APQ - APPON PHILOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY

This paper studies the doctrine of the will to power proposed by Nietzsche’s and puts forward a distinct understanding of the positioning of this core concept: it should be interpreted as a Methodological Fiction at the methodological level, neither a metaphysical concept used to describe the ultimate essence of the world, nor a rhetorical device that only serves as textual embellishment. In simple terms, it is not an underlying essence that all things in the world cannot evade, nor is it flowery language used to polish texts; it is merely an artificially set practical analytical tool for research purposes. The argument is that Nietzsche’s antiessentialism does not account for the abandonment of its explanation. To elaborate on this viewpoint in detail, this paper employs two sets of analytical methods. The first is textual interpretation, which means sorting through all of Nietzsche’s relevant writings word by word and sentence by sentence to first accurately grasp the logic and intention in his original texts. The second is a comparative analysis that places several mainstream interpretations of Nietzsche’s will to power in academic circles. In addition, this paper uses South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation process as a case study. The paper ultimately concludes that what Nietzsche proposed is a connection-oriented, adjustable explanatory approach that by no means adheres to the idea of changing the form but not the substance, or of replacing an old metaphysical foundation with a new one.

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