Fusing the earth and the sky: Nietzsche's eternal recurrence in light of Gadamer's Hermeneutics

• Main Author: Davis, Russell Kent E.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2006
• Subjects: Nietzsche; Friedrich Wilhelm; 1844-1900; Gadamer; Hans Georg; 1900-2002; Hermeneutics > History > 20th century; Ethics; Modern > 20th century; Criticism; Philosophers; Philosophy
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_bachelors/2151
• Institution: De La Salle University

This paper addresses the interpretation of Nietzsche's theory of the eternal recurrence and in so doing shows that the theory can be viewed as a depiction of Gadamer's historical hermeneutical situation. To achieve this, the implications of Nietzsche's theory are discussed, as well as that of Gadamer's hermeneutics. Being that both are grounded on a particular conception of time, Nietzsche's theory will be shown to share the same basic condition for its intelligibility as does Gadamer's theory. From this relation, it is shown that Nietzsche's endeavor to stress both the scientific and philosophical aspects of his theory is representative of Gadamer's idea of horizons. Depicting therefore the Gadamerian hermeneutical situation, the pivotal affirmation of Nietzche's theory is effectively a fusion of horizons as the hermeneutics of Gadamer implies. Ultimately the eternal recurrence is therefore seen to exhibit a hermeneutical significance, apart from the immediate scientific and philosophical issues it raises.