What Has Dayton to Do with Sils-Maria?: Nietzsche and The Scopes Trial

Friedrich Nietzsche figures prominently in the transcript of the Scopes trial (1925), introduced by the prosecution as the exemplary philosopher of evolutionary theory, and furthermore recalled as the exculpatory influence for Darrow’s notorious defense of Leopold and Loeb (1924). Although Nietzsche’s polemical style may provoke such partisanship, his Genealogy of Morality (1887) nonetheless provides a compelling critical perspective on the scientific, religious, social and moral concerns contested in Dayton. In particular, Nietzsche’s genealogy of the scientist in terms of the ascetic ideal brings penetrating insight to the shared ambitions of defense and prosecution, and the corresponding intensity of their polemical engagement.