Abstract

In this paper, I argue that the method of intellectual contextualization (based on source criticism) is more appropriate for explaining much of Friedrich Nietzsche’s work than the method of immanent reading. Whatever the merits and limitations of both methods, two main characteristics of Nietzsche’s work turn the contextual approach into the most promising one: the nietzschean conception of the philosophical task (intimately connected with his perfectionism), insofar as it compels the philosopher to deal with abstract entities (such as propositions, arguments, concepts and metaphors) in a predominantly instrumental way; his preference for the aphorismatic way of writing, insofar as it compels him to suppress a significant part of his premises. The limits for the instrumental appropriation of philosophical arguments will be discussed in the last section of this paper.

Keywords: Nietzsche, source criticism, immanent reading, intellectual context.