Among all the great thinkers of the past 200 years, Nietzsche continues to occupy a special place - not only for a broad range of academics but also for members of a wider public, who find some of their most pressing existential concerns addressed in his works. Central among these concerns is the question of the meaning of a life characterised by inescapable suffering, at a time when the traditional responses inspired by Christianity are increasingly losing their credibility. While most recent studies of Nietzsche's works have lost sight of this fundamental issue, Bernard Reginster's book "The Affirmation of Life" brings it sharply into focus. Reginster identifies overcoming nihilism as a central objective of Nietzsche's philosophical project, and shows how this concern systematically animates all of his main ideas. In particular, Reginster's work develops an original and elegant interpretation of the will to power, which convincingly explains how Nietzsche uses this doctrine to mount a critique of the dominant Christian values, to overcome the nihilistic despair they produce, and to determine the conditions of a new affirmation of life. Thus, Reginster attributes to Nietzsche a compelling substantive ethical outlook based on the notions of challenge and creativity - an outlook that involves a radical re-evaluation of the role and significance of suffering in human existence. Replete with deeply original insights on many familiar - and frequently misunderstood - Nietzschean concepts, Reginster's book will be essential to anyone approaching this towering figure of Western intellectual history.

伯纳德•雷金斯特，现任美国布朗大学哲学教授。1992年获宾夕法尼亚大学哲学博士学位，师从亚历山大•内哈马斯。其主要研究领域为19世纪德国哲学中的伦理学、元伦理学和道德心理学等问题，发表有多篇关于尼采和19世纪伦理学文章，主要代表作即《肯定生命：尼采论克服虚无主义》。。