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.
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How does Nietzsche disprove the existence of God?
Nietzche said:
But let me reveal my heart entirely unto you, my friends: if there were gods, how could I endure it not to be a god! Hence there are no Gods. Though I drew this conclusion, now it ...
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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 ...
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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"...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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?...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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Why does Nietsche talk about the genealogy as opposed to the history of morality?
Is there a particular reason why Nietzsche chose the word genealogy as opposed to history for his book 'the genealogy of morality'? Is it simply Nietsche literary style or is their a deeper reason?
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In what ways are the philosophies of Spinoza and Nietzsche comparable?
“I am utterly amazed, utterly enchanted! I have a precursor, and what
a precursor! I hardly knew Spinoza: that I should have turned to him
just now, was inspired by “instinct.” Not only is his ...
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Does Nietsche discuss the greek notion of hubris in any of his works?
How does he relate hubris to his notion of the superman. For example in the greek play Oedipus Rex, hubris directly leads to destruction. It's seen as a vice, a flaw in character. But it seems that a ...
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Why does Nietzsche mock the "friends of intrinsic morality"?
In Nietzsche's The Gay Science, §8 deals with that he calls "unconscious virtues":
Unconscious virtues. — All qualities of a person of which he is conscious — and especially those he supposes to be ...
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Christian Ethics (more specifically, Aquinas on altruism)
I would like to point out that I am not knowledgeable in the Christian religion (or any religion for that matter), so excuse me if I say anything that reveals my ignorance.
Of course, Nietzsche was ...
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What are some answers besides besides Mallarmé to Nietzsche's 'who is speaking?'
Nietzsche in what can be considered a critique of Cartesian reasoning at one point uses the identity of a flash with the lightning that 'produced it as a metaphor for famously saying that there's no ...
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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 ...
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Does Nietzsche make distinctions between men and women regarding human duties?
If Nietzsche is writing about humans, is he really writing about men or doesn't he make the distinction?
The way I came up with the question is complicated, but specifically I was thinking about the ...
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What is Klossowski's conception of the relation between impulse, phantasm and simulacra?
Presently reading Pierre Klossowski's Nietzsche and the Vicious Circle, and help in clarifying the following would be greatly appreciated
The translator's introduction notes
(4) Phantasme (‘...
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Is it fair to characterise Ayn Rands philosophy 'Objectivism' as a blending of Nietzsche's Übermensch and American individualism?
I said this to a friend once, but told her to keep it quiet as I couldn't back it up as I haven't read any of her works, nor even a solid introduction. I formed my snap judgement on the basis of a ...
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Is it fair to characterise Nietszche as a reformer of Christianity, rather than a destroyer?
I've just finished reading Twilight of the Idols/The Anti-Christ, and I was struck by his sincere admiration for Christ. He calls him 'the only Christian'.
Is it fair then to describe him as a ...
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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-...
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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 ...
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Was Nietzsche influenced by the works of the Marquis de Sade?
The works of the Marquis de Sade were suppressed by the mid-19th century, but were floating around Europe in samizdat form until the mid-20th century, when they were published and circulated above ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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Does Western-Europe still espouse Slave Morality?
Nietschze criticised Christianity for espousing slave morality. How true is this? Given that Christianity became the religion of the ruling classes, isn't it more correct to say that slave morality is ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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; ...
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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 ...
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What does this quote of Nietzsche from Thus Spoke Zarathustra mean? Is my analysis right or wrong, and why?
Behind your thoughts and feelings, my brother, there stands a mighty ruler, an unknown sage-whose name is self. In your body he dwells; he is your body. There is more reason in your body than in your ...
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Philosophy and actuality [closed]
According to the understanding of Nietzsche's superman did Hitler live up to Nietzsche ideal of the superman? (IMPORTANT NOTE: I am by NO means a Fan of Hitler this is a question of scholarly interest)...
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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 "...
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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 ...
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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, ...
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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 ...
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