Paul E. Kirkland is assistant professor of political science at Carthage College.

Paul Kirkland gives an impressively comprehensive and illuminating account of Nietzsche's thought, emphasizing its life-affirming goals more than the critique of traditional metaphysics and modern science. Kirkland argues that in his major works Nietzsche takes on a set of distinctive stances or rhetorical "masks"—the free spirit, the proponent of perspectivism, and the philosopher of the eternal return—to create a "politics of contest." Out of that contest, Nietzsche hopes that a new form and understanding of human nobility will arise.

• Part 1 IntroductionChapter 2 1. Educating the Free SpiritChapter 3 2. Masks of HonestyChapter 4 3. Nobility and ResponsibilityChapter 5 4. The Esteeming AnimalChapter 6 5. Willing and TimeChapter 7 6. Redeeming Time: The Teaching of the Eternal ReturnChapter 8 7. Eternal Return and the Ethics of ContestChapter 9 8. Politics of ContestChapter 10 9. Heights of the Soul: Laughter and the Perspective of LifeChapter 11 10. Challenging the Old and New Tablets: Nietzsche's Art of WritingPart 12 Conclusion

Paul E. Kirkland is assistant professor of political science at Carthage College.

Paul Kirkland gives an impressively comprehensive and illuminating account of Nietzsche's thought, emphasizing its life-affirming goals more than the critique of traditional metaphysics and modern science. Kirkland argues that in his major works Nietzsche takes on a set of distinctive stances or rhetorical "masks"—the free spirit, the proponent of perspectivism, and the philosopher of the eternal return—to create a "politics of contest." Out of that contest, Nietzsche hopes that a new form and understanding of human nobility will arise.

• Part 1 IntroductionChapter 2 1. Educating the Free SpiritChapter 3 2. Masks of HonestyChapter 4 3. Nobility and ResponsibilityChapter 5 4. The Esteeming AnimalChapter 6 5. Willing and TimeChapter 7 6. Redeeming Time: The Teaching of the Eternal ReturnChapter 8 7. Eternal Return and the Ethics of ContestChapter 9 8. Politics of ContestChapter 10 9. Heights of the Soul: Laughter and the Perspective of LifeChapter 11 10. Challenging the Old and New Tablets: Nietzsche's Art of WritingPart 12 Conclusion