ABSTRACT
IwanttoarguethatNietzsche'scommitmenttoeternalrecurrencecanbestbe explainedbyreadingcyclicrepetitionliterallybutnotfactually.Aliteral accountcanbeseentocutacrosstheexistential,descriptive,andcosmological versionsandtostandinbetweenanexistentialandfactualsenseofeternal recurrence.Thegistofmyargumentisasfollows:theexistentialmeaningof eternalrecurrenceisitsbaselinesignificance,andsoafactualaccountcould notbeprimaryordecisive;yet,ifrecurrencewerenottakenliterallyintheway presentedinthetexts,itsexistentialforcewouldbelostbecausethepowerof identicalrepetitiontodrawoutaresponsetothemeaningquestionwouldbe neutralized(oravoided)ifrecurrencewere"really"notaboutrelivingone's life,orweresomehowsymbolicofsomethingotherthanrepetition.
