Anti-Nietzsche by Malcolm Bull
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Part of the problem with going against Nietzsche is that he says too much; and is hard to pin down. His books are all over the place, and he leaves you with aphorisms that are as philosophical as they are suggestively poetic.
In this vein, Bull does a pretty good job, even if it is a bit disorganized, at teasing out bits of Nietzsche. Bull’s approach is unique. He goes against Nietzsche to see if there’s something practical in Nietzsche. And I think that this untraditional approach works well, even if you have to read between a lines a little to see it.
Bull says very clearly that Nietzsche’s insight is that values are due to social difference. That hierarchy and social organization give rise to values; the two are the same, but at different levels. The main contention here, is that radical egalitarianism would destroy values. The loss of values leads to nihilism. While egalitarianism and nihilism are not the same thing, “nihilism exceeds egalitarianism” and after equality has been done so that there can no longer be any difference to equalize, we would only be left with nihilism… where everyone could only “listen to Muzak and eat potatoes”. The question Bull leaves us rhetorically, is “what value could there be of a society where no one could distinguish themselves” likewise, how could we improve ourselves if there we don’t have values to know what better is?
The main thesis, and it’s buried in there, is that Nietzsche foresees nihilism approaching… and seeks to stop it with the quest for a Superman. Nietzsche wishes to save us from a life of a diluted, weak society in which we are all forced to be equal to its weakest members. To highlight the importance of this idea, Bull goes to the opposite lengths, to “read like a loser” and become animal: “subhuman”. If we want to see the value of Nietzsche’s project we have to experience the absence of such a project… we have to fall into the depths of nothingness itself, to be weak ourselves and beg others for compassion and sympathy. We have to induce society to think only of us and baby us for our well being… We have to be as animals, to not have a clearing in the world, only further darkening.
What perhaps, makes Bull difficult, perhaps for some readers, is that he pulls many readers of nihilism and thinkers of the state to task, using their thoughts to give structure to Nietzsche’s aphorisms. Bull impressively quotes Nietzsche often, supporting them with the philosophical vocabulary of others to make his argument. He runs circles around some concepts to show their limits, show how others apply them and to show ultimately how Nietzsche is right to approach nihilism the way he does. And in this exciting quest, Bull convinces me of what he sees in Nietzsche.
I find it curious that other reviewers thought Bull confusing and yet praised him as his book as being well-written… I find that there in such reviews, there is a familiarity with many authors but no coherency to be found… an argument against a book as being “well-written”.
Nonetheless, I do agree in part, that Bull throws too many people at us, sort of at surprise… and then scrambles to reformulate his argument. The chapters are also split into too many sections. The issue I have with sections is that authors do this sometimes, because it’s easier to write in smaller blocks… without having to resort to well formed transitions between them. Perhaps Bull writes all his books this way, but I think it’s the fault of the editor for not having encouraged Bull to devote himself to a sustained argument. The first chapter however, is marvelous. The last chapter did end without really clearly articulating the book as conclusions are wont to.
Still, I give him 4 stars for an exciting book that is well worth the reading, even if towards the end he starts to lose focus… but never comes to the conclusion about what kind of society we are to be left with, leaving us at the mercy of the Great Beast, with mediocrity.
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