“Life” between Aesthetics and Politics. In Search of a Possible Nietzschean Inheritance in Giorgio Agamben’s Thought

Abstract

This article traces a certain Nietzschean heritage in Agambenian considerations on life. The continuity between both thoughts is an unavoidable path to understand the scope of Agamben’s work. After analyzing some marginal references to the German philosopher, four issues are specifically addressed: firstly, the Agambenian philosophy is located among the postnietzschean authors who think “life” beyond the concept of “subject”; secondly, it is stated the importance of Nietzschean genealogical methodology that, through Foucault, Agamben adopts when focusing on life; in the third place, it is presented the idea of an original politicity of life that Agamben, returning to Nietzsche, assumes as a premise for his diagnosis on the functioning of contemporary societies; finally, the central role of arts in Agambenian thinking of life is revealed, considering it anchored to the Italian context of reception of Nietzsche’s thought.