Os Democritea: da filologia à emergência do pensamento genealógico em Nietzsche

Abstract

This study is situated within the epistemological sphere and seeks to investigate the formative trajectory of Friedrich Nietzsche’s thought, tracing a path from skeptical philology toward genealogical philosophy, using as its guiding thread the fragments collected in the Democritea (1867–1870). We argue that these early philological writings are decisive for understanding Nietzsche’s methodological transition, as they reveal the adoption of a critical stance toward philological traditions and indicate the outline of the genealogical attitude that would later characterize his intermediate philosophical period. The analysis of the Democritea shows that, in engaging with the sources related to Democritus, Nietzsche develops an investigative practice grounded in suspicion, the problematization of the origin of discourses, and a critique of tradition’s claim to truth. Far from representing a departure from philology, this movement consists in transforming it from within into a critical tool for reflecting on the historical constitution of values and cultural forms. In this sense, the Democritea represent not merely a formative moment, but a fundamental stage for understanding the development of Nietzsche’s thought, insofar as they reveal the continuity between his early philological practice and the critical philosophy of his later years. Accordingly, this dissertation not only seeks to highlight the importance of these still underexplored writings but also aims to offer a new path toward the origins of Nietzschean philosophy.