Study on the Idea of Progress in Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Critical Theory

This book challenges the current general mood of disillusionment of belief in progress. By confronting the nihilistic – Nietzsche and Heidegger – and the utopian – Adorno, Horkheimer, and Marcuse – critiques of progress, it pursues a revitalization of the humanist tradition.

“. . . an ambitious and challenging book on the philosophy of history that explores the theme of progress from an original perspective. His method is both historical and conceptual, combining an intellectual history of the concept of progress with the development of a number of distinctions within the field of progressive philosophies of history. His work also has a critical edge, uncovering progressive philosophies of history at the core of theoretical works that profess to renounce progress. . . . The core of the book is a fascinating interpretation of the work of Nietzsche with an original and provocative reading of Thus Spake Zarathustra. This makes an important contribution to Nietzsche studies . . . an original and thoughtful contribution to a number of issues currently in the history of philosophy and social theory.” – Howard Caygill