BONNIE - The Politics of Agoonism. a Critical Response to Beyond Good and Evil. Arendt, Nietzsche, And the Aestheticization of Political Action. by Dana Villa

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The Politics of Agonism: A Critical Response to "Beyond Good and Evil: Arendt, Nietzsche,and the Aestheticization of Political Action" by Dana R. VillaAuthor(s): Bonnie HonigReviewed work(s):Source: Political Theory, Vol. 21, No. 3 (Aug., 1993), pp. 528-533Published by: Sage Publications, Inc.

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CRITICALRESPONSESEDITOR'SNOTE: Dana Villa's ssay nArendtand ietzschentheMay1992 ssue fPoliticalTheoryngendered largenumberf ritical esponses. am sorryhatpace considerationsprevent e rom ublishinghemlL.

THE POLITICS OF AGONISMACriticalResponse o BeyondGood and Evil:Arendt,Nietzsche,nd theAestheticizationofPoliticalAction byDana R. VillaBONNIE HONIGHarvardUniversity

IN A RECENTESSAY,Dana Villa' walks HannahArendt's oliticalthoughtlong a tightropeetween woabysses.To save her from hedialogical onsensualismf herHabermasianppropriators,estressesheNietzschean imensions f Arendt's ccount f action,n particular,tsnonsovereignty.ut, est Arendt all intothe creeping ubjectivismfNietzsche's urelygonistic odel p. 288),Villa hentresses rendt'surntoKant, nwhosetheoryftaste nd udgmenthe sought hestabilityand reassurancef a sensus communis hatNietzsche nd postmodernNietzscheansre saidtodismisswithmpatience.he resultmycriticalresponsenotwithstanding)s an elegant ndcommandingccount f anagonistic,estheticizedction hat oes beyond ood and evil withoutfallingnto he rap f nihilisticubjectivism.Atthe eginningfhis ssay, avingeached the eart f hessue, Villasays hatArendt'sniqueness.. canonly emeasuredhroughsustainedinvestigationf theNietzschean imension,roandcontra,f herworkAUTHOR'SNOTE: Thanks o SteveJohnstonndTracy trongortheir ommentsn earlierdrafts f his ssay.POLITICALTHEORY,Vol.21 No. 3 August 993 528-533? 1993SagePublications,nc.528

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Honig POLITICS OF AGONISM 529(p. 275). Myaim nthis esponsesto uggesthatmuch emains obe doneon this ront.illa's ontrastfNietzsche'sexcessivegonism ith rendt'smore tame arietyp. 288) producesmisleadingeadingsfbothNietzscheand Arendtn which he nstitutionalismf both hinkerss neglectedndtheir estheticismsoverdrawnnddepoliticized.Forexample,s Villa orrecthat antianudgmentsthemechanismhatsavesArendtiangonism romubjectivism?rethere oother racticesrinstitutionshat ondition ndstabilize ction nArendt's ccount?Whataboutaction n concert, romising, orgiveness,aw,thepublic-privatedistinction,oundings,onstitution-making,nd amendment?heproblemis notmerely hat illa eavesthese lementsutofhis ccount.No readingcaninclude verything.heproblems thatVillaprivilegesudgments asolutiono a problem rendt ever uitewantedosolve:theunrulinessfaction,ts xcess, tsresistanceobeing aptured-tamed-by nyperspec-tive, nterpretation,rstory.There s a tensionnArendt'shoughtetween heboundlessction hecelebratesndtheboundary-drawingunctionsfpromising,orgiveness,constitutionsallthemselvesormsrproductsf ction),udgment,aw, ndthe ublic/privateistinction.hetensionsa site f ontestn a democraticregime, sitefromwhich ction sgenerated.utVilladoes notnvestigatethat ension.nstead, eresolves t.He tames heArendtiangon,bycon-trastingt with n excessive, unrestricted,uncritical gonism ndsubjectivismhathe attributeso a particularly ild-eyed ietzsche. hecontrast akesArendtianudgmentook uccessfuls a deviceofdomesti-cation, nd t makes s thankfulhat heprovidedt.It is undoubtedlyrue hatArendt erself ended o relyon thisverycontrastodistinguisherownaccount romNietzsche's. utherdebt oNietzsche s morecomplicated hanVilla allows. Villa's uncriticalndapprovingedeploymentf he adicallyubjectivist,ihilisticietzschehatArendt ften resupposes revents s from ppreciatinghe omplexityfArendt's elation oNietzsche ecause t stopsus from sking riticallywhether ietzsche'sgonismsreally excessive nd antipoliticalp.276).Onceweposethese uestions,owever,therspects fNietzscheangon-ism surface nd ourunderstandingf theArendt-Nietzschengagementsdeepenedndcomplicated.Is Nietzsche'sgonism xcessive?nanearly ssay, Homer'sContest,Nietzsche hows he ame ove oftheworld nd devotion o the ontestsArendt,he amefear hat he gon'swinnersould hut own he gon ndfractureheforces hat, nited, avethepower o maintainnd preservet.Hereheespousesnot radical ubjectism ut commitmentotherespon-sible maintenancef a public, hared pace of appearances or he ake of



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530 POLITICALTHEORY/August 993the ontestt nables nd ecures. his gonisms not nrestricted.ietzscheendorseshe ncient reek racticef ostracismoprotecthe gonfromdominationy a single individual ho towersbovetherest. 2orhim,ostracismvidences ot n ntolerancef xcellence ut commitmento ts(re)production.y preservinghe gon, stracismecured structuredp-portunityor ndividualsotesthemselvesnddevelop heirwndistinctiveexcellences. he agonprovidedheplurality,quality,ndcommonality-thefreedom romomination-thatothNietzschendArendtosit s thenecessaryonditionsfvirtuosicction.TheNietzschewhowroteHomer'sContest s stillverymuchnevi-dence nhis aterworks.n On theGenealogyfMorals,Nietzschendorsesa conceptionf aw whosevirtues itspower o mposemeasurend imitan otherwisenrestrictedgonism,tabilizingn ordered iteofcontestwithoutominatingt.Andscatteredhroughoutiswork reremarkshatecho Machiavelli n their dmirationorRomeand their everence orinstitutionsswell s forhe uman apacityofound,rganize,ndmaintaincommunitiesf knowledge r power.3 illamakesno mentionftheseelementsnNietzsche'shought.ndeed, is epeatedeferencesoNietzsche's(andthepostmodernietzscheans')hirstorwill to power ndDion'ysianflux omuch oocclude hempp.276,290-91, 99).Theymust eoccludedifVilla sto sustain is laim hat rendt'surnotasteudgmentnderlinesthe alsenessfthe Nietzscheanichotomyetween universal, etaphys-ically rounedmetadiscoursend fragmented,ostmetaphysicaliscursiverealm driveny] hewill opower p.301).Thedichotomys, ndeed,alse,but t snotNietzsche's: ietzsche'swnreverenceor gonisticnstitutionscuts cross t.

AndArendt erself new hat, ot n TheLifeoftheMind,where hewronglyccusesNietzsche femasculatinghewill,but n TheHumanCondition, here hepraisesNietzsche or eeing with nequaled laritythe onnectionetweenumanovereigntyndthe acultyfmakingrom-ises. FromNietzsche, rendt orrows ot nly he tabilizingractice fpromising,heorizedyNietzschenthe econd ssay fGenealogy,ut lsothat f forgiveness,process f constantmutual elease theorized yNietzsches a practicefdismissingn the irstssayofGenealogy.4ntheplaceofostracism,romisingndforgivenessrotectheArendtiangon-thespaceof free ndmeaning-generativection-from orces hatmightoverwhelmt,fromhe ominationf a single reat igure,assion, esent-ment,r deology. ogetherhese racticesringomepredictabilityotheagonand oftenhe ffectsf ction's oundlessness ithoutomesticatingthe ontingencyhats action'snecessaryonditionnd withouteprivingaction f ts xhilarationndgenerativeower. hey o not tame he gon



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Honig/POLITICS OF AGONISM 531(no more hanudgment oes);they onditionndstructuret nways hatare more nternaloagonisticction han ven asteudgments.5

ButArendt'sheorizationfpromisingndforgivenessoesdepart romNietzsche n one importantespect: he forgiving nd promisinghatNietzsche rizes re ndividualndeavors. ietzsche's romiserindshim-self n time;he commits imselfo some futurectionbut not to otherpersons.Andthedismissingf Nietzsche's ords s a shrug f ndifferencethatnnoway onstitutesnongoing elationshipetweenhem ndothers;on the ontrary,t smeant o ward ff reciselyhat. y contrast,rendt'sforgivingndpromisingonstituteasting olitical ommunities;romisingbinds ome oothersntime ndforgivingmpowershose onds o surviveeven n thefaceofaction's npredictabilities.rendtheorizesorgivenessand promisingor he ake ofa politics f foundinghatNietzschehoughtcould not and shouldnot)takeplace in the nhospitableonditions fmodernity.Does thatmean thatNietzsches, as Villa suggests, ommittedo afragmented,ostmetaphysicaliscursive ealm driven y] thewill topower fter ll? Arendt ften houghto.6But to leave mattersheres toleave unexploredneof hemostuggestivespects f heArendt-Nietzscheengagement.fNietzsche's estheticisms forndividualsndnot or roups,if tseffects to ndividuatend even solatepersons atherhan ind hemtogether,hatsnot, ontra illa, imply ecauseNietzsche astoobeholdento an aestheticsfexistence nwhichhis positivelyalorized otion fdifference.remainsoetic atherhan olitical, is rtistrysolated atherthan ublic p. 300). It s becauseNietzsche hought-asdid Arendt,ftenenough-thannanage ike urs,whenevereoplegatherogetherwhetheras actors r s udging pectators)he onditionsfmassness egin o set n.Arendthoughthathe est esponseo this redicamentastoretrievehepossibilityf n authenticolitical ction apableofresistinghe ise fthesocial andthe dministrationf the atemodern tate y establishingewcommunitiesfmeaningndnew ites fresistance. ietzscheejectedhisoptionnotbecausehe wasfirst,ast, nd foremost radical ubjectivistutbecause hethoughthat period f preparationnd breedingmust recedethe advent fgreat olitics.7hrough estheticelf-discipline,ndividualsmustwork nthemselvesnd ransformheir egative ill ovengeancentopositive reativity.n theabsence of proper reparationnd individualself-disciplinewhichNietzsche ometimeseferso as a period frecoveryandconvalescence), oliticalctionwill nevitablyink nto essentiment.For Villa,Nietzsche'sproject f self-fashioningtands s a cruciallimitation f his contributiono thinking luralitynd differencen apoliticalway p. 300). But,Nietzschemightwell respond, his aesthetic)



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532 POLITICALTHEORY/August 993preparations a necessaryondition f a possible olitics n modernity:prelude.8 oreover,he atemodemNietzschean ight dd,theproject faestheticreparations itself oliticalnot repolitical)ecause tspracticesof self-fashioninghallenge xisting istributionsf power,disrupt hehegemonic ocial, ndproliferateolitical paces when hey nterruptheroutine,redictability,nd repetitionn which on Arendt's wn account)dominantatternsfprivateealmdentityepend.Arendt'snsistencen the urityf he olitical ndher egregationf heprivate rom hepublicprevent erfrom eeing hepolitical haracterfNietzscheanreparation.ut n he nd he uccess fArendt'swnpoliticalproject resupposeshe uccessof Nietzsche's roject f ndividuationorof one ike t). Otherwise,rendt'sction nconcertisks lidingntomassbehavior.onverselyot nlys theNietzscheanrojectf elf-transforma-tion tself lready olitical ut, urther,t annot ucceedwithouthe upportof agonisticnstitutionsike Arendt's. therwise, ietzsche's roject fpreparationnd ransformationisksapsingntomerewithdrawalism.hat s,indeed,he iskfNietzsche'sroject-butt snot ecessarilyts ate. rendt'serror astomistakehe ormeror he atter.illa's rrors torepeat ers.

NOTES1. Dana R. Villa, BeyondGood andEvil: Arendt, ietzsche,ndtheAestheticizationfPolitical ction, oliticalTheory0 (1992):274-308.2. Friedrchietzsche,Homer's ontest, n ThePortableNietzsche,ranslatednd ditedbyWalter aufmannNewYork:Viking, 954), 6.3. Friedrich ietzsche, n theGenealogyfMorals hereafterM), translatedyWalterKaufmannnd R. J.HollingdaleNewYork:Vintage,969), i,12.See also,for xample, heWill oPower hereafter P), ranslatedyWalter aufmannndR. J.HollingdaleNewYork:RandomHouse,1967),#480;The Gay Science, ranslatedyWalter aufmannNewYork:Vintage,974),#356.discussNietzsche'severenceornstitutionst engthnPolitical heoryand theDisplacementfPolitics Ithaca,NY: Cornell niversityress, 993), hap.3.4. HannahArendt,heHuman onditionhereafterHC) Chicago:UniversityfChicagoPress, 958),245,240.Arendtriticizes ietzscheor ishostilityowilling, uther riticismturnsnpart nan ncompleteuotationromheWill oPower.CompareWilling,ol.2ofThe

Life f theMind, dited yMaryMacCarthyNewYork:HarcourtraceJovanovich,978),170;andWP,#585 A). Her debt o Nietzsche'sccount fpromisinglso tums n a partialmisreadingcompare HCat 245 andthe irstwo phorismsf he econd ssayofGM).Andherdebt oNietzschenforgivenesss unacknowledged.argue or tand discuss hese ndotherssues n detailnPoliticalTheoryndtheDisplacementfPolitics,haps. and4.5.Becauseoneofthe hingshat illavaluesmostboutArendt'surno tasteudgmentsthattmodifieser estheticizedctionnternally288),thereregroundsthe amegrounds)toprivilegehepracticesfpromisingndforgivenessqually.



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Honig/POLITICS OF AGONISM 5336. Arendthoughtietzsche ltimatelyailed oappreciatehe owernherentnpromisingbecause fhis modem rejudiceo see the ource f ll powernthewillpower f he solatedindividual THC, 245). As I argue elow, hiswas nomere rejudiceut commitmento apracticefpreparationrioropoliticalction.7. Nietzsche's alk ofgreat olitics-hisallusions o battle,mastery,ndpower nd toaristocratic,reatmen, hilosophers,ommanders,nd egislators-providehosewho aresoinclinedwith heresourceso treat im s an advocate f master acedomination.uttheseelementsf Nietzsche's houghtre ll at ease withhis commnitmentoagonismndwithhisvalorizationfpracticesf self-commandnd self-discipline.eithernterpretationan besustainedwithoutubduingome elementsnNietzsche'shinkingnd highlightingthers.agreewithAlanWhite's ormulation:Letus be as charitableoNietzsches toAristotle:etusgranthat hosewhoaremostnoble, dmirablendself-affirmingill not ttemptoexploit

others. White,Withinietzsche'sabyrinthNewYork:Routledge,990), 130.8. Myviewof Nietzsches a theoristfpreparationraws n Richard lathman'sWillfulLiberalism: oluntarismnd ndividualitynPolitical heoryndPracticeIthaca,NY: ComellUniversityress, 992).

BonnieHonig sAssociate rofessorfGovernmenttHarvard niversity.he sauthorofPolitical heorynd theDisplacementf PoliticsCornellUniversityress,1993)and is currently riting bookon moral and politicaltheoreticalreatmentsfdilemmas.

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BONNIE - The Politics of Agoonism. a Critical Response to Beyond Good and Evil. Arendt, Nietzsche, And the Aestheticization of Political Action. by Dana Villa