In the final years after Zarathustra (Z), Nietzsche revised his stance toward Darwin yet again. His position at this stage resulted both from his critical reappraisal of Darwin's genealogical perspectives in the middle period and his attempt in Z to define the parameters of an affirmative, anti-metaphysical vision beyond Darwinism. If one were to characterize his last productive years, one could say that they were defined by an increased personalization of his opposition. While Darwinian perspectives had always been the unspoken reference point in his two earlier periods, Darwin and his followers became his targets in the three major works of his maturity, Beyond Good and Evil (BGE), On the Genealogy of Morals (GM), and Twilight of the Idols (TI). This final approach reflected the rhetorical strategy laid out in EH for works written after Z: “After the yea-saying part of my task had been solved it was time for the no-saying, no-doing half: the revaluation of values so far, the great war, – summoning a day of decision” (EH “Beyond Good and Evil” 1).

In this chapter, I will examine the overall polemical strategy Nietzsche deploys in the final period, and I will argue that part of it resulted from insights he had gained from exploring Darwinian perspectives in the middle period. This last phase was not so much different in content, but in style, and many of his insights were now honed and ready to be directed against his cultural rivals.