The four short works in Untimely Meditations were published by Nietzsche between 1873 and 1876.They deal with such broad topics as the relationship between popular and genuine culture, strategies for cultural reform, the task of philosophy, the nature of education, and the relationship between art, science and life. They also include Nietzsche's earliest statement of his own understanding of human selfhood as a process of endlessly 'becoming who one is'. As Daniel Breazeale shows in his introduction to this new edition of R. J. Hollingdale's translation of the essays, these four early texts are key documents for understanding the development of Nietzsche's thought and clearly anticipate many of the themes of his later writings. Nietzsche himself always cherished his Untimely Meditations and believed that they provide valuable evidence of his 'becoming and self-overcoming' and constitute a 'public pledge' concerning his own distinctive task as a philosopher.
李秋零，河南唐河人，哲学博士，现任中国人民大学佛教与宗教学理论研究所专职教授，哲学系/宗教学系教授、博士生导师。兼任香港汉语基督教文化研究所特邀研究员，清华大学道德与宗教研究中心兼职研究员、黑龙江大学外国哲学研究所特邀研究员、辽宁大学哲学系客座教授等。主要研究领域为基督教哲学、德国古典哲学。 著有《上帝·宇宙·人》、《德国哲人视野中的历史》、《神光沐浴下的文化再生》等多部专著，译有《康德著作全集》第1-6卷，《彼岸星空――康德书信选》、《世界历史与救赎历史》等10余部西方学术名著及数十篇论文。