Nietzsche’s Escape from and Return to Women

Abstract ‘With women, “you never plumb their depths – they do not have any”.’ This quotation from Losurdo’s work Nietzsche, The Aristocratic Rebel , one of the many where Nietzsche addresses the feminine, clearly shows the German philosopher’s dislike and hatred of women. Yet, in his work, Nietzsche repeatedly returns to the role of the female. We can therefore say that the relationship with the feminine is one of the essential cruxes in Nietzsche’s thought. Beginning with Losurdo’s interpretation, this essay intends not only to investigate the substantial discrepancy between Nietzsche’s ‘masculinist’ approach and his private and personal relationship with the feminine, but also to understand the theoretical, political, and historical reasons which led to his interpretation of the female. Such an investigation will allow us to bring out contradictions intrinsic to Nietzsche’s thought and reveal his sensitivity to the spirit of his time.