Nietzsche contra Dennett

I argue that Dennett’s indulgence in anthropomorphism in his accounts of evolution and agency has costs that we are better off not paying. To that end, I examine Dennett’s algorithmic analysis of evolution by natural selection, paying attention to the status and role of anthropomorphism in his account of the nature of human agency and the order and rationality of the natural world. I argue that Dennett’s embrace of the design and intentional stances leads him not only to an untenable conception of agency, but to an account of natural selection that obliterates the distinction between theory and phenomenon. Finally, I show how Nietzsche’s perspectival naturalism serves to harness Dennett’s unbridled anthropomorphism for more insightful accounts of agency and the natural world.