„Die Verehrung des klassischen Alterthums […] ist ein grossartiges Beispiel der Don Quixoterie“. Zum Verhältnis von Kanon und Kritik in der Philologie

Abstract

This article grapples with the relation between canon and critique in philology. Following introductory remarks about their currently somewhat strained relationship in higher education and the humanities at large, I conceptualize their connection in dialogue with Friedrich Nietzsche. In a nutshell, Nietzsche contends that the canon of “classical” antiquity ought to provide both the aesthetic means of and the ethical measure for an uncompromising critique of the present. The quote in the title, which marks a key moment in my reconstructions, is also his. In the two final sections, I consider the relevance of Nietzsche’s concept of canon for philology today, an inquiry into Nietzsche’s (un)timeliness that, following his critical example, does not shy away from controversy either. (CJ, in German)