Abstract

The first fragment in which Nietzsche refers to the eternal recurrence is known for its obscurity. In this paper, we intend to contribute to the philosophical genesis of this thought, by contextualizing it in the experimental philosophy since Dawn and by determining the links between this fragment and the previous texts since 1880. Therefore, the idea of eternal recurrence appears to be based on a different representation of reality, resulting from what Nietzsche calls “the passion of knowledge”, a crucial notion that introduces his philosophy of affirmation.