Everything good is on the highway. The middle region of our being is the temperate zone. We may climb into the thin and cold realm of pure geometry and lifeless science, or sink into that of sensation. Between these extremes is the equator of life, of thought, of spirit, of poetry - a narrow belt. Emerson
My research focuses on modern philosophy and literature. I have a special interest in Nietzsche, as well as strong interests in the philosophy of the emotions and conceptions of philosophy as a way of life. I have authored ten books and edited/co-edited a further ten books. Several of the books have been translated, including editions in Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, and Turkish.
A new book on Nietzsche entitled Nietzsche's Earthbound Wisdom. The Philosopher, the Poet, and the Sage will be published by Chicago University Press in the spring of 2025. In the book I set out to recover Nietzsche’s love for a philosophy that guides us through our passions and opens us more fully to the possibilities of life and the joy of knowledge. I offer close readings of Nietzsche’s texts in conversation with philosophical and literary figures including Augustine, Baudelaire, Carlyle, Dostoevsky, Emerson, Flaubert, and Stendhal, and probe Nietzsche’s critique of literary naturalism and his alternative conception of the poet as seer who has a deep longing for a new earth.
I am now researching a book that has the working title, The Adventure of Intelligence. The book is focused on three thinkers and writers: Nietzsche, Santayana, and Paul Valéry.
My research focuses on modern philosophy and literature. I have a special interest in Nietzsche, as well as strong interests in the philosophy of the emotions and conceptions of philosophy as a way of life. I have authored ten books and edited/co-edited a further ten books. Several of the books have been translated, including editions in Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, and Turkish.
A new book on Nietzsche entitled Nietzsche's Earthbound Wisdom. The Philosopher, the Poet, and the Sage will be published by Chicago University Press in the spring of 2025. In the book I set out to recover Nietzsche’s love for a philosophy that guides us through our passions and opens us more fully to the possibilities of life and the joy of knowledge. I offer close readings of Nietzsche’s texts in conversation with philosophical and literary figures including Augustine, Baudelaire, Carlyle, Dostoevsky, Emerson, Flaubert, and Stendhal, and probe Nietzsche’s critique of literary naturalism and his alternative conception of the poet as seer who has a deep longing for a new earth.
I am now researching a book that has the working title, The Adventure of Intelligence. The book is focused on three thinkers and writers: Nietzsche, Santayana, and Paul Valéry.