A common approach to the relationship between two authors—especially if one of them is Nietzsche—is to search for textual evidence that can prove their reciprocal or univocal influence. An alternative approach focuses on common features even if no direct influence can be shown. While the former approach often sacrifices philosophical creativity to philological detail, the latter risks neglecting the authors' distinctiveness.
In his book, “Vernatürlichung”: Ursprünge von Friedrich Nietzsches Entidealisierung des Menschen, seiner Sprache und seiner Geschichte bei Johann Gottfried Herder (a revised version of which is published in Italian, as “Noi buoni europei”: Herder, Nietzsche e le risorse del senso storico, Mimesis, 2013), Andrea Bertino shows a remarkable ability to overcome the limits of these two approaches. He succeeds in demonstrating his hypothesis that Herder and Nietzsche share a common interest in “naturalizing” humanity, understood as a project that shapes the methods and the content, the theory and...
