Professor Rebecca Bamford of Hamden Co-Authors New Book

HAMDEN, CT – Rebecca Bamford of Hamden, professor of philosophy at Quinnipiac University, has co-authored a new book, “Nietzsche's Dawn: Philosophy, Ethics, and the Passion of Knowledge.”

Bamford wrote the book with Keith Ansell-Pearson, professor of philosophy at the University of Warwick in England. She said the work is the first book-length study in English of Friedrich Nietzsche’s, “Dawn: Thoughts on the Presumptions of Morality.”

“Our main aim in the book is to provide a sustained analysis of ‘Dawn' as a distinct, internally coherent philosophical project,” Bamford said. “We apply some of the insights that we identified in it to current ethical, social and political issues. One of the hallmarks of my research is to show how the history of philosophy is directly relevant to responding effectively to contemporary problems arising at the intersections of ethics, politics, medicine, technology and the sciences.”

Nietzsche was a German philosopher, cultural critic, composer, poet and philologist whose work has exerted a profound influence on modern intellectual history.

Published in 1881, “Dawn” represents a significant moment in the development of Nietzsche’s philosophy and his break with German philosophic thought. Although groundbreaking in many ways, “Dawn” remains the least studied of Nietzsche’s works.

In “Nietzsche's Dawn: Philosophy, Ethics, and the Passion of Knowledge,” Bamford and Ansell-Pearson present a thorough treatment of the second installment of Nietzsche’s so-called “free spirit” trilogy.

The book explores Nietzsche’s philosophy when he wrote “Dawn” and discusses the modern relevance of themes such as fear, superstition, terror, and moral and religious fanaticism. The authors link Nietzsche’s work with key areas of philosophical inquiry, such as “the art of living well,” skepticism and naturalism.

The book introduces, “Dawn,” discusses how to read Nietzsche, and highlights his literary and philosophical influences and efforts to advance his “free spirit” philosophy. In addition, the book addresses many other topics relevant to “Dawn,” including presumptions of customary morality, hatred of the self, free-minded thinking and embracing science and the passion of knowledge.