Remhof - Nietzsches constructivism a metaphysics of material objects

Like Kant, the German Idealists, and many neo-Kantian philosophers before him, Nietzsche was persistently concerned with metaphysical questions about the nature of objects. His texts often address questions concerning the existence and non-existence of objects, the relation of objects to human minds, and how different views of objects impact commitments in many areas of philosophynot just metaphysics, but also language, epistemology, science, logic and mathematics, and even ethics. In this book, Remhof presents a systematic and comprehensive analysis of Nietzsches material object metaphysics. He argues that Nietzsche embraces the controversial constructivist view that all concrete objects are socially constructed. Reading Nietzsche as a constructivist, Remhof contends, provides fresh insight into Nietzsches views on truth, science, naturalism, and nihilism. The book also investigates how Nietzsches view of objects compares with views offered by influential American pragmatists and explores the implications of Nietzsches constructivism for debates in contemporary material object metaphysics. Nietzsches Constructivism is a highly original and timely contribution to the steadily growing literature on Nietzsches thought.

Justin Remhof is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Old Dominion University. He specializes in Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century European Philosophy and Metaphysics. His work has appeared in journals that include European Journal of Philosophy, History of Philosophy Quarterly, Journal of Nietzsche Studies, and Nietzsche-Studien.

For a full list of titles in this series, please visit www.routledge.com

5Peirces Account of Purposefulness

A Kantian Perspective

Gabriele Gava

6Mills A System of Logic

Critical Appraisals

Edited by Antis Loizides

7Hegel on Beauty

Julia Peters

8Pragmatism, Kant, and Transcendental Philosophy

Edited by Gabriele Gava and Robert Stern

9An Interpretation of Nietzsches On the Uses and Disadvantages of History for Life

Anthony K. Jensen

10Hegels Philosophical Psychology

Edited by Susanne Herrmann-Sinai and Lucia Ziglioli

11Nietzsche and the Philosophers

Edited by Mark T. Conard

12Schopenhaurs Fourfold Root

Edited by Jonathan Head and Dennis Vanden Auweele

13Nietzsches Psychology of Ressentiment

Revenge and Justice in On the Genealogy of Morals

Guy Elgat

14The Kantian Foundation of Schopenhauers Pessimism

Dennis Vanden Auweele

15Nietzsches Constructivism

A Metaphysics of Material Objects

Justin Remhof

First published 2018

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Remhof, Justin, author.
Title: Nietzsches constructivism : a metaphysics of material objects /
by Justin Remhof.
Description: 1 [edition]. | New York : Routledge, 2017. | Series:
Routledge studies in nineteenth-century philosophy ; 15 | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017017097 | ISBN 9781138221567 (hardback :
alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm, 18441900. |
Constructivism (Philosophy) | Material culture.
Classification: LCC B3317 .R41665 2017 | DDC 193dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017017097

ISBN: 978-1-138-22156-7 (hbk)

ISBN: 978-1-315-41005-0 (ebk)

Typeset in Sabon

by Apex CoVantage, LLC

This book exists because certain people have believed in me and continue to believe in me. I have done my best not to let them down. I thank Bernard Gendron for opening my eyes to the world of Nietzsche, and Susan Hahn for helping me find my voice with Nietzsche. I thank Robert Schwartz for showing me the vision and depth of the American pragmatists, for introducing me to constructivism, and for mentoring my early philosophical development. I thank Arthur Melnick for sharing with me his unparalleled philosophical wisdom. I thank Richard Schacht for generously accepting me as his final advisee, for his unwavering trust in my work from the classroom to the North American Nietzsche Society, and for his ongoing insight and guidance. I thank William Schroeder for his dedication to helping me understand the importance of self-cultivation in Nietzsches work, for his critical and creative eye, and for showing me new ways philosophy can ignite and inspire. I thank Daniel Z. Korman for his passionate and selfless devotion to helping me grow as a philosopher, both personally and professionally. I thank Garrett Bredeson, Courtney Morris, John Timmers, James Jeffries, Joe Swenson, Erick Schaaf, Aaron Harper, Daniel Estrada, Todd Kukla, Adam Bowen, Robert Shanklin, and Erick Ramirez for their friendship, kindness, and thoughtfulness, which has advanced my reading of Nietzsche over the years.

The book has benefitted from comments offered by R. Kevin Hill, Rex Welshon, William Prior, Philip Kain, Garrett Bredeson, Robert Shanklin, Colin McLear, and Daniel Z. Korman. I also thank Helga Varden and Shelley Weinberg for comments on early stages of the project.

I thank my parents, Cheryl and Marc Remhof, for their loving encouragement, confidence, and respect, without which I could not have dedicated myself to the world of philosophy.

I thank Octavia for her patience, inspiration, and laughter, all of which keep me goinghand to paper, foot to grass, mind to movement. All the love, Tink.

Some arguments have previously been published, though most have been significantly reworked. Portions of developed from ideas originally published as Nietzsches Conception of Truth: Correspondence, Coherence, or Pragmatist?, Journal of Nietzsche Studies 46/2 (2015): 239238, and Naturalism, Causality, and Nietzsches Conception of Science, Journal of Nietzsche Studies 46/1 (2015): 110119. I am grateful to the editors of these journals for permission to reprint.

Like Kant, the German Idealists, and many neo-Kantian philosophers before him, Nietzsche was persistently concerned with metaphysical questions about the nature of objects. His texts often address questions concerning the existence and non-existence of objects, the relation of objects to human minds, and how different views of objects impact commitments in many areas of philosophynot just metaphysics, but also language, science, epistemology, logic and mathematics, and even ethics. When referring to an object, Nietzsche follows common German usage by employing Ding [thing] more often than Objekt [object], but the two are generally interchangeable. Both typically refer to concrete, macroscopic entities we experience in everyday life, such as trees and leaves, cats and dogs, and tables and chairs. The primary aim of this book is to present and defend the view that, according to Nietzsche, all such objects are socially constructed. Broadly, to say objects are socially constructed is to say objects are brought into existence by social practices. I call this view of objectswhich is clearly controversial