Questions tagged [nietzsche]
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) was a German philosopher and poet. Nietzsche is consistently one of the most widely-read philosophers, even among laymen; yet his work is often elliptical, even cryptic, and demands an unusual discipline with respect to reading and thinking. This contradiction may give some sense of the complexity and profundity of Nietzsche's powerful writing and explosive style. Much of his work can be understood as critique of nihilism.
387
questions
22
votes
12
answers
138k
views
What did Nietzsche mean by monsters and the abyss?
What do you think Nietzsche meant by "Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And when you look long into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you." (...
- 1,041
21
votes
2
answers
30k
views
How does Nietzsche define and characterize "freedom" throughout his works?
My basic question concerns the meaning of freedom in Nietzsche's work. Nietzsche suggests that, in reality, a will can never be absolutely "free" or "unfree"—rather, any particular will is going ...
- 9,502
20
votes
4
answers
36k
views
What did Nietzsche and Marx think of each other?
Nietzsche (1844-1900) and Marx (1818-1883) weren't quite contemporaries, but both were prominent and influential German thinkers, and one might expect that they have at least heard of each other. Marx ...
- 27.1k
19
votes
6
answers
14k
views
Was Nietzsche making fun of the military mindset when he said "That which does not kill me, makes me stronger"?
A friend of mine told me that he interpreted this quote as mocking the military mindset, and that it should not be taken as indicative of what Nietzsche actually thought, so I looked it up in context, ...
- 1,042
18
votes
1
answer
10k
views
Passages validating Goethe as Nietzsche's Übermensch?
It is believed by some that the closest Nietzsche comes to naming the Übermensch is Goethe. However, in my own readings (which is not comprehensive) I've not found any solid evidence. What is ...
- 283
17
votes
2
answers
15k
views
Did Nietzsche read Kierkegaard?
Kierkegaard and Nietzsche are often treated together as early existentialists. This is rather odd, as Kierkegaard was self-consciously seeking to be an orthodox Christian, and Nietzsche was self-...
- 584
16
votes
2
answers
14k
views
How valid is Nietzsche's critique of Buddhism?
According to a paper titled Nietzsche's Reception of Buddhist Psychology With Constant Reference to Christianity by McDonald (2012), given at a conference in Copenhagen, Nietzsche's work contains 158 ...
- 1,770
15
votes
7
answers
18k
views
What does "You go to women? Do not forget the whip!" mean?
As an Iranian citizen I have read most Nietzsche's books which have been translated in Persian/Farsi language as my mother tongue.
There are still debates between translators,philosophers and ...
- 260
15
votes
3
answers
2k
views
What is the modern view of the validity of Nietzsche's On the Genealogy of Morals?
I have been rereading Nietzsche's On the Genealogy of Morals. The prose is moving, inasmuch as one is moved by prose (I am but very little), but the content seems to my eye poorly reasoned (relying ...
- 15.8k
13
votes
17
answers
62k
views
What does Nietzsche mean by "there are no facts, only interpretations"?
I came across this philosophical thought.
There are no facts, only interpretations
written by Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900). As translated from Notebooks, Summer 1886 – Fall 1887, in The Portable ...
- 595
12
votes
14
answers
128k
views
Trying to Understand Quote by Nietzsche
"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a
monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also
into you." - Nietzsche (Beyond Good and Evil: ...
- 261
12
votes
6
answers
12k
views
What does Nietzsche mean when he says "God is dead"?
What does German Philosopher Nietzsche mean when he says : "God is dead"? In one of the books of an Indian Mystic Osho, I read this reply from Osho: "Nietzsche is wrong because God has never been born"...
- 297
12
votes
7
answers
5k
views
Nietzsche doesn't believe in free will nor in "non-free will". How come?
In Beyond Good and Evil, section 21, Nietzsche writes (this is not the whole section)
The desire for “freedom of will” in the superlative, metaphysical sense, such as still holds sway, unfortunately, ...
11
votes
7
answers
3k
views
What are some theories attacking postmodernism preserving objective truth and morality without assuming a God?
From my simplified understanding postmodernism claims ?:
there is no objective truth, only interpretation
there is no objective morality, morality usually represent the interest of the powers that be
...
- 334
11
votes
5
answers
6k
views
What confirms the claim that Friedrich Nietzsche was an atheist from a christian perspective?
In reading some of Nietzsche's works, his disappointment with humanity and God is evident to me. But so far I haven't seen any text by him where he explicitly endorses atheism. At the same time, many ...
- 213
11
votes
2
answers
4k
views
What are the major differences between Nietzsche and Plato?
What are the philosophical and hermeneutic implications of the various ways of writing a philosophical text, in particular Plato's didactical and dialogical style versus Nietzsche's emphatic and "...
- 229
11
votes
7
answers
2k
views
The eternal return, as thought experiment: what are the consequences?
Nietsche, as others before and after him (its roots, I am told, are in the West Asian tradition) , espoused the idea of an ever repeating clockwork universe, in which all lives are led over and over; ...
- 1,512
10
votes
6
answers
5k
views
Is mathematics an art?
I'm thinking of art in the traditional sense as visual, musical or literary.
Mathematics certainly requires technique, and hence one can say craftmanship. But whereas the production of an art (at ...
10
votes
6
answers
11k
views
Are there arguments against Nietzsche's master morality?
I was just reading the beginning of Nietzsche's "Beyond Good and Evil" and came upon his point about "master-morality" and "slave-morality". As this opens up the possibility to assume either the point ...
- 177
10
votes
2
answers
5k
views
What is Nietzsche saying about Physics in Beyond Good and Evil?
There is some confusion in my philosophy class about Nietzsche's statements on physics in section 14 of Beyond Good and Evil. The specific portion in question is below, although as with all of ...
- 7,311
10
votes
6
answers
7k
views
Why is Nietzsche more frequently associated with Nazis than Hegel is?
Most introductory texts or lectures of Nietzsche mention the connection between his thought and Nazi ideology (supposedly due to his sister's promoting his thought as being pro-Nazi). But Nazis don't ...
- 27.1k
10
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Does Nietzsche's rejection of Socrates mean that he is a relativist about ethics?
In Twilight of Idols (passage 10 in Problem of Socrates section) Nietzsche asserts that Socrates's equating Reason, Virtue and Happiness is a sign of decadence.
Does it follow from this that ...
- 676
9
votes
9
answers
14k
views
Which of Nietzsche writing would be a good introduction to his work?
Similar to Which of Kant's writings would be a good introduction to his work? I've been planning to read some of Nietzsche's work for a while, but have no idea where to start. Which of his ...
- 191
9
votes
2
answers
7k
views
What is "the Nietzschean criterion" in Camus' "The Myth of Sisyphus"?
Quote:
It seems there are but two philosophical solutions [regarding killing oneself], either yes or no. This would be too easy. But allowance must be made for those who, without concluding, ...
- 243
9
votes
2
answers
8k
views
For what does Nietzsche admire the "priestly" Jewish race?
Throughout his works, Nietzsche conveys great praise for the Jewish people. However, he obviously does not admire the consequences of their accomplishments. In the first essay of On the Genealogy of ...
- 7,311
9
votes
2
answers
5k
views
What was Nietzsche's Position on Darwin and his theory of Evolution by Natural Selection?
I will preface this question by saying I have not read Nietzsche extensively. The one exception is his 'Genealogy of Morals', a recent read of mine, twice actually.
I always assumed Nietzsche's ...
- 211
8
votes
4
answers
17k
views
What did Nietzsche mean by the words " philosophizing with a hammer"?
What does Nietzsche mean by the words ' philosophizing with a hammer"?
8
votes
2
answers
7k
views
Was Nietzsche influenced by Machiavelli?
I've been reading Machiavelli and I've noticed that his is very critical of Christianity in a way that reminds me of Nietzsche's Master-Slave morality; he does so by comparing the focus on 'heroic ...
- 2,376
8
votes
5
answers
26k
views
Why is Nietzsche so against Socrates?
Nietzsche recalls the story that Socrates says that 'he has been a long time sick', meaning that life itself is a sickness; Nietszche accuses him of being a sick man, a man against the instincts of ...
8
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Thus spoke Zarathustra, "Even the wisest among you is only a conflict and mix of plant and ghost"
My scope is mathematical philosophy and, generally, epistemology. Hence, Nietzsche's style is quite alien to me, and I started reading his book "Thus Spoke Zarathustra". I am trying to decipher this:
...
- 191
8
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Is Nietzsche suggesting that the "free spirit" is a democrat in On the Genealogy of Morals?
It is no secret that Nietzsche had contempt for democracy. In Beyond Good and Evil, he compared democrats, those people of democracy who think that humans are all equal and free, to a herd of farm ...
- 7,311
8
votes
1
answer
7k
views
Why does Nietzsche say in the Antichrist that Aristotle "saw in pity a sickly and dangerous state of mind"?
In The Antichrist, Nietzsche starts with a very heavy attack on the emotion of pity, making statements like:
Pity stands in opposition to all the tonic passions that augment the energy of the feeling ...
- 7,311
8
votes
2
answers
458
views
Please explain perspectivism to me
I was wondering if someone could please explain Nietzsche's perspectivism to me. I used to think that it was similar to Descartes' method of thinking. That everything was subjective because everything ...
- 317
8
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Source for "The world is beautiful, but has a disease called man"?
It seems resonant with certain elements of his philosophy, and is generally attributed to Nietzsche, but I cannot seem to find the precise source anywhere.
I was struck, in passing, by the variety ...
- 9,502
7
votes
4
answers
9k
views
Nietzsche's Death of God: Why Zarathustra?
Has there been any literature dealing with the question why Nietzsche chose to make Zarathustra the "prophet" of his "Death of God"? In The Gay Science, the madman remains unnamed, ...
- 189
7
votes
8
answers
5k
views
Arguments against eternal return
I have encountered the concept of eternal return e.g. in reading about Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 – 1900) and Pythagoras (c. 570 – c. 495 BC). This is one formulation from Nietzsche's The Will To Power:...
- 1,644
7
votes
3
answers
733
views
Do Nietzsches arguments against Christian morality also stand against the other main world religions?
All the major world religions, without being a specialist in theology, emphasise compassion. A quality that Nietzsche would find "feminine".
Does his arguments apply only to Christian morality or ...
7
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Is Plato's Callicles an example of Nietzsche's Übermensch? Is the Epicurean hedonist?
Is the hard-headed Callicles from Plato's dialogue Gorgias the type of person who exemplifies Nietzsche's Übermensch (overman)? What about the hedonistic sage of Epicureans? Is he a Übermensch?
- 676
7
votes
2
answers
20k
views
What did Nietzsche mean by accusing Christianity of slave-morality?
In a piece of journalism I read today
But I've come to believe that there's also something deeper at work: that most of the world's people live with the legacy of slavery. Even in a nominal ...
7
votes
1
answer
2k
views
What is Nietzsche's opinion on ethical criticism of art?
Recently, I have been quite interested in the intersection of ethics and aesthetics, or to be more specific, ethical criticism of art.
What would or did Nietzsche say about the following two problems?...
- 173
7
votes
2
answers
442
views
Can any Nietzsche experts offer recommendations for research on the origin/meaning of suffering in Nietzsche?
I'm gearing up to explore Nietzsche for the first time in a junior undergraduate 19th Century Euro Thought class, and I'm interested in exploring a specific question regarding the meaning and origin ...
- 73
7
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Does human progress ultimately reduce individuals to Nietzsche's last men?
Human progress – technological, scientific, social, etc. – seeks to reduce, and ultimately totally eliminate, the aspects of life we perceive as unpleasant – loss, tragedy, suffering ... However, an ...
- 722
7
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Why did Nietzsche like Julius Caesar so much?
Nietzsche seems to have a certain fascination with figures like Goethe and Julius Caesar. I was wondering why this is the case. Why, specifically, does Nietzsche look up to Caesar so much. Why does he ...
- 317
7
votes
2
answers
280
views
Does Nietzsche acknowledge "mad states"?
An important aspect of Jung's analytical theory is his description of the conscious and unconscious desires of the personality. Specifically, Jung describes states of mind in which the person holds ...
- 221
7
votes
0
answers
541
views
Where to begin Nietzsche? [duplicate]
I am a mathematics student, but always interested in philosophical arguments especially on Love and God. I am also currently studying an extra course on philosophy of rationality which discusses ...
6
votes
1
answer
5k
views
What does Nietzsche refer to with the "backworldsmen"?
I'm a rookie to philosophical thinking but trying my best to understand the concepts. I'd be appreciated if you could enlighten me about this:
In Chapter 3 of Thus Spake Zarathustra, he is addressing ...
- 71
6
votes
2
answers
8k
views
Why did Nietzsche believe that atomism was well-refuted?
Here are a couple of quotes from Beyond Good and Evil:
As far as materialistic atomism goes: this is one of the most well-refuted things in existence. In Europe these days, nobody in the scholarly ...
- 291
6
votes
4
answers
934
views
Why is Nietzsche here tying Physics to the categorical imperative?
In aphorism 335 in the Gay Science, that book or montage of aphorisms, written both carefully and carelessly; Nietzsche writes:
Long live Physics!...what? You admire the categorical imperative ...
6
votes
1
answer
299
views
In what works does Nietzsche give a critique of Christianity?
I realize that it's in nearly all of his works that he does this, but does anyone happen to know in what sections of what books? I understand there's a great critique of Christianity in Human, All Too ...
- 299
6
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Popper, Nietzsche and knowledge
In many works of Karl Popper, he says, quoting Xenophanes, that all human knowledge is only conjectural, that modern science will never produce a true knowledge.
The german philosopher, Friedrich ...
- 95