Written at the height of the philosopher's intellectual powers, Friedrich Nietzsche's On the Genealogy of Morals has become one of the key texts of recent Western philosophy. Its essayistic style affords a unique opportunity to observe many of Nietzsche's persisting concerns coming together in an illuminating constellation. A profound influence on psychoanalysis, antihistoricism, and poststructuralism and an abiding challenge to ethical theory, Nietzsche's book addresses many of the major philosophical problems and possibilities of modernity.

In this unique collection focusing on the Genealogy, twenty-five notable philosophers offer diverse discussions of the book's central themes and concepts. They explore such notions as ressentiment, asceticism, "slave" and "master" moralities, and what Nietzsche calls "genealogy" and its relation to other forms of inquiry in his work. The book presents a cross section of contemporary Nietzsche scholarship and philosophical investigation that is certain to interest philosophers, intellectual and cultural historians, and anyone concerned with one of the master thinkers of the modern age.

Richard Schacht is Professor of Philosophy and Jubilee Professor of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His most recent books are Nietzsche: Selections (1993) and Making Sense of Nietzsche (1994).

"On the Genealogy of Morals is the most widely discussed of Nietzsche's books—perhaps because it is at once more accessible and no less provocative than his other works. It now has a companion in this extensive collection of articles assembled by Richard Schacht. . . . [An] excellent original treatment. . . . The collection succeeds always in providing original, promising perspectives for understanding Nietzsche."—Ethics

"This excellent volume gives us a reliable measure of Nietzsche as a thinker."—The German Quarterly

"An excellent volume. . . . Valuable additions to Nietzsche scholarship. The variety of positions articulated and the discussion generated internally by the different authors will serve any reader of Nietzsche's Genealogy of Morals well."—Germanic Review

"[These] polished and penetrating essays by leading Nietzsche scholars provide a thorough analysis and critique of Nietzsche's most standard academic work. Each of the central themes of this daring and complex uncovering of the morality that has dominated Western thought and psychology for almost 2,000 years is insightfully discussed in this illuminating and often critical series of essays. . . . An outstanding array of perspectives highly recommended to Nietzscheans and others."—Choice