G
Guest
Vendég
Nietzsche was incredibly insightfull, especially on human motives and desires. He has inspired generations of philosphers and writers with his ideas.
(Most of the Post-modern/post-structuralist movements could be traced back to him, especially the deconstructionists. Writers like Foucault, Derrida, Baudrillard, Barthes, Bataille, DeLeuze cite Nietzsche as their inspiration and source for their works)
But what I really admire about Nietzsche is his incredible intellectual honesty, I think his frankness shocks many people, many are disturbed on reading his works (he has an unsettling effect, challenging all certainties to the point of nihilism) and these people tend to be most virulent of Nietzsche's detracters...
One thing I also like to say is that they are some interesting to parrallels with Nietzsche works and with eastern thought, especially toaism.
(In certain writings in toaism going "Beyond Good and Evil" is a neccesary step for those who wish to further their wisdom because their are limits with the concepts of "Good and evil" and sometimes such standards become inadequate and constraining, are rather like Nietzsche's critique of christian standards "Good and Evil" and its insepidness which should be transcended/overcomed)
Let me point out one thing: Nietzsche was not a fascist, racist or an anti-semite.
Nietzsche obhored the nationalism, militarism and anti-semiticism in Germany, he was disgusted by it.
One of Nietzsche's saying is "No man should love his people till he loves all peoples".
Nietzsche's sister, Elizabeth, who had the Nazi sympathies. But she was also the same sister who gave him, against his obviously expressed wishes, a Christian burial. No serious critic would take her views and project them upon Nietzsche. It was the Nazis who, in collaboration with her, twisted the Ubermensch to support their views.
Personally I think those who dwell on this aspect are taking a cheap shot at him.
On religion:
'The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.'
'In heaven all the interesting people are missing.'
'Faith: not wanting to know what is true.'
'Christianity has done its utmost to close the circle and declared even doubt to be sin. One is supposed to be cast into belief without reason, by a miracle, and from then on to swim in it as in the brightest and least ambiguous of elements: even a glance towards land, even the thought that one perhaps exists for something else as well as swimming, even the slightest impulse of our amphibious nature - is sin! And notice that all this means that the foundation of belief and all reflection on its origin is likewise excluded as sinful. What is wanted are blindness and intoxication and an eternal song over the waves in which reason has drowned.'
'In Christianity neither morality nor religion come into contact with reality at any point.'
'A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything.'
On war:
'He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster... when you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.'
On belief:
'Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies.'
'All truth is simple... is that not doubly a lie?'
And this felicitous one I particularly love:
'And those who were seen dancing were thought
to be insane, by those who could not hear the music.'
(Most of the Post-modern/post-structuralist movements could be traced back to him, especially the deconstructionists. Writers like Foucault, Derrida, Baudrillard, Barthes, Bataille, DeLeuze cite Nietzsche as their inspiration and source for their works)
But what I really admire about Nietzsche is his incredible intellectual honesty, I think his frankness shocks many people, many are disturbed on reading his works (he has an unsettling effect, challenging all certainties to the point of nihilism) and these people tend to be most virulent of Nietzsche's detracters...
One thing I also like to say is that they are some interesting to parrallels with Nietzsche works and with eastern thought, especially toaism.
(In certain writings in toaism going "Beyond Good and Evil" is a neccesary step for those who wish to further their wisdom because their are limits with the concepts of "Good and evil" and sometimes such standards become inadequate and constraining, are rather like Nietzsche's critique of christian standards "Good and Evil" and its insepidness which should be transcended/overcomed)
Let me point out one thing: Nietzsche was not a fascist, racist or an anti-semite.
Nietzsche obhored the nationalism, militarism and anti-semiticism in Germany, he was disgusted by it.
One of Nietzsche's saying is "No man should love his people till he loves all peoples".
Nietzsche's sister, Elizabeth, who had the Nazi sympathies. But she was also the same sister who gave him, against his obviously expressed wishes, a Christian burial. No serious critic would take her views and project them upon Nietzsche. It was the Nazis who, in collaboration with her, twisted the Ubermensch to support their views.
Personally I think those who dwell on this aspect are taking a cheap shot at him.
On religion:
'The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.'
'In heaven all the interesting people are missing.'
'Faith: not wanting to know what is true.'
'Christianity has done its utmost to close the circle and declared even doubt to be sin. One is supposed to be cast into belief without reason, by a miracle, and from then on to swim in it as in the brightest and least ambiguous of elements: even a glance towards land, even the thought that one perhaps exists for something else as well as swimming, even the slightest impulse of our amphibious nature - is sin! And notice that all this means that the foundation of belief and all reflection on its origin is likewise excluded as sinful. What is wanted are blindness and intoxication and an eternal song over the waves in which reason has drowned.'
'In Christianity neither morality nor religion come into contact with reality at any point.'
'A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything.'
On war:
'He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster... when you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.'
On belief:
'Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies.'
'All truth is simple... is that not doubly a lie?'
And this felicitous one I particularly love:
'And those who were seen dancing were thought
to be insane, by those who could not hear the music.'
