In the preface to Twilight of the Idols Nietzsche remarks, "Nothing suc-
ceeds in which high spirits play no part." My work on this book has been
the occasion for high-spirited play with some remarkable people.

When I began my graduate studies at Berkeley, I thought I would work
on some topic in the philosophy of language, something reliable, safe, and
far from the obscurity of existential philosophy. When I took Hubert
Dreyfus's class on Being and Time, I realized that 'the question of Nietz-
sche' still plagued me, and that I wanted more than anything to give some
shape to these 'obscurities'. This book bears the genetic stamp of its
dissertation forbear, and I owe a debt to many of the philosophers I met
and worked with during my time at Berkeley. First, I am grateful to Bert
Dreyfus for teaching me how to approach Heidegger, and for encouraging
me (in his generous and enthusiastic way) to find my own path through
Nietzsche's texts. I hope that my rendition of Heidegger (in some respects
now quite different from his own) is at least faithful to the spirit of his
work. Bernard Williams has also been a great friend of this project. He read
my doctoral work with care, and he pressed me to be both precise and
daring. I thank him for sharing his prodigious interests and his sense of
humor with me. My conversations with Donald Davidson about the phi-
losophy of language played an important role in shaping my thoughts
about this very different material (they were also great fun). Gregory
Vlastos and Paul Feyerabend were both tremendously influential in my
philosophical development, and I remember them as kind, generous,
demanding, and wise.

Many colleagues, mentors, and friends have put up with me and my pre-
occupations over the years. Their intelligence and wit is visible through-
out. Thanks to Curtis Brown, Michael DellaRocca, Katherine Eggert, Steven
Luper, and Kayley Vernallis. Special thanks to Lawrence Kimmel for inspir-
ing me to take up philosophy, and to Peter French for sharpening my
abilities and telling me to carry on.

Much of this work was done while I was a Fellow of the Honors College

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