Self Creation: Life, Man and Creation in Nietzsche's Thought
By Eli Eilon
What is man's self creation? How is his freedom possible? What are the processes of gestation and birth of the creative person's internal abundance? Is the Übermensch realizable, or is he a utopian concept? How are culture and reality bound up with the individual's most intimate experiences? To what may man aspire in a world that is nothing but a prison of metaphors which he has himself created?
"In this fascinating work, the author offers a novel interpretation of the controversial philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), which continues to influence contemporary thought and culture. The book reconstructs Nietzsche's thought on the basis of a revolutionary idea: man is his own creator. In the course of the work the author also considers the thought of Schopenhauer, Nietzsche's spiritual mentor, and of other philosophers who influenced him, exposing thereby internal and covert elements in Nietzsche's philosophy. The book resolves fundamental contradictions in Nietzsche's thought, though it is not sparing in its criticism on central points…"
Book launch at the Mandel Leadership Institute, Jerusalem, September 2005
"…in this original work Eli Eilon tackles one of the most complicated subjects in Nietzsche's thought – self creation – without overlooking even one idea in Nietzsche's complex of ideas that might shed light on this subject. The book, which is one of the most important works yet written on Nietzsche, succeeds in outlining in an impressive way the contours of Nietzsche's thought and in addressing, deeply and originally, decisive and contradictory chapters in Nietzsche's philosophy, such as fatalism and the idea of self creation. Eilon discusses with the necessary gravity aspects in Nietzsche's thought that other interpreters have failed to take into account. Being well-versed in the interpretive literature, he argues successfully with the interpretations of important thinkers such as Heidegger, Loewith, Habermas, and Nehamas.
"Very few interpreters are capable of constructing a comprehensive, fascinating, and innovative presentation of Nietzsche's complex of ideas such as the one Eilon offers in this work."
