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Nietzsche's Studies on Diogenes Laertius

Jonathan Barnes wrote a document about Nietzsche's studies on Diogenes Laertius from 1869 to 1870. Nietzsche published three long papers on Diogenes Laertius during this time period. Although Nietzsche intended to revise and publish the papers as a book, and planned other projects related to Diogenes Laertius, he did not end up publishing anything further on the topic after 1870. The document provides background information on Nietzsche's scholarly works and unrealized plans regarding Diogenes Laertius during this stage of his career.

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Rebecca Hernandez
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321 views1 page

Nietzsche's Studies on Diogenes Laertius

Jonathan Barnes wrote a document about Nietzsche's studies on Diogenes Laertius from 1869 to 1870. Nietzsche published three long papers on Diogenes Laertius during this time period. Although Nietzsche intended to revise and publish the papers as a book, and planned other projects related to Diogenes Laertius, he did not end up publishing anything further on the topic after 1870. The document provides background information on Nietzsche's scholarly works and unrealized plans regarding Diogenes Laertius during this stage of his career.

Uploaded by

Rebecca Hernandez
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

JONATHAN BARNES

NIETZSCHE AND DIOGENES LAERTIUS


Den grössten Einfluss haben
einige schöne Irrtümer erlangt.

In 1869 and 1870 Nietzsche published three long studies ön Diogenes


Laertius: de Laertii Diogenis fontibus,.analecta Laertiäna, and Beiträge %ur Quel-
lenkunde und Kritik des Laertius Diogenes.1 The Beiträge contains a short index to
all three papers, which Nietzsche evidently regarded äs parts of a single work;
and indeed the second and third studies can properly be treated äs a series of
appendixes to the first. Even äs the studies were in press Nietzsche wrote of his
intention to revise and publish them in book form.2 Curt entries in his notebooks
probably indicate thät the intention was still alive in 1874.3 A letter written to
Erwin Rohde in the summer of 1869 reveals a further Laertian project: 'Usener
and I plan a corpus on the history of philosophy in which I will deal with
Diogenes and he with Stobaeus, pseudo-Plutarch, etc.*4 The corpus was to be
a critical edition of the Greek texts, and in the same year Nietzsche wrote to
Curt Wachsmuth to ask for his collations of some of Diogenes' manuscripts.5
But these plans and projects were never realized, and Nietzsche published
nothing on Diogenes after 1870.6

1
The studies should be read in KGW II/l (edd. F. Bornmann and M. Carpitella, Berlin, 1982).
Nietzsche's Nacblass contains a vast number of notes, essays and preliminary sketches on
Diogenes: the texts are printed, with annotations, in BAW IV and V.
2
Letters to Friedrich Ritschi of 16. 10. 69 and 28. 3. 70: KGB II/l, p. 66 [no. 35] = BAB II,
p. 377 [no. 461], KGB /l, p. 110 [no. 68] = BAB III, p. 42 [no. 494].
3
See KGW III/3, pp. 40, 45, 54, 61 [all from winter 1869/70], 328 [1871]; HI/4, pp. 369, 445
[1874]. The entry at HI/3, p. 45, says that Diogenes 'should be ready' in autumn 1871; the
other entries simply list Diogenes' name among other philological projects. As late äs 1875/6
Nietzsche gave a seminar at Basel on 'Diogenes Laertius De/nocrif: C. P. Janz, 'Nietzsches
Lehrtätigkeit in Basel 1869 — 1879', Nietzsche-Studien 3, 1974, 192—203, at p. 200.
4
Letter of 16. 6. 69: KGB II/l, p. 18 [no. 8] = BAB II, pp. 329-330 [no. 434]. (All translations
from Nietzsche are my own.)
5
Letter of 14. 10. 69: KGB II/l, p. 64 [no. 34] = BAB U, pp. 375-6 [no. 460].
6
Not that Nietzsche ever forgot his Diogenes: there are occasional allusions or reminiscences
in many of his later writings (see the Index to C. P. Janz, Friedrich Nietzsche: Biographie,
Munich/Vienna, 1978/9).

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