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BOOK REVIEWS 277 self is the involuntary affirmation of the whole of life and existence (in der Bejahung seiner selbst als einzelnes unwillkiirlich ein Ganzes bejaht) (p. 132). Such an interpretation is quite generous to Nietzsche and seems, more or less, to be an acceptance of his assertion that Der Mensch ist nicht nur ein Individuum, sondern das [ortlebende GesamtOrganische in einer bestimmten Linie (WzM, Nr. 687). To my mind, this is a facile synthesis which is never sufficiently defended by Nietzsche himself or the author. Simply put, the problem seems to be the following: if all values are perspectival, if life (or the will to power) values through us, and if there is no objective validity for values, how can Nietzsche proclaim either a philosophy of existence or condemn any outward expression of the will to power in thought or valuation? The criterion of increased enhancement of organized power is too ambiguous. For, to take a case in point, a Baconian empiricist could argue that an observational, inductive approach to an understanding of, and mastery of, nature provides for enhanced organized power which is recognizable in the transformation of nature through technological innovation. Could Nietzsche consistently argue that such would be a "false" or "deceptive" valuation? Although Bueb strives to defend Nietzsche's conception of the will to power in as consistent a fashion as possible, there are unavoidable paradoxes in Nietzsche's metaphysics which undermine any claim to a clear, internal consistency in his later thought. In the concluding portions of his interpretation, Bueb interrelates the notion of the will to power and the acceptance of the eternal recurrence of the same as a means of overcoming "disintegration" and "incompleteness." It is questionable, however, to accept uncritically Nietzsche's affirmation of an amor/ati in face of the description of the eternal recurrence of the same as die extremste Form des Nihilismus. Certainly, it is optimistic to hold that "in the thought of the eternal recurrence nihilism fulfils and overcomes itself" (p 149). For the eternalizing of the finite world in such a fashion seems to entail the dissolution of individual self-affirmation and the meaning of all values. Nietzsche's attempt to overcome the nihilism he dissected so thoroughly seems to end in an ecstatic nihilism which is insurpassable. The "coming to consciousness of the will as reason.., disclosed in the self-interpretation of a historical subject as knowing himself as eternally recurring" (p. 151) can also be seen as a consciousness of the impotence of the self in the face of a cosmic process over which it has no control. The autonomy of the individual as basic to ethical reflection seems to find little place in a philosophy which speaks of the individual as eine bescheidene und noch unbewusste Art des Willens zur Macht" (WzM, Nr. 784). Nietzsches Kritik der praktischen Vernun/t is a useful exposition of central aspects of Nietzsche's thought which attempts to discern the patterns of consistency in the philosophy of Nietzsche. However, it is a study which neither justifies nor develops its putative primary themes (i.e., that Nietzsche's philosophy entails a radicalization of Kant's critical philosophy or that Nietzsche is engaged in a critique of practical reason). Despite its shortcomings , this work does offer some interesting insights into the thought of a philosopher whose theoretical insights are rich and variegated. In general, I think Bueb is basically correct in returning to an earlier concern with Nietzsche as an original moral philosopher. For, despite his corrosive attacks upon "moralic acid," there is more than a touch of the moralist in Nietzsche. GEOROE J. STACK SUNY, Brockport George Santayana. By Newton P. Stallknecht. University of Minnesota Pamphlets on American Writers, No. 100. (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1971. Pp. 48. $.95) This is a well conceived, well balanced presentation not only of Santayana himself, but also of the range of his influence among writers and philosophical artists. Whatever his 278 HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY own preference may have been, Santayana has achieved an eminent place in the American literary tradition, and whatever his fortunes may be among philosophers, his mastery of a distinctive style of expression in the English language...

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