The University of Melbourne

The School of Historical and Philosophical Studies

Faculty of Arts

PHIL20038 (161-236)
Nietzsche and Critics
Subject Guide

Semester 1, 2011
 The website for this subject is available through the Learning Management
System (LMS) at: < http://www.lms.unimelb.edu.au/login/ >

The LMS is an important source of information for this subject. Useful

resources such as lecture notes, lecture recordings and subject
announcements will be available through the website.

It is your responsibility to regularly check in with the LMS for subject

announcements and updates.

You will require a university email account (username and password) to

access the Learning Management System. You can activate your university
email account at:

< http://www.its.unimelb.edu.au/support/accounts/activation >

161-236 Subject Guide 2 of 10

18/05/2011
 Teaching Staff
Subject Coordinator: Dr Sean Bowden Phone: 8344 8113
Office Location: Old Quad 213 Email: s.bowden@unimelb.edu.au
Consultation hours: Monday 1-2pm or by appointment.

Subject Overview
Much philosophy in 19th century Europe reflects almost unlimited confidence in the
power of reason to master not only the natural world, but the human world as well.
Alongside this confidence, however, there exists deep scepticism about reason, even
hostility towards it. A central figure in the second camp is Nietzsche. This course
explores Nietzsche’s attacks on reason in relation to one or more other philosophers who
centralise reason in a way to which Nietzsche is hostile. The other philosopher(s) will
usually be from the 19th century, e.g., Kant or Hegel, but may also be a figure from
elsewhere in the history of philosophy who matters to Nietzsche’s critique, e.g., Socrates.

Learning Objectives
Students who successfully complete this subject will
• understand some of the key themes of Nietzsche’s thought;
• have developed a deeper understanding of some of the philosophical ideas against
which Nietzsche was reacting;
• be able to bring to bear this understanding on their other studies, inside and outside
philosophy.

Subject Structure
Students are expected to attend two 1 hour lectures and one 1 hour tutorial per week.

The lecture timetable is as follows:

Day Time Location
Monday 2:15–3:15pm Medical-ESJ King Theatre

Wednesday 2:15–3:15pm Redmond Barry-Lowe Theatre

Note that you must register for your tutorial through your student portal.
Attendance & Participation Requirements
• Attendance at all lectures and tutorials is expected.
• Apologies for absence, especially from tutorials, are also expected.
• This subject has a minimum hurdle requirement of 75% tutorial participation.
• Regular participation in tutorials is required.

Assessment
Assessment for this subject consists in:

Assessment Type Percentage Due Date

Written assignment 50% 4pm Friday April 15, 2011
2-hour closed-book
written examination 50% To be advised

All pieces of written work must be submitted to pass this subject.

Please ensure you are available for the entirety of the exam period.

Details of the assessment tasks will be made available during the semester on the LMS.
Lecture/Tutorial Program & Readings
Lecture 1: Introduction to the course

Lectures 2-3: The Birth of Tragedy and Socrates (Tutorial Week 2)

Nietzsche, The Birth of Tragedy, §§1-15

Plato, Euthyphro.

Lectures 4-5: Truth, Concepts and Plato (Tutorial Week 3)

Nietzsche, “On Truth and Lying in a Non-Moral Sense”

Plato, Phaedo.

Lectures 6-7: History and Hegel (Tutorial Week 4)

Nietzsche, “On the Utility and Liability of History for Life”.

Hegel, Lectures on the Philosophy of History (selections).

Lectures 8-9: Nietzsche’s Enlightenment (Tutorial Week 5)

Kant, “An answer to the question: What is Enlightenment?”

Nietzsche, Human, All Too Human §§3, 107, 225, 237, 245, 248, 251, 252, 256, 257, 265,
292, 443, 463, 475, 482, 483, 635.
Nietzsche, Daybreak §§197, 453, 454.
Nietzsche, The Gay Science §§108, 109, 125, 283, 319, 343, 344.

Lectures 10-11: Kant’s Theoretical and Practical Reason (Tutorial Week 6)

Kant, from the Critique of Pure Reason, pp.110-111, 155-165, 193-194, 204-206, 210-
212, 224-225
Kant, from the Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, pp.49-76
Kant, from the Critique of Practical Reason, pp.215-218

Lecture 12-13: Nietzsche’s ‘Middle Period’ and Kant (Tutorial Week 7)

Human, All Too Human §§9, 10, 16, 25, 31, 39, 99, 106.
Daybreak Preface §3, §§120-125.
The Gay Science §§54, 110-112, 335, 360.
Beyond Good and Evil §§11, 187, 259-260.
Lectures 14-17: On the Genealogy of Morality (Tutorial Week 8-9)

On the Genealogy of Morals – First Essay.

On the Genealogy of Morals – Second Essay
On the Genealogy of Morals – Third Essay

Lectures 18-21: Leibniz’s ‘Point of View’ v. Nietzsche’s ‘Perspectivism’ –

The Will to Power and Eternal Recurrence (Tutorial Weeks 10-11)

Leibniz, Principles of Nature and Grace, Founded on Reason.

Leibniz, Monadology §§53-57.
Nietzsche, The Gay Science §§341, 354, 374.
Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, “Of The Vision and The Riddle” §2.
Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil §§34, 36.
Nietzsche, The Will to Power §§259, 293, 411, 470, 473, 481, 490, 496, 505, 556, 558,
560, 567, 616, 617, 636, 637, 685, 789, 1066-1067.
Nietzsche, The Antichrist §2.

Lecture 22-23: ‘Reason’ in Twilight of the Idols (Tutorial Week 12)

Nietzsche, Twilight of the Idols: “The Problem of Socrates”, “‘Reason’ in Philosophy”,

“How the ‘Real World’ at last Became a Myth”, “Morality as Anti-Nature”, “The Four
Great Errors”

Lecture 24: Course Conclusions and Explanation of the Exam

SWOT Vac: May 30 – June 3

Examination period: June 6 – June 24

Grading System
A standard grading system applies across all Faculties of the University, as follows:

N 0%-49% Fail - not satisfactory

· Work that fails to meet the basic assessment criteria;
· Work that contravenes the policies and regulations set out for the assessment exercise;
· Where a student fails a subject, all failed components of assessment are double marked.

P 50%-64% Pass - satisfactory

· Completion of key tasks at an adequate level of performance in argumentation,
documentation and expression;
· Work that meets a limited number of the key assessment criteria;
· Work that shows substantial room for improvement in many areas.

H3 65%-69% Third-class honours - competent

· Completion of key tasks at a satisfactory level, with demonstrated understanding of key
ideas and some analytical skills, and satisfactory presentation, research and
documentation;
· Work that meets most of the key assessment criteria;
· Work that shows room for improvement in several areas.

H2B 70%-74% Second-class honours level B - good

· Good work that is solidly researched, shows a good understanding of key ideas,
demonstrates some use of critical analysis along with good presentation and
documentation;
· Work that meets most of the key assessment criteria and performs well in some;
· Work that shows some room for improvement.

H2A 75%-79% Second-class honours level A - very good

· Very good work that is very well researched, shows critical analytical skills, is well
argued, with scholarly presentation and documentation;
· Work that meets all the key assessment criteria and exceeds in some;
· Work that shows limited room for improvement.

H1 80%-100% First-class honours - excellent

· Excellent analysis, comprehensive research, sophisticated theoretical or methodological
understanding, impeccable presentation;
· Work that meets all the key assessment criteria and excels in most;
· Work that meets these criteria and is also in some way original, exciting or challenging
could be awarded marks in the high 80s or above.
· Marks of 90% and above may be awarded to the best student work in the H1 range.
Assessment Submission
You must submit your assessment electronically through the online submission portal.
This will act as an electronic receipt of your submission for your records and for the
subject coordinator.

Please note that assignments will not be accepted via fax or email. You are expected to
retain a copy of all work submitted for assessment.

Late Assignments
Unless an extension has been granted, for essays/assignments submitted after the due
date, the mark a student is awarded for their work will be reduced by 10% for each day
the work is late. This means that after three days, a student originally awarded 75% will
be awarded 45%.

Using electronic submission means work may be submitted on any day. Work due on a
Friday, but not submitted until the following Monday, would be penalized by 10%.

Unless an extension has been granted, assignments submitted later than 5 working days
after the due date will not be marked, and will receive no marks.

If for some reason you think cannot make a deadline, please see your tutor well before the
due date to discuss the possibility of an extension. Extensions will only be granted in
special circumstances and will require documentation such as medical certificates for
medical conditions.

Special Consideration
Special Consideration is available when:
a. at any time, your work during the academic year has to a substantial degree (i.e.,
for more than 10 working days) been hampered by illness or other cause; or
b. you have been prevented by illness or other cause from preparing for all or part of
a component of assessment; or
c. you were to a substantial degree adversely affected by illness or other cause
during the performance of a component of assessment.

Requests for Special Consideration are lodged through your student portal.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the use of another person’s work (or a resubmitted version of one’s own
work) without due acknowledgment. Plagiarism includes:
· direct copying from a book article, web site, or another student's assignment;
· paraphrasing another person's work with minor changes, but keeping the meaning,
form and/or progression of ideas of the original;
· piecing together sections of the work of others into a new whole;
· submitting an assignment that has already been submitted for assessment in another
subject; and
· presenting an assignment as independent work when it has been produced in whole or
part in collusion with other people, for example, another student or a tutor.

Plagiarism is academic misconduct, and is taken very seriously by the University and the
Faculty of Arts. Any acts of suspected plagiarism detected by your assessors will be
followed up, and any students involved will be required to respond via the Faculty and/or
University procedures for handling suspected plagiarism. For more information and
advice about how to avoid plagiarism, see the University’s Academic Honesty page at
<http://academichonesty.unimelb.edu.au/>.

Ensure that you are aware of how to appropriately acknowledge sources in your
assignments and what referencing style is expected from you in this subject (please ask
your tutor or subject coordinator if unsure).

The Academic Skills Unit (ASU) has a number of free online resources for students:
<http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/asu/>. A guide to referencing can be found at:
<http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/asu/download/Writing-Process-
ReferencingEssentials-flyer.pdf>.