"Nietzsche's Transvaluation of Values," Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, Cambridge University, November 21, 2008.

'Transvaluating all Values.' Do you understand this phrase? The alchemist is in fact the most praiseworthy man there is: I mean he who transforms scoria, detritus, into something precious, even into gold. Only he enriches: the others contend themselves with trading. My task is rather curious this time round: I asked myself what has been until now the most hated, feared, despised by humanity: and it is precisely that which I have made my 'gold.' (Letter to Georg Brandes, 23 May 1888) Nietzsche’s project of Umwerthung has been discredited by his sister and Peter Gast’s spurious editions of The Will to Power. This conference will re-examine both Nietzsche’s literary and philosophical re-evaluative project which he pursued for the last five years of his intellectually active life, to draw out its consequences for philosophy, Christianity, morality, politics, translation and, ultimately, Nietzsche’s madness. Confirmed Speakers: Hugo Drochon (Cambridge) Duncan Large (Swansea) Thomas Brobjer (Uppsala) Manuel Dries (Oxford) Tracy Strong (UCSD) Yannis Constantinides (Paris XI) Discussants: Christa Davis Acampora, Keith Ansell-Pearson, Babette Babich, Ken Gemes, Simon May, Aaron Ridley, Simon Robertson, Peter Sedgwick, Andreas Urs Sommer. More information may be found here: http://www.crassh.cam.ac.uk/events/548/.