Perspectivism and relativism in Nietzsche

Author(s)

Eder Ricardo Corbanezi

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: São Paulo.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH/SBD)
• Defense date: 2013-11-06

Examining board members

Scarlett Zerbetto Marton; Vânia Dutra de Azeredo; Eduardo Brandão

• Advisor: Scarlett Zerbetto Marton

Abstract

This dissertation researches, through an immanent reading of Nietzsches philosophy, the problematic relationship between perspectivism and relativism in his work. Intrinsic in the reality, conceived as wills to power that express themselves in a perspectivist and interpretive way, the perspectivism argues that there are no facts, but only perspectivist interpretations. So it is necessary to ask whether such a perspectivism incur a radical relativism, according to which all interpretations would be equivalent. We shall try to show that it is not possible to answer this problem unilaterally, with a simple yes or no. On the one hand, the examination of his writings indicates that Nietzsche would not intend to take the position of a radical relativist, for he ranks the interpretations and claims the superiority of his own interpretation of the world. More than that, his philosophy would point to the impossibility of that relativism: since Nietzsche associates the concepts of perspective and interpretation with the concept of value, he indicates that every perspective and every interpretation evaluate and rank, so that there would not be perspectives and interpretations that effectively could consider the others as equivalent. On the other hand, if we accept the conception of a perspectivist and interpretive reality, so any criterion fixed in order to rank the interpretations would depend on a certain perspective and interpretation, and thus it would not be an unconditional and objective one. Hence, since we consider that any criterion is relative, the problem concerning relativism resurfaces. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 10/13785-8 - Perspectivism and relativism on Nietzsche
• Grantee: Eder Ricardo Corbanezi
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master