Perspectivism, Dogmatism, Oligarchism

A defense of Perspectivism that Nietzsche offers in #22 of Beyond Good and Evil is less impressive than he seems to take it to be.  There, his response to the charge that "'Every assertion is an interpretation' is itself an interpretation" is "well, so much the better", i. e. 'That is consistent with the principle'.  But, while that too coy quip might temporarily stymie a naive Realist, the experienced Dogmatist can persist with, 'Perspectivism has no grounds for making Universal assertions'.  So, the stronger Perspectivist response invokes Order of Rank, with Comprehensiveness as its criterion, for the determination of the power of an assertion.  While that rejoinder is unlikely to convert the hardened Dogmatist, it tends to force them to retrench to a position based on presumed privileged cognitive access.  That the debate extends beyond mere Epistemology is illustrated by how the retrenchment to 'revelation' by Heidegger and Strauss serves to buttress their Oligarchisms.  So, while Nietzsche's oblique style often serves him well, in this case the direct approach may be more effective.