This paper explores how Nietzschean “deconstructive genealogies” challenge core elements of philosophical methodology and social thought. Deconstructive genealogies reveal fragmentation and internal conflict within domains often presumed to be unified, such as our moral judgements or political commitments. By doing so, they challenge attempts to impose coherence and systematicity on these domains. Such genealogies can be marshalled to undermine conceptual analysis and philosophical projects that employ reflective equilibrium. Moreover, inappropriate imposition of coherence and systematicity can be a problem not only in philosophy but also in social theory. The upshot is that such genealogies are often employed for what I call “counter-reconciliatory” projects in philosophy and “anti-noetic” approaches in social theory.
Alexander Prescott-Couch is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Oxford and a Tutorial Fellow at Lincoln College. His research encompasses the philosophy of social science, political philosophy, and the history of German philosophy, with a particular focus on the works of Friedrich Nietzsche. He is currently on a Leverhulme Research Fellowship and completing a book entitled The Historical Sense: Nietzschean Genealogy and Critique, which is under contract with Oxford University Press.
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