Papers by Lawrence J Hatab
Epoché: A Journal for the History of Philosophy, 2007
In this essay I take up Plato's critique of poetry, which has little to do with epistemology and ... more In this essay I take up Plato's critique of poetry, which has little to do with epistemology and representational imitation, but rather the powerful effects that poetic performances can have on audiences, enthralling them with vivid image-worlds and blocking the powers of critical refl ection. By focusing on the perceived psychological dangers of poetry in performance and reception, I want to suggest that Plato's critique was caught up in the larger story of momentous shifts in the Greek world, turning on the rise of literacy and its far-reaching effects in modifying the original and persisting oral character of Greek culture. The story of Plato's Republic in certain ways suggests something essential for comprehending the development of philosophy in Greece (and in any culture, I would add): that philosophy, as we understand it, would not have been possible apart from the skills and mental transformations stemming from education in reading and writing; and that primary features of oral language and practice were a signifi cant barrier to the development of philosophical rationality (and also a worthy competitor for cultural status and authority). Accordingly, I go on to argue that the critique of writing in the Phaedrus is neither a defense or orality per se, nor a dismissal of writing, but rather a defense of a literate soul over against orality and the indiscriminate exposure of written texts to unworthy readers.
Nietzsche's On the Genealogy of Morality (1887) is a forceful, perplexing, important book, radica... more Nietzsche's On the Genealogy of Morality (1887) is a forceful, perplexing, important book, radical in its own time and profoundly influential ever since. This introductory textbook offers a comprehensive, close reading of the entire work, with a section-bysection analysis that also aims to show how the Genealogy holds together as an integrated whole. The Genealogy is helpfully situated within Nietzsche's wider philosophy, and occasional interludes examine supplementary topics that further enhance the reader's understanding of the text. Two chapters examine how the Genealogy relates to standard questions in moral and political philosophy. Written in a clear, accessible style, this book will appeal to students at every level coming to read the Genealogy for the first time, and a wider range of readers will also benefit from nuanced interpretations of controversial elements in Nietzsche's work. lawrence j. hatab is Louis I. Jaffe Professor of Philosophy at Old Dominion University.
estetica. studi e ricerche, 2025
This essay argues that Nietzsche’s naturalism and his call to embrace the earth offer a unique re... more This essay argues that Nietzsche’s naturalism and his call to embrace the earth offer a unique response to the crisis of the so-called Anthropocene – understood as the pervasive effects of human activity on the planet. Nietzsche’s naturalism is unique because it does not coalesce
with various relevant models of the humanity-nature relation: religious supernaturalism, scientific naturalism, humanistic and technocratic counter-naturalism, Romanticism, eco-centrism, and trans-humanism. Rather, Nietzsche’s «translation» of humanity back into nature
(BGE: 230) coincid1es with his concept of will to power (BGE: 36), which involves neither quiescence, nor domination, nor harmony. Beginning with BT, Nietzsche understands nature to be a precarious process of formation and deformation, of reciprocal strife between contravening forces. Human artistic and productive powers are called an «imitation» of such natural
energies (BT: 2, 4), which however runs up against necessary limits, thus having a tragic structure. Accordingly, the Anthropocene can be seen as an understandable consequence of human creativity and productivity that faces a planetary tragedy of environmental degradation. My thesis is that the ambiguities in Nietzsche’s naturalism make an effort to situate it in
contemporary environmental philosophy difficult – but perhaps revelatory, precisely because its tangled complexity avoids problematic polarities and univocal judgments. My text will explore three main topics: 1) the historical range of different conceptions of nature and its relation to humanity; 2) Nietzsche’s unique approach to natural human existence; and 3) an under-appreciated aspect of Nietzsche’s thinking, namely «natural» or spontaneous behaviors exhibited in instincts, habits, and the arts – which both connects and separates human beings and animals, and which ever-insulates human life from complete rational governance. A summary
conclusion will be that Nietzsche’s naturalism is a viable and nuanced approach to the perplexity of measuring the value of human activity in its natural setting. I do not argue that Nietzsche’s philosophy offers some comprehensive contribution to environmental philosophy, only that certain key features in his writings open up unique pathways for thinking about human life on earth.
This will appear in a Festschrift for Drew Hyland, The Play of Philosophy, published by Brill.
This will appear in a Festschrift for Drew Hyland, The Play of Philosophy, published by Brill.
A reissue of a 1980 article.
Proceedings of the ... annual meeting of the Heidegger Circle, 1988
B EGINNING WITH Being and Time, Heidegger was engaged in thinking the word truth (Wahrheit) in te... more B EGINNING WITH Being and Time, Heidegger was engaged in thinking the word truth (Wahrheit) in terms of the notion of un concealment (aletheia).1 Such thinking stemmed from a two-fold interpretation: (1) an etymological analysis of the Greek word for truth, stressing the alpha-privative; (2) a phenomenological analysis of the priority of disclosure, which is implicit but unspoken in ordinary conceptions of truth. In regard to the correspondence theory, for example, before a statement can be matched with a state of affairs, "something" must first show itself (the presence of a phenomenon, the meaning of Being in general) in a process of emergence out of concealment. This is a deeper sense of truth that Heidegger came to call the "truth of Being." The notion of emergence expressed as a double-negative (un-concealment) mirrors Heidegger's depiction of the negativity of Being (the Being-Nothing correlation) and his critique of metaphysical foundationalism, which was grounded in various positive states of being. The "destruction" of metaphysics was meant to show how this negative dimension was covered up in the tradition, but also how it could be drawn out by a new reading of the history of metaphysics. In regard to truth, its metaphysical manifestations (representation, correspondence, correctness, certainty) missed the negative background of mystery implied in any and all disclosure, unconcealment. At the end of his thinking, Heidegger turned to address this mystery as such, independent of metaphysics or advents of Being (un-concealment), to think that which withdraws in the disclosure of the Being of beings (e.g., the Difference, Ereignis, lethe). Now metaphysics is "left to itself."2 At the same time, the terms "Being" and "truth" are now left to metaphysics. Consequently, the word truth (Wahrheit) is no longer thought in terms of unconcealment (aletheia). Aletheia is now thought on its own as a unique word, in terms of the essential hiddenness (lethe) concealed in all disclosure, and the hiding of aletheia itself in the history '''The End of Philosophy and the Task of Thinking," ibid., p. 70. 'For an insightful discussion of these matters, see
The Journal of Nietzsche Studies, 2008
International Philosophical Quarterly, 2014
Like most philosophers, Heidegger gave little attention to childhood, but his philosophical empha... more Like most philosophers, Heidegger gave little attention to childhood, but his philosophical emphasis on pre-reflective practice and understanding seems uniquely qualified to help make sense of a child's experience and development. Moreover, it seems to me that many central Heideggerian concepts are best defended, exemplified, and articulated by bringing child development into the discussion. A Heideggerain emphasis on pre-theoretical world-involvement opens up a rich array of phenomena for studying child development, which can improve upon standard theories that have over-emphasized exclusive conditions or criteria. I begin by laying out some basic features of Heidegger's conception of beingin-the-world as a preparation for understanding the world of the child. Then I will briefly discuss some of Heidegger's remarks on childhood, followed by some reflections on language acquisition and the correlation of anxiety and meaning.
The Journal of Nietzsche Studies, 2002
n recent years, a number of writers have attempted to appropriate Nietzsche's thought, or signifi... more n recent years, a number of writers have attempted to appropriate Nietzsche's thought, or significant elements of it, for democratic politics. Needless to say, such projects are surprising, since Nietzsche was a notorious opponent of democracy and liberalism. In a nutshell, these projects have suggested that Nietzsche's emancipatory critique of Western foundationalism, essentialism, and rationalism can help correct supposed blind spots and exclusions haunting modern political ideals born out of the Enlightenment. Nietzsche's celebration of perspectivism, the openness of identity, and agonistic dynamism can prepare a vision of democratic life that is more vibrant, inclusive, creative, and life-affirming than that of modern political theories grounded in the rational subject. Of course such ventures have met criticism, especially from those who resist the embrace of Nietzsche in much of Continental thought. Jürgen Habermas has been in the forefront of this resistance in Germany. 2 And a recent collection of essays from France, Why We Are Not Nietzscheans, 3 has reproached so-called French Nietzscheans such as Derrida, Foucault, and Deleuze for not owning up to the political dangers of Nietzsche's thought. Writers such as Descombes, Ferry, and Renaut have aimed to retrieve a political conception of the subject, particularly as it pertains to the question of human rights. Their charge is that embracing Nietzsche's vitalism, immoralism, and/or elitism is either not relevant to actual political conditions or blind to the authoritarian impulses in Nietzsche's texts. In America, a new book by Fredrick Appel, Nietzsche Contra Democracy, presents a cogent criticism of attempts to employ Nietzsche for democratic purposes, particularly with respect to agonistics. In this essay I want to focus on Appels challenge and attempt to reiterate the viability of a Nietzschean agonistics for democratic politics. 5 132
De Gruyter eBooks, Dec 31, 2014
In this essay I want to explore Nietzsche's concept of will to power (Wille zur Macht) and its be... more In this essay I want to explore Nietzsche's concept of will to power (Wille zur Macht) and its bearing on political philosophy. First I present an overview of will to power and its centrality in Nietzsche's thought, where power involves a structure of reciprocal tensions rather than destructive force. After disposing of the idea that Nietzsche is an apolitical or anti-political thinker, I argue that Nietzsche's approach to social structures departs from traditional political theories, especially the modern liberal contract theory of government. Then I revisit an argument marking my previous work, namely that Nietzsche's espousal of the agonistic structure of social life offers a robust alternative for political philosophy, especially with regard to legal institutions and democratic politics. 1 "The world viewed from inside … would be 'will to power' and nothing else" (BGE 36). 2 The world, for Nietzsche, is never in a fixed condition but always in process of becoming. Moreover, all movements of becoming are related to other movements, and the relational structure is not simply expressive of differences, but primarily resistances and tensional conflicts (NL, KSA 13, 14[93]). Will to power depicts in dynamic terms the idea that any affirmation is also a negation, that any condition or assertion of meaning must overcome some "Other," some obstacle or counterforce. An 1888 note states: A quantum of power is characterized by the effect it exercises and by what resists it. […] it is essentially a will to violation and resisting violation. […] every atom's effect works out to the whole of existence -if one thinks away this radiation of power-will, the atom itself is thought away. For this reason I name it a quantum of "will to power". […] (NL, KSA 13, 14[79]) An "atom" is a quantum of will to power, so the latter must refer to the radiating "whole." Indeed an atom is not a "thing" but a dynamic quantum "in a tensional relation (Spannungverhältnis) with all other dynamic quanta." And Portions of this essay are drawn from earlier work of mine . I have occasionally modified published translations.
Human Studies, Jul 1, 1994
International Studies in Philosophy, 1983
Wittgenstein remarked to Waismann: "I can readily understand what Heidegger means by Sein and Ang... more Wittgenstein remarked to Waismann: "I can readily understand what Heidegger means by Sein and Angst." 1 It is surprising that Wittgenstein should have said that, though perhaps less so when we recall the "mystical" conclusion of the Tractatus. According to the Tractatus the mystical is: "not how the world is but that it is" (TLP 6.44).2 We think that this expresses an aspect of what Heidegger calls the Being of beings. "Man alone," says Heidegger, "experiences the marvel (Wunder) of all marvels: that what-is is" (WMP p. 355). Heidegger's efforts as a philosopher were singularly devoted to bringing out the significance of that tautological-sounding "marvel." Wittgenstein's efforts were not unrelated to that. Wittgenstein was a logician. How, in his Tractatus, is logic connected with the mystical? We will answer that question, briefly; that will lead into a discussion of how Angst figures into Heidegger's elucidation of the meaning of Being.
Human Studies, 2011
Richard Capobianco's book, Engaging Heidegger, is an example of the best type of scholarship in H... more Richard Capobianco's book, Engaging Heidegger, is an example of the best type of scholarship in Heidegger studies. He offers eight careful studies that trace developments, changes, turns and returns in Heidegger's thought as they relate to specific themes and topics. His perceptive eye for nuance and cautious, close and historical reading allows the author to avoid the deceptions inherent in large scale narratives about the development of any philosopher's thought as well as the distortive projection of a single position onto a thought that twisted and turned its way through decades of critical self-reflection. In this way Capobianco places himself in the service of the burgeoning self-differentiating thought of one of the most important philosophers of the twentieth century. Capobianco also reveals himself to be committed to presenting Heidegger's thought with a clarity that makes this work accessible to both new and experienced students of Heidegger's philosophy. We see the author's striking skill for both clarity and cautious interpretation in his definition of Being as ''…the temporalspatial, finite and negative, unconcealing of beings in their beingness as made manifest meaningfully by Dasein in language.'' (p. 34) Through careful explanation of each of its elements, Capobianco's use of this definition repeatedly throughout his book ensures that the reader never loses sight of what precisely is meant by Being. The use of this definition also allows Capobianco to demonstrate the way in which different words for Heidegger's central concern, Being, remain terms for the same thing while highlighting specific aspects of it. The author's skillful clarity even grants him the chance to get Heidegger out of his own way by pointing out where he may have slipped into misusing one of his own terms. For bringing such light to the shadowy winding paths of Heidegger's thought, Capobianco's book is a valuable gift to those interested in this seminal figure.
Found in The Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Existentialism, eds. Kevin Aho, Megan Altman, Han... more Found in The Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Existentialism, eds. Kevin Aho, Megan Altman, Hans Pedersen (New York: Routledge, 2024), 13-23.
An old review of my 1995 book by Will Dudley. A PDF of my book is posted on this site.
Found in the collection: Reinterpreting the Political: Continental Philosophy and Political Theor... more Found in the collection: Reinterpreting the Political: Continental Philosophy and Political Theory, eds. Lenore Langsdorf and Stephen Watson (Albany, NY: SUNY Press, 1998. This essay was the springboard for my book of the same title: A Nietzschean Defense of Democracy: An Experiment in Postmodern Politics (Chicago, IL: Open Court, 1995). A PDF of the book is on my Academia page.
Existentialism has been marked by Sartre’s claim that ‘existence’ precedes ‘essence,’ that concre... more Existentialism has been marked by Sartre’s claim that ‘existence’ precedes ‘essence,’ that concrete life cannot be governed by abstract universals. Traditional philosophy has typically connected essences with concepts, mental constructs that provide grounding knowledge of perceived particulars in experience. The problem is that existentialism, as a philosophy of existence, cannot help but traffic in concepts. So, the question is whether and how existentialism can deploy concepts that are different from everyday and essentialist kind. This chapter will explore the possibility of ‘existential concepts’ found in Heidegger’s notion of formal indication. A treatment of what Heidegger means by formal indication will be followed by a detailed analysis of the concept of care in Being and Time.
In Myths and Fictions, eds. S. Biderman and B. Scharfstein (Leiden:Brill, 1993), 141-160
Uploads
Papers by Lawrence J Hatab
with various relevant models of the humanity-nature relation: religious supernaturalism, scientific naturalism, humanistic and technocratic counter-naturalism, Romanticism, eco-centrism, and trans-humanism. Rather, Nietzsche’s «translation» of humanity back into nature
(BGE: 230) coincid1es with his concept of will to power (BGE: 36), which involves neither quiescence, nor domination, nor harmony. Beginning with BT, Nietzsche understands nature to be a precarious process of formation and deformation, of reciprocal strife between contravening forces. Human artistic and productive powers are called an «imitation» of such natural
energies (BT: 2, 4), which however runs up against necessary limits, thus having a tragic structure. Accordingly, the Anthropocene can be seen as an understandable consequence of human creativity and productivity that faces a planetary tragedy of environmental degradation. My thesis is that the ambiguities in Nietzsche’s naturalism make an effort to situate it in
contemporary environmental philosophy difficult – but perhaps revelatory, precisely because its tangled complexity avoids problematic polarities and univocal judgments. My text will explore three main topics: 1) the historical range of different conceptions of nature and its relation to humanity; 2) Nietzsche’s unique approach to natural human existence; and 3) an under-appreciated aspect of Nietzsche’s thinking, namely «natural» or spontaneous behaviors exhibited in instincts, habits, and the arts – which both connects and separates human beings and animals, and which ever-insulates human life from complete rational governance. A summary
conclusion will be that Nietzsche’s naturalism is a viable and nuanced approach to the perplexity of measuring the value of human activity in its natural setting. I do not argue that Nietzsche’s philosophy offers some comprehensive contribution to environmental philosophy, only that certain key features in his writings open up unique pathways for thinking about human life on earth.