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power quanta

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Bryan Finken

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Apr 1, 2007, 6:34:56 PM4/1/07
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Nietzsche's discussions of the will to power sometimes included
mention of power quanta. Is there a good secondary source discussion
of those passages to be read?

Noel Friesen

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Apr 2, 2007, 1:40:36 AM4/2/07
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"Bryan Finken" <not2...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1175466896....@l77g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...

> Nietzsche's discussions of the will to power sometimes included
> mention of power quanta. Is there a good secondary source discussion
> of those passages to be read?
>
Where does he mention power quanta? I've read most of what he's written and
I don't recall ever seeing that mentioned. Would you mind quoting a source?


Bryan Finken

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Apr 5, 2007, 3:50:19 PM4/5/07
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On Apr 1, 11:40 pm, "Noel Friesen" <noel.*remove*frie...@shaw.ca>
wrote:
> "Bryan Finken" <not2pl...@gmail.com> wrote in message

From
http://caae.phil.cmu.edu/Cavalier/80254/Nietzsche/W_P_3.html

The theory of Will to Power" that we find in the Nachlass is a highly
complex world picture described from many angles (KGW VIII 3, 46).
First off, Nietzsche does not intend the term Wille to refer to mere
human "willing" (KGW VII 3, 334-336; VIII 3, 186), but rather he
refers to the will to power as a vast, interlocking struggle of
indefinite "power quanta" preserving and enhancing constantly changing
power constellations (Machtconstellationen) (KGW VII 3, 338; VIII 3,
162-3; VIII 2, 55). The image here is one of ontological strife in
which power quanta (Machtquantum) or power centers (Kraftcentrum)
unfold in a "lawless" Becoming whose only underlying "reality" is
preservation and enhancement of power (KGW VIII 3, 49-52, 163; VIII 2,
278). Hence, Reality reduces to pure Becoming.


From
http://www.ul.ie/~philos/vol8/socrates.html

These effects are permanently interacting with one another, for each
thing is a power-quantum consisting of will and power. These aspects
can only be thought separately, but they can never actually exist
independently of one another. So all effects are power-quanta, and we
ourselves are also just a set of power-quanta. Nietzsche's metaphysics
is exclusively this-worldly.

Noel Friesen

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Apr 5, 2007, 4:15:19 PM4/5/07
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"Bryan Finken" <not2...@gmail.com> wrote in message
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Hmm, clearly I'm missing a lot by only reading english translations of
Nietzsche. Time to learn german.
In my reading of Nietzsche his view of 'will' is deterministic. So,
describing everything as will to power is almost tautological.
The only things that can exist are those power constellations that are
effective at acquiring power. If they weren't good at acquiring power they
wouldn't exist. Therefore, all that exists is designed to acquire power.


smith

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Apr 23, 2007, 7:51:26 PM4/23/07
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I don't recall any discussions directly dealing with the passages you
have in mind, but it strikes me that Deleuze's readings would be most
relevant.

Bryan Finken

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May 1, 2007, 2:07:45 PM5/1/07
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Deleuze? I read his book on N many years ago. I recall it as
typically postmodern in its replacing of what is said by who is
speaking (i.e., there is no signified), and then attributing something
like that to Nietzsche, so that his question 'who is in the will?'
gets a rather unexpected, postmodern interpretation. But I don't
remember the power quanta being discussed there.

Will take a look. Thanks.

Any other suggestions out there?

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