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Wadsworth Philosophers Series
On Nietzsche
This brief text assists students in understanding Nietzsche's philosophy and thinking so that they can more fully engage in useful, intelligent class dialogue and improve their understanding of course content. Part of the "Wadsworth Philosophers Series," (which will eventually consist of approximately 100 titles, each focusing on a single "thinker" from ancient times to the present), ON NIETZSCHE is written by a philosopher deeply versed in the philosophy of this key thinker. Like other books in the series, this concise book offers sufficient insight into the thinking of a notable philosopher better enabling students to engage in the reading and to discuss the material in class and on paper.
- GenresPhilosophy
88 pages, Paperback
First published October 18, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 29, 2014
There's a reason you always hear college freshmen talking about Nietzsche like he's some kind of rock star; in a way, he is kind of a rock star; he's a philosophy rock star. He had a bitching mustache, allegedly died from syphilis (though it seems recent DNA testing has proved he did not, in fact, have syphilis), and he spent the last ten years of his life living as a raving lunatic. Sounds like a rock star to me.
But the real reason why so many young and pimply intellectuals idolize Nietzsche is more down to Earth: Nietzsche's ideas were quiet simply radical and really, really f**king cool. Nietzsche didn't give a shit what anyone thought of him, and he risked a lot by attacking Christianity, science, other philosophers (he referred to Spinoza as "the sickly recluse"), and humankind in general. A lot of people didn't like him or his ideas, but that's what made him so great.
Eric Steinhart's book does a great job of breaking down the often complicated thoughts and ideas presented by Nietzsche (for anyone who has tried to read Nietzsche's writings and understand what's going on, it's not easy). Steinhart keeps it simple and to the point; unlike many short summaries of philosophers, there is nothing in this book about the life of Nietzsche: nothing about his childhood, the political atmosphere of Germany during his lifetime, or the madness that he endured for the last ten years of his life. In some sense, this is a loss to the reader; but in another sense, it lets the writer get right down to business. There is no time wasted; the first page literally jumps right into the thoughts of Nietzsche; and that's great, because at the end of the day, this is a short intro on Nietzsche, and for Nietzsche it was all about thought.
What I took away from this book was not just how groundbreaking Nietzsche's ideas were, but how often his ideas have been and still are misunderstood. After WWII and the rise of Nazism there was a backlash against almost all German philosophers (more often than not simply because they were German), but Nietzsche's reputation suffered more than others due such ideas as 'the will to power' and the 'herd vs. individual.' The Nazis, and before them the German soldiers in WWI, read Nietzsche and used him as inspiration. Mussolini is known to have been influenced by him. But nearly all of these people misunderstood him; if Nietzsche knew how much violence he inadvertently inspired, he probably would have vomited in his coffin. Even today, for better or worse, these ideas are often misunderstood.
From the religious standpoint, the 'God is dead' idea of Nietzsche was and is still highly misunderstood. Nietzsche was not necessarily an atheist; he was just strongly anti-Christian, and in this term the Christian God is the God he refers to. But again, the radicalism of his words caused chaos; and he wanted it that way.
To sum it up, if you are looking to learn about one of the most fascinating philosophers of all-time in a well thought out, easy to read and understand book, this is it. Eric Steinhart has done a wonderful job not just outlining the thoughts of Nietzsche, but also explaining why they were, and still are, important.
But the real reason why so many young and pimply intellectuals idolize Nietzsche is more down to Earth: Nietzsche's ideas were quiet simply radical and really, really f**king cool. Nietzsche didn't give a shit what anyone thought of him, and he risked a lot by attacking Christianity, science, other philosophers (he referred to Spinoza as "the sickly recluse"), and humankind in general. A lot of people didn't like him or his ideas, but that's what made him so great.
Eric Steinhart's book does a great job of breaking down the often complicated thoughts and ideas presented by Nietzsche (for anyone who has tried to read Nietzsche's writings and understand what's going on, it's not easy). Steinhart keeps it simple and to the point; unlike many short summaries of philosophers, there is nothing in this book about the life of Nietzsche: nothing about his childhood, the political atmosphere of Germany during his lifetime, or the madness that he endured for the last ten years of his life. In some sense, this is a loss to the reader; but in another sense, it lets the writer get right down to business. There is no time wasted; the first page literally jumps right into the thoughts of Nietzsche; and that's great, because at the end of the day, this is a short intro on Nietzsche, and for Nietzsche it was all about thought.
What I took away from this book was not just how groundbreaking Nietzsche's ideas were, but how often his ideas have been and still are misunderstood. After WWII and the rise of Nazism there was a backlash against almost all German philosophers (more often than not simply because they were German), but Nietzsche's reputation suffered more than others due such ideas as 'the will to power' and the 'herd vs. individual.' The Nazis, and before them the German soldiers in WWI, read Nietzsche and used him as inspiration. Mussolini is known to have been influenced by him. But nearly all of these people misunderstood him; if Nietzsche knew how much violence he inadvertently inspired, he probably would have vomited in his coffin. Even today, for better or worse, these ideas are often misunderstood.
From the religious standpoint, the 'God is dead' idea of Nietzsche was and is still highly misunderstood. Nietzsche was not necessarily an atheist; he was just strongly anti-Christian, and in this term the Christian God is the God he refers to. But again, the radicalism of his words caused chaos; and he wanted it that way.
To sum it up, if you are looking to learn about one of the most fascinating philosophers of all-time in a well thought out, easy to read and understand book, this is it. Eric Steinhart has done a wonderful job not just outlining the thoughts of Nietzsche, but also explaining why they were, and still are, important.
November 15, 2009
Philosophy, discusses Nietzsche’s believes in a topical outline format.
January 24, 2013
A really good academic introduction to Nietzsche.
December 27, 2017
Plenty of interesting stuff in here but the sheer amount of typos and poor flow make it hard to get through. Probably better resources out there
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews