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Reading Nietzsche
Addressing the issue of how to read Nietzsche, this book presents an accessible series of essays for students and general readers on Nietzsche's individual works, written by such distinguished Nietzsche scholars as Frithjof Bergmann, Arthur Danto, Bernd Magnus, Christopher Middleton, Eric Blondel, Lars Gustaffson, Alexander Nehamas, Richard Schacht, Gary Shapiro, Hugh Silverman, and Ivan Soll. Among the works discussed are On the Genealogy of Morals, Beyond Good and Evil, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Twilight of the Idols and The Will to Power .
- GenresPhilosophyNonfiction
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1989
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About the author
Robert C. Solomon
124 books172 followersRobert C. Solomon (September 14, 1942 – January 2, 2007) was a professor of continental philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin.
Early life
Solomon was born in Detroit, Michigan. His father was a lawyer, and his mother an artist. After earning a B.A. (1963) at the University of Pennsylvania, he moved to the University of Michigan to study medicine, switching to philosophy for an M.A. (1965) and Ph.D. (1967).
He held several teaching positions at such schools as Princeton University, the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Pittsburgh. From 1972 until his death, except for two years at the University of California at Riverside in the mid-1980s, he taught at University of Texas at Austin, serving as Quincy Lee Centennial Professor of Philosophy and Business. He was a member of the University of Texas Academy of Distinguished Teachers. Solomon was also a member of the inaugural class of Academic Advisors at the Business Roundtable Institute for Corporate Ethics.
His interests were in 19th-century German philosophy--especially Hegel and Nietzsche--and 20th-century Continental philosophy--especially Sartre and phenomenology, as well as ethics and the philosophy of emotions. Solomon published more than 40 books on philosophy, and was also a published songwriter. He made a cameo appearance in Richard Linklater's film Waking Life (2001), where he discussed the continuing relevance of existentialism in a postmodern world. He developed a cognitivist theory of the emotions, according to which emotions, like beliefs, were susceptible to rational appraisal and revision. Solomon was particularly interested in the idea of "love," arguing against the notion that romantic love is an inherent state of being, and maintaining, instead, that it is instead a construct of Western culture, popularized and propagated in such a way that it has achieved the status of a universal in the eyes of many. Love for Solomon is not a universal, static quality, but an emotion, subject to the same vicissitudes as other emotions like anger or sadness.
Solomon received numerous teaching awards at the University of Texas at Austin, and was a frequent lecturer in the highly regarded Plan II Honors Program. Solomon was known for his lectures on Nietzsche and other Existentialist philosophers. Solomon described in one lecture a very personal experience he had while a medical student at the University of Michigan. He recounted how he stumbled as if by chance into a crowded lecture hall. He was rather unhappy in his medical studies at the time, and was perhaps seeking something different that day. He got precisely that. The professor, Frithjof Bergmann, was lecturing that day on something that Solomon had not yet been acquainted with. The professor spoke of how Nietzsche's idea asks the fundamental question: "If given the opportunity to live your life over and over again ad infinitum, forced to go through all of the pain and the grief of existence, would you be overcome with despair? Or would you fall to your knees in gratitude?"
Solomon died on January 2, 2007 at Zurich airport. His wife, philosopher Kathleen Higgins, with whom he co-authored several of his books, is Professor of Philosophy at University of Texas at Austin.
Early life
Solomon was born in Detroit, Michigan. His father was a lawyer, and his mother an artist. After earning a B.A. (1963) at the University of Pennsylvania, he moved to the University of Michigan to study medicine, switching to philosophy for an M.A. (1965) and Ph.D. (1967).
He held several teaching positions at such schools as Princeton University, the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Pittsburgh. From 1972 until his death, except for two years at the University of California at Riverside in the mid-1980s, he taught at University of Texas at Austin, serving as Quincy Lee Centennial Professor of Philosophy and Business. He was a member of the University of Texas Academy of Distinguished Teachers. Solomon was also a member of the inaugural class of Academic Advisors at the Business Roundtable Institute for Corporate Ethics.
His interests were in 19th-century German philosophy--especially Hegel and Nietzsche--and 20th-century Continental philosophy--especially Sartre and phenomenology, as well as ethics and the philosophy of emotions. Solomon published more than 40 books on philosophy, and was also a published songwriter. He made a cameo appearance in Richard Linklater's film Waking Life (2001), where he discussed the continuing relevance of existentialism in a postmodern world. He developed a cognitivist theory of the emotions, according to which emotions, like beliefs, were susceptible to rational appraisal and revision. Solomon was particularly interested in the idea of "love," arguing against the notion that romantic love is an inherent state of being, and maintaining, instead, that it is instead a construct of Western culture, popularized and propagated in such a way that it has achieved the status of a universal in the eyes of many. Love for Solomon is not a universal, static quality, but an emotion, subject to the same vicissitudes as other emotions like anger or sadness.
Solomon received numerous teaching awards at the University of Texas at Austin, and was a frequent lecturer in the highly regarded Plan II Honors Program. Solomon was known for his lectures on Nietzsche and other Existentialist philosophers. Solomon described in one lecture a very personal experience he had while a medical student at the University of Michigan. He recounted how he stumbled as if by chance into a crowded lecture hall. He was rather unhappy in his medical studies at the time, and was perhaps seeking something different that day. He got precisely that. The professor, Frithjof Bergmann, was lecturing that day on something that Solomon had not yet been acquainted with. The professor spoke of how Nietzsche's idea asks the fundamental question: "If given the opportunity to live your life over and over again ad infinitum, forced to go through all of the pain and the grief of existence, would you be overcome with despair? Or would you fall to your knees in gratitude?"
Solomon died on January 2, 2007 at Zurich airport. His wife, philosopher Kathleen Higgins, with whom he co-authored several of his books, is Professor of Philosophy at University of Texas at Austin.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 22, 2018
Read it for the Solomon, Higgins, Bergman and Nehamas.
July 20, 2024
The editorial reviews and reader’s synopsis contain the following claims, “[This] volume will be of assistance primarily to students in their early stages of their study of Nietzsche […] aimed explicitly at students and new readers of Nietzsche.” Readers beware: This claim could not be further from the truth, based on the type of historical minutia regarding the collection, organization, and eventual publication of Nietzsche’s writings.
There are only three or four (out of 13) chapters that are truly exegetical or philosophical interpretations of the actual content of Nietzsche’s thought or his so-called “philosophy,” and they are focused on reading Zarathustra (Higgins), pessimism and the tragic life (Soll), the Antichrist (Shapiro), and the philosophers of the future (Nehamas). All the chapters are written by “established” and “recognized” Nietzsche scholars and are informative from an “interpretative” (or hermeneutic) perspective. Not so much with respect to the other chapters…
For example, Magnus’ chapter on the Will to Power, while mulling over the now out-of-fashion distinction between Continental and Analytic philosophy, it focuses on the difference (in Nietzsche scholarship) between academics who are either “lumpers” or “splitters” – the former includes all of Nietzsche’s published and unpublished writings (notes – Nachlass) in their interpretations, the former, more scrutinizing, turn their scholarly attention to Nietzsche’s published, and hence, personally sanctioned writings. In addition, this chapter contains sections of untranslated German – not so helpful to those new readers of Nietzsche, unless, of course, they happen to speak and read German.
To offer but one more example, Danto’s chapter is a republished version of a short book review of Nietzsche’s Daybreak from the Times Literary Supplement and contains such historical details as to why Nietzsche eventually settled on this title as opposed to others considered – it’s interesting for those of us who have read and studied Nietzsche, but for the first time reader, not so much! In addition, Danto, despite his monumental contribution to the philosophy of art/aesthetics, is not a clear writer - and in stating this personal view, I have in mind what Montaigne said about "unclear authors."
In a nutshell, the title Reading Nietzsche is slightly deceptive – because “reading” here refers specifically to analyzing the style, form, and classification of Nietzsche’s writings – e.g., examining how the organization of Beyond Good and Evil contributes to Nietzsche’s slightly ambiguous philosophical message relating to the “philosophers of other future” (Nehamas). The book aptly demonstrates that if you’re coming to Nietzsche in search of a coherent and linear philosophical argument, you’ve come to the wrong place. Indeed, Nietzsche himself admitted that the “soul with the most contradictions belongs to the highest and greatest of thinkers” (my paraphrasing). That his writings are riddled with contradictory statements, oppositional and irreconcilable positions, should not come as a surprise to anyone who has spent any time seriously reading Nietzsche.
The book was first published in 1988, so it is something of a dated relic, but it does offer some interpretative gems, as stated above. To the point, this book would be useful to graduate students pursuing Nietzsche studies or perhaps historically minded researchers, such as Daniel Fidel Ferrer, a new translator and interpreter of Nietzsche whose work can be accessed (gratis) on Academia.edu.
I recommend Reading Nietzsche, but with the caveat introduced above – readers be warned and understand what you are actually purchasing. There are far better books for Nietzsche-neophytes or first-time readers of Nietzsche, indeed the editors of this volume (Solomon & Higgins) have available a unique and highly accessible analysis of the ideas contained in Nietzsche’s vast corpus: What Nietzsche Really Said.
However, the best way of “reading Nietzsche,” in my humble opinion, is to pick up one of his books and dive in! For kicks, maybe start with his entertaining, if not slightly unhinged, autobiography Ecce Homo. First timers should know that any Penguin Classic edition of Nietzsche's books is accompanied by an excellent introduction (summation and commentary) by such Nietzsche experts as Halliwell, Tanner, and Hollingdale (translator), et al.
Dr. James M. Magrini
Former: Philosophy & Ethics/ College of Dupage
There are only three or four (out of 13) chapters that are truly exegetical or philosophical interpretations of the actual content of Nietzsche’s thought or his so-called “philosophy,” and they are focused on reading Zarathustra (Higgins), pessimism and the tragic life (Soll), the Antichrist (Shapiro), and the philosophers of the future (Nehamas). All the chapters are written by “established” and “recognized” Nietzsche scholars and are informative from an “interpretative” (or hermeneutic) perspective. Not so much with respect to the other chapters…
For example, Magnus’ chapter on the Will to Power, while mulling over the now out-of-fashion distinction between Continental and Analytic philosophy, it focuses on the difference (in Nietzsche scholarship) between academics who are either “lumpers” or “splitters” – the former includes all of Nietzsche’s published and unpublished writings (notes – Nachlass) in their interpretations, the former, more scrutinizing, turn their scholarly attention to Nietzsche’s published, and hence, personally sanctioned writings. In addition, this chapter contains sections of untranslated German – not so helpful to those new readers of Nietzsche, unless, of course, they happen to speak and read German.
To offer but one more example, Danto’s chapter is a republished version of a short book review of Nietzsche’s Daybreak from the Times Literary Supplement and contains such historical details as to why Nietzsche eventually settled on this title as opposed to others considered – it’s interesting for those of us who have read and studied Nietzsche, but for the first time reader, not so much! In addition, Danto, despite his monumental contribution to the philosophy of art/aesthetics, is not a clear writer - and in stating this personal view, I have in mind what Montaigne said about "unclear authors."
In a nutshell, the title Reading Nietzsche is slightly deceptive – because “reading” here refers specifically to analyzing the style, form, and classification of Nietzsche’s writings – e.g., examining how the organization of Beyond Good and Evil contributes to Nietzsche’s slightly ambiguous philosophical message relating to the “philosophers of other future” (Nehamas). The book aptly demonstrates that if you’re coming to Nietzsche in search of a coherent and linear philosophical argument, you’ve come to the wrong place. Indeed, Nietzsche himself admitted that the “soul with the most contradictions belongs to the highest and greatest of thinkers” (my paraphrasing). That his writings are riddled with contradictory statements, oppositional and irreconcilable positions, should not come as a surprise to anyone who has spent any time seriously reading Nietzsche.
The book was first published in 1988, so it is something of a dated relic, but it does offer some interpretative gems, as stated above. To the point, this book would be useful to graduate students pursuing Nietzsche studies or perhaps historically minded researchers, such as Daniel Fidel Ferrer, a new translator and interpreter of Nietzsche whose work can be accessed (gratis) on Academia.edu.
I recommend Reading Nietzsche, but with the caveat introduced above – readers be warned and understand what you are actually purchasing. There are far better books for Nietzsche-neophytes or first-time readers of Nietzsche, indeed the editors of this volume (Solomon & Higgins) have available a unique and highly accessible analysis of the ideas contained in Nietzsche’s vast corpus: What Nietzsche Really Said.
However, the best way of “reading Nietzsche,” in my humble opinion, is to pick up one of his books and dive in! For kicks, maybe start with his entertaining, if not slightly unhinged, autobiography Ecce Homo. First timers should know that any Penguin Classic edition of Nietzsche's books is accompanied by an excellent introduction (summation and commentary) by such Nietzsche experts as Halliwell, Tanner, and Hollingdale (translator), et al.
Dr. James M. Magrini
Former: Philosophy & Ethics/ College of Dupage
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews