Wegbereiter, Stichwortgeber, Antipode. Die Stellung Nietzsches in der „Ersten Kulturwissenschaft“

Abstract Pioneer, Stooge, Antipode. Nietzsche’s Position in the “First Cultural Science.” The term “ Erste Kulturwissenschaft ” refers to a constellation in intellectual history around 1900 that was characterized by work on boundary concepts and in border areas between disciplines and cultures. Although it does not represent a homogeneous movement, authors such as Freud, Warburg, Simmel, Benjamin, and Plessner – often belonging to the assimilated German-Jewish bourgeoisie – share a historical-theoretical horizon that stands in contrast to the established epistemology of the humanities. Breaking with the institutional discourse of academic philosophy in Germany, Nietzsche can be considered one of the pioneers of this movement. The article examines Nietzsche’s role for the authors in question and their references to his writings, focusing mainly on Warburg and Benjamin. For Warburg, Nietzsche was a kind of mirror image throughout his life, while his relationship with him shifted from unbridled fascination to concern about being affected by an intense preoccupation with the orgiasm of ‘wild antiquity.’ Benjamin, who admired Nietzsche’s aphoristic writing, shared many of his interests, such as his criticism of petrified scientific concepts and the question of guilt and debt. Other authors, such as Simmel and Plessner, referred to Nietzsche’s philosophy of life, while Löwith’s works began to historicize Nietzsche and position his ideas in the history of philosophy.