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Gorfu Contra Neitzsch - Book Review By AlemSeghed Kebede G. E. Gorfu has made a name for himself by engaging with the work of Fredric Nietzsche, considered by many as one of the most important thinkers of the Ninetieth Century. However, Gorfu Contra Nietzsche is not just another addition to the already existing pile of literature on Nietzsche. Writing vivaciously and with clarity, Gorfu has brought to our attention a vital trait of Nietzsche which is often put aside by the scholars of this controversial thinker. In this venture, Gorfu has demonstrated not only his depth of understanding of Nietzsche's work, but his command over the history of philosophy as well. Very few out-establishment thinkers have succeeded in this manner. In Gorfu Contra Nietzsche, Gorfu's thrust of argument is centered on three themes: First, Nietzsche should not be taken lightly, because he laid the foundation for the forthcoming Nazi ideology. The "organic intellectuals" of Nazism did not weave their argument out of new cloth. Nietzsche had already done the best part of the job for them. Second, evil can only be defeated by spiritual means. However much corporeally powerful one is, one cannot inflict defeat against evil by physical means alone. In so far as the underlying premises of evil forces remain intact, evil is defeated temporarily at best and superficially at worst. Not only is "defeating" evil by physical means limited in being adhockery, but its unintended consequence lies in the reproduction of evil itself. The good doer turns into a killer, and society turns into a collectivity of vengeful agents. Finally, Nietzsche, according to Gorfu, got it all wrong as far as the role of the Aristocracy in the history of humankind is concerned. Far from "elevating mankind," the Aristocracy has always glided over the political landscape without making a meaningful contribution to society. With major historic victories, although heroes are conferred with a symbolic status, it has always been the masses who took the brunt of the burden. Nietzsche has miserably failed in disregarding the deeds of the unsung heroes and heroines of the world. G. E. Gorfu's work, however, is not limited to the foregoing themes. His book deals with wide-ranging topics. Some of the noteworthy questions considered include: What is the relationship between leaders and social experience? What happens to society when its "leader" is an individual in spite of the requisite social experience? What are the merits and demerits of organization? What are the defining features of slavery? What are the conditions that affect the "will to emancipation"? How do classes fare with respect to the push/pull factors of migration? What is the relationship between individuals and music? All these issues and more, are discussed with great intellectual profoundness. In the process, the reader is stimulated to engage himself/herself in some serious reflection. By and large, in Gorfu Contra Nietzsche Gorfu's points are crisp, direct, and forceful. His writing style is unpretentious. Even those who might disagree with Gorfu's account can but find his argument intriguing and hard to ignore. AlemSeghed Kebede is Professor of Social Theories at California State University, Bakersfield. http://www.csub.edu/~akebede/bio.html www.tigrai.net |