Nietzsche - A Complete Introduction: Teach Yourself

by Roy Jackson

Written by Dr Roy Jackson, who is Course Leader in Religion, Philosophy and Ethics at the University of Gloucestershire, Nietzsche: A Complete Introduction is designed to give you everything you need to succeed, all in one place. It covers the key areas that students are expected to be confident in, outlining the basics in clear jargon-free English, and then providing added-value features like summaries of key books, and even lists of questions you might be asked in your seminar or exam.The book uses a structure that mirrors the way Nietzsche is studied on many university courses, with chapters looking at Nietzsche's life, The Birth of Tragedy, the revaluation of all values, the will to power, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, truth and perspectivism, religion, politics, and Nietsche's legacy

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

241 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 25, 2010

About the author

I am a Reader in the Philosophy of Religion, teaching courses on Islam, Nietzsche, Greek philosophy, and philosophy of religion. I am particularly interested in the interaction between western philosophy and the religious claims made by Islam, which align with my view that philosophy and religion are intertwined.


Awards

University Teaching Fellowship

Awarded research grant for Learning for Sustainable Futures (LFSF) in Education
Erasmus exchange with University of Cordoba

Membership of professional bodies
Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA)

Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA)

Member of the Council for the British Association for Islamic Studies (BRAIS)

British Association for the Study of Religion (BASR)

Reviews

[Twilight O. ☭ · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book mostly chugs along with uninspired, Wikipedia level summaries of Nietzsche's views which present the topics and conclusions but not the arguments or the meat of Nietzsche's philosophy, leading to an ultimately hollow experience. After reading, I feel equipped to answer a multiple choice quiz about Nietzsche, but unprepared to do anything interesting with Nietzsche's ideas in my own philosophizing. Worse, in the final chapter, Jackson seemingly presents Nietzsche as an uncomplicated nostalgic, which is not only false but runs counter to what I understand to be the very essence of Nietzsche's philosophy. Self-overcoming cannot possibly mean a simple return to our feudal, aristocratic past. The morality of the ubermensch is not just that of the master, even if he takes from the master the affirmation of life. Everything interesting and paradoxical about Nietzsche's future-orriented, subjectivist conservatism is erased in this account, and for that I cannot recommend this book to essentially anyone.

While too sympathetic to Kauffman's liberal-humanist reading of Nietzsche for my liking, What Nietzsche Really Said by Solomon & Higgins is a far better alternative. Jonas Ceika's account of Nietzsche's contradictory conservative radicalism is also worth attention, bearing in mind the qualification that his is not a pure study of Nietzsche's philosophy but is something of a political excavation.

[Igor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read around 50% of this book. Yes, it is direct to the point and useful. On thing that I found interesting the most was the his personal life story.

[Bernard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good general introduction to Nietzsche. The thematic way of presenting Nietzsche allows beginner to grasp his idea more easily.

[Dougie Whitehead · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good, and necessary, introduction and guide.

[Silah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing read

A book that could turn you from a novice to a subject into an informative person. It does what is says, excellent and reader oriented writing.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent in-depth introduction of Nietzsche and his works. A must read prior to delving into his writings.

[Arthur Cravan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the book's ending jarring, & it also seemed to devolve into sets of dot points... also, there was some repetition, the worst culprit being this entire paragraph repeated, I believe, word for word in two different sections only like 20 pages apart, but... yeah. The books is informational, it was fine. I'd just read that Robert Wicks book on Nietzsche before this one, so maybe it was too much of a similar thing, & this book (as expected, given its audience & the way it's marketed) is more sterile than Wicks'... but yeah. I learned. It good. 3.5, really. But in a rare act of (thoughtful) cruelty, I'm rounding down.

[Julio A Borges · Rating 5 out of 5]

La mejor introduccion

Hay muchas versiones de libros introductorios a Nietzsche, este es sin duda, uno de los mejores por su orden, claridad y equilibrio. Roy Jackson es un autor muy pedagógico.

[Hiroki Hirayama · Rating 2 out of 5]

Few things to point out in this book:

- Inaccurate facts (such as Nietzsche's view on alcohol and Foucault's political views)

- Misunderstanding or rather undeveloped interpretation of certain philosophies (such as misunderstanding Berkeley's view on idealism and immaterialism)

Will all these mistakes, it makes me wonder as to how this affect other parts of the book as it increases the likelihood of parts, parts that I am not too familiar with, to be inaccurate, or even down right false - that I will never know until I indulge further into Nietzsche's works. Read it with a grain of salt.

Other than that, concise and clear language - whenever any philosophical jargon is used, it is thoroughly explained. It also offers a multitude of ways of interpreting Nietzsche's work and attempts to link it back to the personal life of Nietzsche. However, it is insufficient to replace what Nietzsche has to say to the world - I would recommend reading Nietzsche's work by yourself.

Not too bad an introduction nevertheless - enough to spark a little interest.

[DeanJean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic introduction to Nietzsche in roughly under 220 pages; succinct and well-written - and thanks to this book I now have other books to turn to.