If I wanted to read a book by Nietzsche, which one would be the best? I see he has a few books.
IronFist
This is eulerfan’s area of expertise.
Gwen?
Ecce H0m0 is a great starter for freddy.
It’s not his best but it’ll ease you into his style and personality.
Try this one
Penguin Classics
“A Nietzsche Reader” By R.J. Hollingdale
This is sort of a short collection of his philosophical works. The ISBN # is 0-14-044-329-0
Later,
David
IMO you’re better off with The Genealogy of Morals. If you can get it in an anthology with The Birth of Tragedy, as a couple of publishers have done, so much the better.
I’ve only read one of his works: Thus Spake Zarathustra
It’s been a year or two and didn’t appreciate the philosophy at the time. Still, I’d recommend giving it a read.
What is Zarathustra? I’ve seen that word a bit.
IronFist
“Zarathustra” is the German version of the name “Zoroaster”. Zoroastrianism is an old Persian religion believed to be one of the first if not the first forms of monotheism. It’s also speculated that a concept of good/evil like the one we get from Christianity first arose in Zoroastrianism. There are still quite a few Zoroastrians around, but you have to look carefully to find them.
Nietzsche wrote a book called “Thus Spoke Zarathustra” (“Also Sprach Zarathustra” in German) which illustrates in allegorical form some of his philosophical (if you can call them that) positions. It’s definitely not a good introduction to Nietzsche’s thought. It’s obscure and elliptical, and doesn’t accurately reflect Nietzsche’s best qualities since he spends the whole book lampooning Biblical language. It’s mediocre at best as far as his works go, and very poor in terms of an introduction to Nietzsche’s thought.
Also, if that reader Desertwingchun2 suggested is the one I’m thinking of, it’s organised according to topic and gives you a good sense of what Nietzsche thought on a variety of subjects - ironically, though, the way the book is layed out is the antithesis of the way Nietzsche intended his work to be experienced.
If you’re after the “authentic Nietzsche experience”, get the Genealogy of Morals (Or one of the other complete books mentioned in this thread apart from “Thus Spoke Zarathustra”) - if you want to get a good idea of what Nietzsche thought on a variety of topics, get a reader like the Hollingdale one.
Zarathustra, however, looked at the people and wondered. Then he spoke thus:
Man is a rope stretched between the animal and the Ubermensch- a rope over an abyss. A dangerous crossing, a dangerous wayfaring, a dangerous looking-back, a dangerous trembling and halting. What is great in man is that he is a bridge and not a goal: what is lovable in man is that he is an over-going and a down-going.
Thus Spoke is good.
Also look into Beyond Good and Evil.
Check out C.S.Lewis’s Heaven and Hell as a side reading. A very good book that could be read in a single sitting.
Kind of different philosophy,nihilism (as to refuse to believe in a thing) I do not know much about Nietzhe but I´ve heard he had some kind of a connection to nazis or something like that,and other strange stuff.
He committed suicide as far as I remember…
Great quote of his-“Which does not kill,makes one stronger” will stick to my mind though.
Beyond Good and Evil is the only Nietche I’ve read. It was interesting, but it definately didn’t make me go out and buy another of his works.
The Nazis wished he had a connection to them. Nietzsche’s sister was a rabid anti-Semite, if I remember rightly, and she forged a number of letters which suggested he would have supported them.
Nietzsche had nothing but contempt for anti-Semites and anti-Semitism. He saw it as a symptom of societal decay. He wasn’t a big fan of nihilists either.
Again, steer clear of “Thus Spoke Zarathustra” - it’s not indicative of Nietzsche’s work.
Also, Ford Prefect is correct.
double post
When I want to tackle a difficult author, I go with his easiest work first.
When I decided to read The Brothers Karamazov, I picked up Crime and Punishment and read that first.
When I decided to read Gravity’s Rainbow, first thing I did was buy The Crying of Lot 49. Then I got V.
I don’t even want to go into how many books I read to prepare myself for Ulysses.
So, if you want to go my way, I think Ecce H0m0 is the one to choose. I just think it’s his easiest read and he’s pretty funny in it. But my sense of humor is pretty twisted. I think Henry Miller is hilarious.
This made me think of my favorite quote of his. I think I’ll change my sig.
P.S. The name is probably familiar to you because of a song. You know that song they played whenever you saw the monolith in 2001 a space Odessy? dum dum BA DAAAA!! bum bum bum bum bum bum. dum dum BA DAAAA!!!
It’s called Also Sprach Zarathustra.
That’s a fair point, eulerfan. I was pulling for Genealogy of Morals for two main reasons. Firstly it’s from the latter half of his career, as is Ecce ****, and I think Nietzsche is one of those philosophers/authors who actually did progress in improving both his style and the perspicuity of his thinking over the course of his academic career.
Secondly, I think it deals with an issue that not only has a fascination that’s a fresh today as it was when written, but which lends itself to Nietzsche’s strengths. He’s at his best, IMO, when he’s on the attack and ripping through what he sees as the conceits of past and present ideologues.
Ecce **** is a great book, and it’s important for anyone who wants to get a good understanding of Nietzsche and his work, but it’s so intensely personal in a lot of ways that I think a more typical work written in a less introspective manner provides a better general overview of his thought and style.
Oh, and I don’t know if you’ve read Genealogy of Morals, but IMO it’s as easy-going if not more so than Ecce ****.
I think the important question you have to ask yourself Ironfist is what are you looking to get out of Nietzsche?
I was a Philo major in college and got big into him at one point, as well as Hume, Decarte, ect. But all I found were word arguments and cliches, such things like one could never put their foot into the same river twice. No duh!
I can’t get into books anymore where a man is trying to pass on his view and model of the world and man’s place in it – unless they are extremely excpetional.
I have always been partial to eastern philo – especially Taoism – which sticks to a singular mentality: your place right here and now.
But all roads I guess.
Things change. Hopefully you are changing, growing, day by day. Western philosophy in some sense is less open then science, which seeks new answers. With philo it still comes down to HOW DO YOU perceive the world. That’s your world.
Enjoy though, it beats the hell out of American Idle and Survivor VI: the quest for oxygen on the moon.
Fred Nietzsche did a great book on the history of canned meat. It was called “Thus Spoke the Extruda”. Great book.
Someone shoot me. I’m trolling philosophy threads.