ABSTRACT
In this chapter I present a brief sketch of other interpretations of eternal recurrence. It is not an exhaustive account, but selective of various readings organized by five basic headings that are indicative of common trends in the scholarly literature. The headings do not always represent precise descriptions of the included selections because of occasional overlaps and the rich complexity of many notable treatments. I will generally not pursue a detailed examination of the different interpretations or a detailed critique from the standpoint of my analysis, but rather a survey of general orientational differences. I proceed in this way because much of what I would say has already been prepared in previous chapters, and so to avoid repetitiveness the critical differences can, I think, be adequately noted in broad strokes. At times, however, I will zero in on some significant hermeneutical issues and contrasts that can further serve my overall argument or duly attend to important matters of analysis in what continues to be a provocative conversation about a most provocative topic. I organize the various interpretations by way of the following types of reading: cosmological, existential, normative, symbolic, and ontological.
