Paul Katsafanas

Paul Katsafanas is an American philosopher who works on ethics, moral psychology, the philosophy of fanaticism and extremism, and nineteenth-century German philosophy (especially Nietzsche).https://www.bu.edu/philo/profile/paul-katsafanas/ He is Professor of Philosophy at Boston University. He is the executive director of the North American Nietzsche Society.http://www.northamericannietzschesociety.com/ 
==Education==
Katsafanas attended Vassar College and earned a BA in Philosophy and Mathematics in 2001. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 2008, where he worked with Richard Moran, Christine Korsgaard, and Bernard Reginster.https://people.bu.edu/pkatsa/cv.html 
==Philosophical Work==
Katsafanas is best known for his work on Nietzsche, fanaticism, drive psychology, the unconscious, and links between agency and ethics. His recent work focuses on fanaticism, extremism, and the role of devotion in social life.https://people.bu.edu/pkatsa/index.html 
Katsafanas’ first book Agency and the Foundations of Ethics: Nietzschean Constitutivism was published by Oxford University Press in 2013. This book aims to establish a foundation for morality by investigating the nature of agency. It includes discussion of Nietzsche’s writings on agency, moral critique, and will to power. It argues that Nietzsche’s ethical theory is a form of constitutivism. Katsafanas argues that Nietzsche thinks we are committed to challenge-seeking: if you are performing an action, you have reason to seek the most challenging version of that action.https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/practical-reason-action/, Section 3: The Challenge-Seeking View of Action We seek out obstacles, in order to overcome them. Katsafanas uses this claim and an analysis of autonomy to derive ethical conclusions.
His second book, The Nietzschean Self: Moral Psychology, Agency, and the Unconscious (Oxford University Press, 2016) presents a comprehensive analysis of Nietzsche’s moral psychology. Katsafanas discusses the relationship between the conscious and the unconscious; drives and motivations; values; the will; the self; and freedom.https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/nietzsche/ and Jonathan Mitchell (2017), https://doi.org/10.1086/690077
His third book, Philosophy of Devotion: The Longing for Invulnerable Ideals (Oxford University Press, 2022) argues that human beings have a deep yearning to express unconditional devotion to values or ideals. Katsafanas argues that human beings strive to express devotion. They sacralize certain values or commitments in order to express this devotion. While devotion can take pathological forms, such as fanaticism, Katsafanas argues that it can also be expressed in a flexible, nuanced form that secures certain valuable features of ethical life.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=is5snuaUUA0
==Selected Publications==
===Books===
Agency and the Foundations of Ethics (Oxford University Press, 2013)
The Nietzschean Self: Moral Psychology, Agency, and the Unconscious (Oxford University Press, 2016)
===Articles===
“Fanaticism and Sacred Values,” Philosophers’ Imprint 2019: http://hdl.handle.net/2027/spo.3521354.0019.017
“The Fanatic and the Last Man,” Journal of Nietzsche Studies (53): 137-162 (2022): https://philpapers.org/rec/KATTFA-3
“The Antichrist as a Guide to Nietzsche’s Mature Ethical Theory,” The Nietzschean Mind (2018) https://philpapers.org/rec/KATQAA
“An Introduction to the Philosophy of Fanaticism,” Fanaticism and the History of Philosophy (2023) https://philpapers.org/rec/KATAIT-6
===Interviews===
3:16 AM Magazine profile:
https://www.3-16am.co.uk/articles/nietzschean-flourishing?c=end-times-archive%E2%80%8B
The Dissenter YouTube interviews:
2020 interview focusing on Nietzsche’s Moral Psychology: https://youtu.be/o7LxgsSZbZk
2023 interview focusing on Philosophy of Devotion: https://youtu.be/is5snuaUUA0
The Philosopher interview on Nietzsche’s Ethics, with Tom Stern: https://youtu.be/ir2EjwWmv4E
The Nietzsche Podcast interview:
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/untimely-reflections/episodes/Untimely-Reflections-7-Paul-Katsafanas---Nietzschean-Constitutivism-e1aph3s
Category:American people
Category:Harvard University alumni
Category:Vassar College alumni
Category:Philosophers
Category:Professors
Category:Directors