Andrew Rao - Center for Post-Kantian Philosophy

I completed my bachelor’s in mathematics and philosophy and master’s degree in mathematics at Harvard University, graduating in 2021. I then studied for two years as an economics PhD student, also at Harvard, before going to Oxford to do the BPhil (a master’s degree in philosophy). There, I wrote on Wittgenstein and Nietzsche, among other things. I will be spending my time in Potsdam continuing my work on Nietzsche, as well as trying to improve my German.

Research Project

Reading Nietzsche's "On Truth and Lying in a Non-Moral Sense" Anew

I propose reading Nietzsche’s essay “On Truth and Lying in a Non-Moral Sense” as an attack on the predominant Socratic culture of valuing knowledge about hidden, ultimate reality, both by arguing that the culture itself is heading towards the conclusion that its own goal is unattainable, and laying bare how such a pursuit of truth has life-negating consequences. Nietzsche then looks forward to a new culture. On my reading, this new culture values what I am calling “seeing-anew.” I will then critique extant interpretations of the essay, arguing that they essentially forget to read its second half. Further, the new culture will reject the familiar dualistic approach to metaphysics which separates the world of appearances and genuine reality. In this connection, I will explore connections with the philosophy of Thomas Kuhn, as well as the poetry of Wallace Stevens. Finally, I will use this as a springboard to examine Nietzsche’s evolving later views on dualistic metaphysics.