Beyond Good and Bad Theories of Knowledge: Genealogy, Truth-seeking, and Relations of Causality in Nietzsche and Foucault

In abstract, my proposition is that Nietzsche and Foucault operate with an opposite understanding of the causal relationship between truth and knowledge, inducing substantial differences in their conclusions on the purpose of genealogy, but also the value of truth-seeking. In effect, Nietzsche shows no reticence to break down truth into what is held true as belief, truthfulness, but equally truth itself. Even as he contends that beliefs may matter more than actual truths, he still maintains those important conceptual distinctions. Conversely, Foucault avoids this ground entirely, bundling these separate notions together. As such, he operates without an actual theory of knowledge informing what we can hold true as we seek to broaden our understanding of the world and of ourselves. This helps him support his insights on power but importantly circumscribes its implications beyond historical study. Consequently, Nietzsche’s comprehensive analysis offers a more potent answer to the question of the value of truth-seeking for the philosophers following him. He does so by first articulating an overall coherent theory of knowledge, second by defining the circumstances under which truth-seeking is valuable.