Beholding Nietzsche: Ecce Homo, Fate, and Freedom

That Ecce Homo, with its subtitle How One Becomes What One is;\u27 is Nietzsche\u27s self-presentation of sorts seems rather easy to conclude. But why does Nietzsche do this? What is evident? What do we really learn from the work? Is it primarily a behind-the-scenes peek at Nietzsche\u27s thought, the ideas that truly or actually motivated him? How complete is it as an autobiography, given that it seems devoted largely to his writings? To what extent can we put much stock in the account at all given that Nietzsche would slip into madness not long after the first draft was complete and while still editing and revising it for publication? I hope to shed some light on these common concerns about Nietzsche\u27s Ecce Homo by focusing on how the text bears on his controversial and seemingly paradoxical ideas about agency, fate, and freedom in his presentation of the type he is and how he evolved. Ultimately, I think the presentation of himself that Nietzsche advances in Ecce Homo offers evidence that he anticipates an achievable form of human freedom, although it might be more limited than what the Nietzsche literature sometimes reflects

Nietzsche, Agency, and Responsibility: “Das Thun ist Alles”

This article examines Robert Pippin’s most recent contributions to debates about Nietzsche’s views about agency and freedom in his Nietzsche, Psychology, and First Philosophy. In particular, I focus on his elaboration of Nietzsche’s claim, quoting Goethe, in On the Genealogy of Morality that “das Thun ist Alles”—the deed is everything. I highlight what I consider to be particularly promising features of Pippin’s expressivist reading of Nietzsche, suggest ways it might be developed even further, and indicate how such views about agency are relevant to Nietzsche’s anticipation of overcoming morality—particularly the sort that links value with intention—and to a revised conception of responsibility

The Effects of Ground Gypsum Wallboard Application on Soil Physical and Chemical Properties and Crop Yield

Crushed gypsum wallboard (CW) is a plentiful calcium and sulfur rich product that has been used as a soil amendment. CW is an excellent source of Ca and S that can help improve soil structure, increase infiltration rate, ameliorate subsoil acidity, and decrease surface crusting enabling the soil to supply more water to the crop through infiltration and better conditions for root growth. However it may cause magnesium deficiency in certain crops. In this study ground gypsum wallboard as a soil amendment at varying rates was investigated on typical Tennessee soils planted with fescue, tobacco, and sweet potato. Data collected included crop yields and soil physical and chemical properties such as bulk density, water content, pH, Ca, Mg, and K. Five experiments were conducted, pm fescue sod, tow on tobacco, and one on sweet potatoes. Tobacco and fescue experiments were conducted at the University of Tennessee Highland Rim Research and Education Center, experiments with fescue and sweet potatoes were conducted at the Tennessee State University Research and Demonstration Farm, and an experiment with tobacco was conducted at the University of Tennessee Research and Education center at Greeneville. In the fescue experiments CW was surface applied to fescue sod at three rates (0, 22, and 45 Mg/ha) in fall 2004. In the tobacco experiments, CW was surface applied and incorporated into the soil at three rates (0, 22 and 45 Mg/ha incorporated) and applied to the surface without incorporation at the 22 Mg/ha rate in spring 2005. in the sweet potato experiment, CW was applied a the same treatments as with tobacco, with an addition 22 Mg/ha treatment of a CW and wood mixture (CWW) incorporated into the soil, in spring 2005. In all cases, the CW treatments were compared to a no CW check. Results showed no detrimental effects of CW on crop yield. Soil pH was generally decreased by CW, but the decreases were small (0.1 to 0.3 pH units), and not detrimental to crop growth. Soil Ca was shown to increase at the soil surface with CW. In most cases, there was also an increase in subsurface Ca. A definite increase in exchangeable soil Ca was found from early season to after season soil samples at the surface and subsurface depths, indicating the much of the gypsum may have remained in the solid phase at the early sampling date. The Ca movement suggests the dissolution and leaching of gypsum had occurred in a short period of time, less than one year after application. The total increase in exchangeable Ca was less than the total Ca added, indicating that a large proportion of the gypsum added was still in the solid phase and available for continued dissolution over time. Soil Mg levels were found to be deficient in both fescue experiments at HR and TSU. K levels were shown to decrease when CW was applied, especially in the fescue and sweet potato experiments at TSU. Soil water content increased slightly and soil strength decreased, in some cases significantly, which could be beneficial to plant growth. Bulk density showed little decrease when CW was incorporated into the soil. From the results obtained by this study, using CW as a soil amendment not only helps waste management but can benefit the soil for a long period of time. Future studies should conduct plant analyses for possible deficiencies caused by the high rates of CW, collect more water data, and conduct the study for more than one year. It is probable that the short time frame in which the study was conducted may have prevented the effects of CW from being fully expressed

In What Senses are Free Spirits Free?

My broadest claim in this article is, unsurprisingly, that there are multiple senses of freedom associated with the freedom of the free spirit. These include both positive and negative senses – that is, when describing how free spirits are free, Nietzsche sometimes characterizes this as freedom to do something, and sometimes as freedom from certain kinds of constraints. In this article, I do not aim to provide an exhaustive catalogue of the different senses invoked in Nietzsche’s ‘free spirit’ texts. Instead, I wish to highlight some particular senses, including some that are less frequently discussed in the scholarly literature and account for how these differing senses are related, including some puzzling ideas that Nietzsche appears to hold regarding how these different senses might be realizable simultaneously. In thinking through this, I believe, we are presented with ideas that bear on Nietzsche’s views about freedom more generally

On Sovereignty and Overhumanity Why It Matters How We Read Nietzsche\u27s Genealogy 11:2

There is nearly unanimous agreement, among those who bother to pay attention to Nietzsche\u27s anomalous claim about the sovereign individual in the second essay of On the Genealogy of Morals that the sovereign is Nietzsche\u27s ideal, and many more still take sovereignty as the signature feature of the overman Nietzsche heralds in his Thus Spoke Zarathustra and other writings. I describe the reception among Nietzsche scholars as nearly unanimous because there has been at least one cry of dissent: that issued by Lawrence Harab. Curiously, his brief but incisive comments about the problematic nature of several readings along these lines continue to be ignored. With this chapter, I add my voice to his and call for a rally. Emphases on Nietzsche\u27s sovereign individuality encourage what I shall argue is a misreading of the passage in question. Moreover, this mistake has far-reaching consequences insofar as it supports a mischaracterization of Nietzsche\u27s philosophy generally and results in a failure to consider significant ways in which Nietzsche\u27s conception of the subject might be relevant for contemporary moral philosophy

Success Through Community Cultural Wealth: Reflections From Black Female College Athletes at a Historically Black College/University (HBCU) and a Historically White Institution (HWI)

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of Black female college athletes at a Division I historically Black college/university (HBCU) and historically White institution (HWI) and identify key influences that facilitated their academic achievement and positive educational experiences. Two focus groups and eight individual interviews were conducted with three Black female college athletes at a HBCU and five Black female college athletes at a HWI. An 8-item demographic questionnaire was administered to obtain information related to the participants’ personal backgrounds. Yosso’s (2005) community cultural wealth framework was incorporated to highlight individual and environmental influences that contributed to participants’ positive educational and developmental outcomes. Findings revealed participants accessed and leveraged various forms of familial, resistant, aspirational, social, and navigational capital to overcome challenges and excel in college. Implications for policy and practice are discussed

Barriers to Health Literacy and Competency Participatory Education in the Champlain Valley Head Start Program

Background: Poor health literacy has impeded public health efforts for many years. Several barriers to achieving higher levels of health literacy have been identified and specific ethods to overcome these have been applied: • Role-playing has been shown to be an effective way to communicate ideas, creating audience participation and learner empowerment. • Pictographs, simple drawings depicting stories or principles, have also been used to make health information more comprehendible. • Non-written forms of communication have been especially useful in overcoming language barriers. • A recent Harvard study demonstrated the ability to increase health literacy in low-income populations. Over a three-year period, educational posters and pamphlets were placed in primary care offices throughout Massachusetts. Assessment surveys were mailed to participants before and after the trial. An increase in health competency was most significant in low-income populations. These studies formed the foundation for our current work, which sought to improve health literacy among parents of the Chittenden County Head Start Program. This is a nationally-funded program dedicated to providing free, comprehensive health, nutrition, and social services to families with pre-school children (ages three to five). Participants in the Head Start Program must have low-income to be eligible.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1028/thumbnail.jp