis Bowman
Hall 211
Office Hours: Th 4-5 and by appointment
cubowman@nous.phil.upenn.edu
http://www.phil.upenn.edu/~cubowman

Course Description

In this class we will study the philosophies of Arthur Schopenhauer and Friedrich Nietzsche. Schopenhauer's metaphysics of the will, aesthetics, and ethics will be our initial primary concern. We will then see how these issues play themselves out in Nietzsche's writings. The latter's critique of morality, especially Christian morality, will occupy much of our attention in the latter half of the course.

Required Texts

Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil (Vintage)

Friedrich Nietzsche, The Birth of Tragedy and Other Writings (Cambridge)

Friedrich Nietzsche, The Gay Science (Vintage)

Friedrich Nietzsche, On the Genealogy of Morals (Vintage)

Friedrich Nietzsche, Twilight of the Idols and The Anti-Christ (Penguin)

Arthur Schopenhauer, The World as Will and Representation, 2 vols. (Dover)

Schopenhauer's The World as Will and Representation

Volume 1

• First Book (§§1-6, 16)
• Second Book (§§17-29)
• Third Book (§§30-52)
• Fourth Book (§§53-54, 56-59, 66-71)

Volume 2

• Supplements to the First Book (Chapters I, XVII)
• Supplements to the Second Book (Chapters XVIII-XIX, XXVIII)
• Supplements to the Third Book (Chapters XXXI, XXXIV, XXXVII, XXXIX)
• Supplements to the Fourth Book (Chapters XLV-XLVI, XLIX-L)

Friedrich Nietzsche

The Birth of Tragedy (in its entirety)

The Gay Science

• The Death of God (§§108, 124-125, 343-347)
• Nobility and Baseness (§§1-4, 13, 18, 27, 40, 55, 116-117)
• Freedom and Individuality (§§98, 143, 283-284, 289-290)
• Schopenhauer (§§48, 99, 127, 151)
• Knowledge and Interpretation (§§110, 121, 319, 354, 357)
• Eternal Recurrence (§§340-341)

Beyond Good and Evil

• Freedom of the Will (§§18-19, 21, 188)
• Independence and Dogmatism (§§29, 41-44, 221)
• Nobility (§§257-264, 272)
• Herd Morality (§§195-203, 212-213)
• Schopenhauer (§§47, 186)
• Eternal Recurrence (§56)
• Will to Power (§§13, 36)

On the Genealogy of Morals (in its entirety)

Twilight of the Idols (pp. 39-57, 66-70, 90-91, 92-93, 103-104, 116-121)

Course Requirements

Students will write two papers (10-15 pages each). There will also be a comprehensive exam at the end of the semester. Each assignment will count for one-third of the course grade.

Policies concerning papers

(1) Any student requiring an extension should arrange for one at least three days in advance of handing in the paper. A paper without an extension will be considered late and penalized accordingly. A letter grade will be deducted from the paper grade for every full week or fraction thereof that the paper is late.

(2) Papers must be printed when they are handed in. E-mail attachments will not be accepted.

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This page last modified on February 11, 2002.