NIETZSCHE’S ETERNAL RECURRENCE: THE QUESTION OF THE WHAT OF RETURN

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DAVID W. GOLDBERG

Abstract

Renewed interest in Eternal Recurrence has surfaced recently as the result of anearly note from Nietzsche known as the Zeitatomenlehre, a note from 1873. This note languishedin obscurity until its resurrection in 1952 and numerous commentators have thrown their voiceinto the arena on Eternal Recurrence. Traditionally, Eternal Recurrence has been examined fromtwo primary perspectives, the cosmological and hypothetical, with most of the recent examinationadopting a cosmological approach. In this article I examine the two traditional interpretations,suggesting that they both fail to adequately reflect a Nietzschean position on Recurrence.In particular, they both adopt a similar answer to the problem of the what that returns (sequentialcircularity of events), but approach this answer from two different foundations: one factual, theother hypothetical. I will show that because of this they both come into conflict with Nietzsche’scomments on Eternal Recurrence and with his philosophy as a unified whole. My solution tothis problem will focus on the Zietatomenlehre note and the depiction of Eternal Recurrence in“On The Vision And The Riddle” in Zarathustra, focusing on the significance of the Moment toproperly understanding Eternal Recurrence.

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GOLDBERG, D. W. (2015). NIETZSCHE’S ETERNAL RECURRENCE: THE QUESTION OF THE WHAT OF RETURN. Arhe, 8(15). https://doi.org/10.19090/arhe.2011.15.%p
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