Many interpreters read Nietzsche as an epiphenomenalist. This means that, contrary to everyday “felt” experience, consciousness has no causal influence on our actions. In the first half of this paper I show that an epiphenomenalist interpretation proposed by Brian Leiter is unsupported by Nietzsche’s texts. Further, contemporary research does not conclusively support epiphenomenalism, as Leiter claims. In the second half of the paper I present the novel, causally efficacious view of consciousness that is supported by Nietzsche’s texts. This view of consciousness does not present consciousness as a self-caused faculty that is in some way separate from the rest of our mind and body, but rather views consciousness as a non-essential property of certain mental states. I trace the development of this idea through two key passages and show that, in the danger it presents as well as in the promise, consciousness is clearly causally efficacious.

Brian Leiter is one of the few Nietzsche interpreters who argue that Nietzsche rejects all forms of free will. Leiter argues that Nietzsche is an incompatibilist and rejects libertarian free will. He further argues that since Nietzsche is an epiphenomenalist about conscious willing, his philosophy of action cannot support any conception of free will. Leiter also offers deflationary readings of those passages where Nietzsche seemingly ascribes free will to historical figures or types. In this paper I argue against all of these conclusions. In the first section I show that, on the most charitable interpretation, Nietzsche is not an epiphenomenalist. In the second section I trace Nietzsche’s alleged incompatibilism through three of his works and offer reasons to be skeptical of the claim that Nietzsche was a committed incompatibilist. Finally, I argue that Nietzsche is not being sarcastic or unacceptably revisionary when he makes positive ascriptions of free will.

Dissertation--Philosophische Fakultät III--Berlin--Humboldt-Universität, 2002. / Bibliogr. p. 275-287.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of California, San Diego, 2009. / Title from 1st page of PDF file (viewed Dec. 16, 2009). Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Includes sound files of the thesis recital in 44K stereo. and 96K formats.

Thesis (D.M.A.)--University of California, San Diego, 2001. / Vita. Includes reproduction of Ferneyhough's score of Cassandra's dream song as Appendix C. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 84-85).

His world is full of organisms with no names. Brian Leander is working to discover and characterize the diversity of life on Earth.

Thesis (M. A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2007. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

Thesis--University of Florida. / Description based on print version record. Typescript. Vita. Bibliography: leaves 192-197.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of North Carolina at Wilmington, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves: [40]-41)

Thesis (Th. M.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 75-80).