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Philosophers in 90 Minutes #18
Nietzsche in 90 Minutes
“Each of these little books is witty and dramatic and creates a sense of time, place, and character....I cannot think of a better way to introduce oneself and one's friends to Western civilization.”―Katherine A. Powers, Boston Globe . “Well-written, clear and informed, they have a breezy wit about them....I find them hard to stop reading.”―Richard Bernstein, New York Times . “Witty, illuminating, and blessedly concise.”―Jim Holt, Wall Street Journal . These brief and enlightening explorations of our greatest thinkers bring their ideas to life in entertaining and accessible fashion. Philosophical thought is deciphered and made comprehensive and interesting to almost everyone. Far from being a novelty, each book is a highly refined appraisal of the philosopher and his work, authoritative and clearly presented.
85 pages, Paperback
First published July 8, 1996
54 people are currently reading
769 people want to read
About the author
Paul Strathern
160 books543 followersPaul Strathern (born 1940) is a English writer and academic. He was born in London, and studied at Trinity College, Dublin, after which he served in the Merchant Navy over a period of two years. He then lived on a Greek island. In 1966 he travelled overland to India and the Himalayas. His novel A Season in Abyssinia won a Somerset Maugham Award in 1972.
Besides five novels, he has also written numerous books on science, philosophy, history, literature, medicine and economics.
Besides five novels, he has also written numerous books on science, philosophy, history, literature, medicine and economics.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 223 reviews
January 19, 2024
This is an exciting series that will help you to know more about Philosophers. This particular one deals with the life and works of Nietzsche.
I have read a few books by Nietzsche and found some of his teachings fascinating. This book helped me to relive the memories associated with those books and learn a few new ones about him.
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I have read a few books by Nietzsche and found some of his teachings fascinating. This book helped me to relive the memories associated with those books and learn a few new ones about him.
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You can also follow me on
Instagram ID - Dasfill | YouTube Channel ID - Dasfill | YouTube Health Channel ID - Dasfill - Health | YouTube Malayalam Channel ID - Dasfill - Malayalam | Twitter ID - Dasfill1 | Snapchat ID - Dasfill | Facebook ID - Dasfill | TikTok ID - Dasfill1
September 6, 2011
This is a poor overview of Nietzsche's life and thought. It basically amounts to 90 minutes of gossip. There's no evidence of real interest in Nietzsche's thought from Paul Strathern. I highly recommend to instead read R J Hollingdale's book "Nietzsche: The Man and his Philosophy". Hollingdale was a famous Nietzsche scholar who also translated many of Nietzsche's books to English. That book is highly readable and a far better introduction to the subject.
Edit: It's hard to overstate how much of a disservice you would be doing yourself if you read this book and thought you got something useful out of it. If you have the choice between reading 10 "in 90 minutes" books (or similar), or just one original work by one philosopher (Nietzsche or somebody else), you are far better off reading the one original work. But you are still better off not reading this particular quick introduction than you are if you read it. Why? Because humans have a tendency to anchor their thoughts on first impressions, an anchoring that cannot be unlearned. You will be stuck with a travesty of a first impression and perhaps never be interested in learning any more about Nietzsche.
In the same way that tabloids trap you in a simplistic world view where everything is reduced to saucy, juicy detail, providing quick satiation and reducing genuine desire for genuine knowledge, this book is a cognitive trap that removes a potential hunger for fine cuisine by feeding you junk food. I do think that it may be possible to approach Nietzsche with wit and humour in some kind of way, but the complete lack of any substance here means that this is not the route to take.
In his works, Nietzsche engages with Christianity, Platonism, the Greek tragedy, with the Dionysian and the Apolline, nihilism, European culture, with the nature of philosophy and knowledge, and morality among other themes. There is no real discussion or elucidation of his views on any of these topics here.
When I read Strathern's book I get the impression that Nietzsche was a deranged, sick, weak eccentric with strange ideas. But when I read Nietzsche's books - or almost any academic book on Nietzsche - the image that comes to me is that of one of the greatest writers I've ever read, a man of towering ambition and ability, of uncanny wit, insight, profundity and style. Why the contradiction between these two images? Either Strathern is completely ignorant about Nietzsche, his writing and his themes, or Strathern harbors some kind of prejudice towards N. that he doesn't want to debate in the open. This is a great shame, since N.'s books really have the ability to change one's outlook on life (for the better, for a more joyous one, even!), but this is only possible if the reader approaches him with an open mind.
Edit: It's hard to overstate how much of a disservice you would be doing yourself if you read this book and thought you got something useful out of it. If you have the choice between reading 10 "in 90 minutes" books (or similar), or just one original work by one philosopher (Nietzsche or somebody else), you are far better off reading the one original work. But you are still better off not reading this particular quick introduction than you are if you read it. Why? Because humans have a tendency to anchor their thoughts on first impressions, an anchoring that cannot be unlearned. You will be stuck with a travesty of a first impression and perhaps never be interested in learning any more about Nietzsche.
In the same way that tabloids trap you in a simplistic world view where everything is reduced to saucy, juicy detail, providing quick satiation and reducing genuine desire for genuine knowledge, this book is a cognitive trap that removes a potential hunger for fine cuisine by feeding you junk food. I do think that it may be possible to approach Nietzsche with wit and humour in some kind of way, but the complete lack of any substance here means that this is not the route to take.
In his works, Nietzsche engages with Christianity, Platonism, the Greek tragedy, with the Dionysian and the Apolline, nihilism, European culture, with the nature of philosophy and knowledge, and morality among other themes. There is no real discussion or elucidation of his views on any of these topics here.
When I read Strathern's book I get the impression that Nietzsche was a deranged, sick, weak eccentric with strange ideas. But when I read Nietzsche's books - or almost any academic book on Nietzsche - the image that comes to me is that of one of the greatest writers I've ever read, a man of towering ambition and ability, of uncanny wit, insight, profundity and style. Why the contradiction between these two images? Either Strathern is completely ignorant about Nietzsche, his writing and his themes, or Strathern harbors some kind of prejudice towards N. that he doesn't want to debate in the open. This is a great shame, since N.'s books really have the ability to change one's outlook on life (for the better, for a more joyous one, even!), but this is only possible if the reader approaches him with an open mind.
May 2, 2024
With Nietzsche philosophy becomes dangerous again, this time with a difference. In previous centuries philosophy had been dangerous for philosophers. With Nietzsche it becomes dangerous for everyone.
In Nietzsche In 90 Minutes, Paul Strathern takes an ironical, almost playful tone that effectively conveys Nietzsche’s contradictions. He gives a sense of the power and usefulness of Nietzsche’s work, even when he clearly regards much of it to be little better than nonsensical:
”The Superman made his appearance in Thus Spake Zarathustra, a long poem of almost unbearable bombast and earnestness whose utter humorlessness was unrelieved by its author’s attempt at irony. Like Dostoevsky and Hesse, it’s unreadable, unless you’re a teenager. But the experience of this work at such an age can often “change your life,” and not always for the worse.”
”The stupid ideas are easily spottable, and the rest make a challenging antidote to many accepted notions requiring one to think deeply for one’s self. The philosophy as such is almost negligible, but the exhortations to philosophy, to think for one’s self are powerful, as are the characterizations of our condition.”
Strathern explains that Nietzsche’s philosophy was unsystematic, and written mainly in aphorisms. He notes that this both made it widely accessible, but also uniquely susceptible to misunderstanding and abuse, as short aphorism could be read out of context of Nietzsche’s greater philosophical position. He also largely clears the philosopher from culpability with how the Nazis abused his philosophy, attributing that mainly to how his sister abused his work after he went mad. Strathern writes:
”He had nothing but contempt for the proto-fascist of his era, antisemitism disgusted him, and the idea of a nation of racially pure Germans becoming a master race would certainly have exercised his sense of humor to the full.”
Finally, a note about this “In 90 Minutes” series. I’ve now read a dozen of them, and find that they effectively do exactly what a series of short introductions should do. They introduce their subject, usually in a pithy, witty fashion, give a ballpark idea of what they and their work were about, and give you some sense of whether or not you want to go on and learn more about them. (In the case of this volume, it has inspired me to seek out a good Nietzsche biography.) Many of the reviews of these books are written by humorless people who seem to be utterly clueless as to the purpose of a series of 90 minute introductions — please keep that in mind.
In Nietzsche In 90 Minutes, Paul Strathern takes an ironical, almost playful tone that effectively conveys Nietzsche’s contradictions. He gives a sense of the power and usefulness of Nietzsche’s work, even when he clearly regards much of it to be little better than nonsensical:
”The Superman made his appearance in Thus Spake Zarathustra, a long poem of almost unbearable bombast and earnestness whose utter humorlessness was unrelieved by its author’s attempt at irony. Like Dostoevsky and Hesse, it’s unreadable, unless you’re a teenager. But the experience of this work at such an age can often “change your life,” and not always for the worse.”
”The stupid ideas are easily spottable, and the rest make a challenging antidote to many accepted notions requiring one to think deeply for one’s self. The philosophy as such is almost negligible, but the exhortations to philosophy, to think for one’s self are powerful, as are the characterizations of our condition.”
Strathern explains that Nietzsche’s philosophy was unsystematic, and written mainly in aphorisms. He notes that this both made it widely accessible, but also uniquely susceptible to misunderstanding and abuse, as short aphorism could be read out of context of Nietzsche’s greater philosophical position. He also largely clears the philosopher from culpability with how the Nazis abused his philosophy, attributing that mainly to how his sister abused his work after he went mad. Strathern writes:
”He had nothing but contempt for the proto-fascist of his era, antisemitism disgusted him, and the idea of a nation of racially pure Germans becoming a master race would certainly have exercised his sense of humor to the full.”
Finally, a note about this “In 90 Minutes” series. I’ve now read a dozen of them, and find that they effectively do exactly what a series of short introductions should do. They introduce their subject, usually in a pithy, witty fashion, give a ballpark idea of what they and their work were about, and give you some sense of whether or not you want to go on and learn more about them. (In the case of this volume, it has inspired me to seek out a good Nietzsche biography.) Many of the reviews of these books are written by humorless people who seem to be utterly clueless as to the purpose of a series of 90 minute introductions — please keep that in mind.
August 31, 2018
کتاب آشنایی با نیچه بیشتر دو مورد زندگی و افکار اوست که نقد افکار را بیشتر از بیان افکار مطرح میکندو در آخر هم از نوشتههای نیچه جملاتی را آورده است.
February 24, 2011
Nietzsche in 90 minutes? This worthless attempt to present Friedrich Nietzsche's very profound and complex ideas in a concise form as a quick read for the reader utterly fails in every aspect! Paul Strathern only gives a very, very brief outline of Nietzsche's philosophy and a short biography of his life interspersed with numerous disparaging remarks about Nietzsche. One gets the idea that Paul Strathern thinks that Nietzsche was just a megalomaniacal joke who took himself too seriously. He writes off all of his philosophical works as "childish" and only understandable to teenagers. "Nietzsche in 90 Minutes" is an extremely depthless, shallow book that does not clarify or shed light on any of Nietzsche's ideas. For anyone that is interested in learning more about Friedrich Nietzsche: DON'T BUY THIS BOOK!!!!
September 7, 2020
خب این کتاب به شما کمک میکنه یک شناخت ابتدایی در مورد زندگی نیچه و آراء نیچه داشته باشین و بنظرم برای علاقه مند شدن به کتابهای نیچه کافیه
August 19, 2020
Carla —o sea yo misma— y la filosofía no van de la mano —¿verdad, Camus? *guiño,guiño* —. A pesar de entrar en mundo de la filosofía en tan temprana edad —16 años, colegio secundario—; la filosofía no es algo realmente que pueda entender salvo que realmente se trate de ella, es decir que una simple novela no veré la filosofía que hay en ella, me interesa la historia que cuenta, no acostumbro ponerme a analizar cada fragmento de oración de un relato, solo disfruto del espectáculo. Sin embargo con otros escritores si conecto con esta temática como lo fue en La resistencia de Ernesto Sabato o del mismísimo Pessoa.
En fin, juro que leí algo de Nietzsche durante mis estudios en periodismo pero no lo recuerdo, por lo tanto ahora me sumerjo de nuevo a este personaje para conocer su vida y —claramente— su filosofía debido a que me ha llamado la atención y el amor me lo permite; y para ello el autor de este libro: Paul Strathern, nos dará una breve resumen de todo aquello en "90 minutos" —pero si te enganchas será mucho menos que esos miserables minutos—.
"La mejor cura para el amor es todavía la antigua medicina de siempre: el amor correspondido.
Aurora, Libro IV, 415".
En fin, juro que leí algo de Nietzsche durante mis estudios en periodismo pero no lo recuerdo, por lo tanto ahora me sumerjo de nuevo a este personaje para conocer su vida y —claramente— su filosofía debido a que me ha llamado la atención y el amor me lo permite; y para ello el autor de este libro: Paul Strathern, nos dará una breve resumen de todo aquello en "90 minutos" —pero si te enganchas será mucho menos que esos miserables minutos—.
"La mejor cura para el amor es todavía la antigua medicina de siempre: el amor correspondido.
Aurora, Libro IV, 415".
August 25, 2017
This book is getting a lot of bad reviews because people are expecting it to be something that it's not. This book is a bite-sized, small-commute morsel that will tell you some of the things that make Nietzsche a big deal. If you can't place who first came up with the Ubermensch or the will to power, this book is just fine. It doesn't get into the weeds with everything else. Think of it like a tasting--if you like the cake, buy the whole thing.
October 3, 2019
Nothing more than can be expected of a concise introduction to Nietzsche, but it does disabuse the reader of some misguided notions about this influential philosopher.
March 28, 2019
A very rudimentary overview which is mostly biographical, with very little in the way of description of key thought. With the very short format (90 minutes is more like 40) one would think he would compromise certain useless information for something of more value.
However having said that, it’s length means that restrictions are placed on the information the author can impart. Especially with someone who’s philosophy is so dense. Overall if you were looking for something mostly biographical but shying away from key concepts I’d highly recommend. But no one wants that.
The philosophy of Nietzsche is so multifaceted that with a 90 minute overview (or 40) - the reader simply can’t benefit from this. Especially when the author swells on inconsequential points. You could learn more in a helpful introduction in a penguin classics introduction to one of his texts.
However having said that, it’s length means that restrictions are placed on the information the author can impart. Especially with someone who’s philosophy is so dense. Overall if you were looking for something mostly biographical but shying away from key concepts I’d highly recommend. But no one wants that.
The philosophy of Nietzsche is so multifaceted that with a 90 minute overview (or 40) - the reader simply can’t benefit from this. Especially when the author swells on inconsequential points. You could learn more in a helpful introduction in a penguin classics introduction to one of his texts.
October 13, 2018
A brief rundown of Nietzche's life and works, Paul Strathern's Philosophers in 90 Minutes series is engaging, helpful and fun to read.
July 1, 2018
I felt that this particular book in the series was a little dismissive of Neitzche's philosophy and as a result I feel I know more about the man than his work. While I normally like the biographical parts of these books and the critique of the work, I really buy them for the explanation of the, often long winded / impenetrable, works themselves.
Read
January 17, 2017Some interesting biographical details (such as the official diagnosis of "softened brain" that killed Nietzsche's father), but nothing at all worthwhile about Nietzsche's thought. Vastly inferior introduction compared with Michael Tanner's superb VSI.
April 21, 2021
Özet geçmiş. Başlığından belliydi sanki :S
December 1, 2018
Bu kitapta kısa ama oldukça açık bir şekilde Nietzsche'nin hayatı masaya yatırılmış.
Kitapta yer alan 'Bengi Dönüş' bölümü etkileyiciydi.
Kitapta yer alan 'Bengi Dönüş' bölümü etkileyiciydi.
October 5, 2019
Kitabin adi 90 dəqiqədə Nitsşedir amma kitabi men 45 dəqiqədə bitirdim. Nitsşenin bioqrafiyasidir amma yazar araya Wikipedia da tapa bilmeyeceyimiz melumatlarla reng qatib. Nitsşe'ni beyni ile bagli problemleri olub və özünü tam bilmeyib. Arada özünə gelende ise "Men de gozel kitablar yazmadimmi?" deyirmiş. Seni oxumaq necə gözəldi Nitsşe!
January 25, 2023
blasphemy
February 7, 2017
Short and to the point. This series of philosophy acts as more of an introduction to the various philosophers with Paul Strathern's interpretations and commentary of their work. It contains very little actual excerpts from the work. It is very watered down and this will only get your 'feet wet' to the world of philosophy. Nevertheless, it is a good review and he does cover some relevant biographical contexts. I wish Paul would have spent more time on the actual work, rather than his interpretations and commentary of their work.
Always, for a better understanding of these philosophers, I recommend reading their published works. You can freely read much of these on project Gutenberg's website www.gutenberg.org. One thing you won't get from reading their works, however, is an insight into their lives. For that you'll want to checkout Wikipedia or autobiographical published work (if any). After that, you may want to read other's interpretations and commentary of the work.
Always, for a better understanding of these philosophers, I recommend reading their published works. You can freely read much of these on project Gutenberg's website www.gutenberg.org. One thing you won't get from reading their works, however, is an insight into their lives. For that you'll want to checkout Wikipedia or autobiographical published work (if any). After that, you may want to read other's interpretations and commentary of the work.
April 13, 2016
90 dakikada Nietzsche
Ünlü filozof Nietzsche başarılarını 90 dakikaya sığdıran bir kitap.
Birbirinden güçlü ve iyi teorileri ile o dönemdeki en iyi örneklerden.
Dün ve insanlık adına ilk günden kendi çağına kadar araştıran ve düşünen filozof müthiş iyi teorilere imza atmış. Başarının her yüzüne tanık olan filozof kendisinin ne denli büyük bir işe imza attığının farkında zira ara sıra kendini övmeden edemiyor, tabi bir yandan da şöyle söylüyor. "“Ben aziz biri olmak istemiyorum, öyle olmaktansa, soytarı olmayı yeğlerim...” Kendisini sila maria'ya kapatıp evreni anlamaya çalıştığında tanrısızlığın yanı sıra güç ve iktidar savaşının insanı bu hale getirdiğini öne sürdü.
Bengi dönüş
Ara sıra yazarın kattığı yorumlarla birlikte Nietzche' nin mükemmel teorilerini okumak paha biçilmez.
Ünlü filozof Nietzsche başarılarını 90 dakikaya sığdıran bir kitap.
Birbirinden güçlü ve iyi teorileri ile o dönemdeki en iyi örneklerden.
Dün ve insanlık adına ilk günden kendi çağına kadar araştıran ve düşünen filozof müthiş iyi teorilere imza atmış. Başarının her yüzüne tanık olan filozof kendisinin ne denli büyük bir işe imza attığının farkında zira ara sıra kendini övmeden edemiyor, tabi bir yandan da şöyle söylüyor. "“Ben aziz biri olmak istemiyorum, öyle olmaktansa, soytarı olmayı yeğlerim...” Kendisini sila maria'ya kapatıp evreni anlamaya çalıştığında tanrısızlığın yanı sıra güç ve iktidar savaşının insanı bu hale getirdiğini öne sürdü.
Bengi dönüş
Ara sıra yazarın kattığı yorumlarla birlikte Nietzche' nin mükemmel teorilerini okumak paha biçilmez.
October 9, 2016
Üstinsan ve güç istemi üzerine tezlerini özgün olarak ortaya attı. Fakat Bu güç istemi ve Üstinsan anlayışının Nazilerin algıladığı ve uyarladığı şekilde asla değildi. Kız kardeşinin yazılarında yaptığı oynamalar yüzünden böyle bir algı oluştu ama bunlar artık tespit edildi. Eğer 30'lu yıllarda yaşasaydı, yazara göre kesinlikle tepkisini koyardı. Zaten hayatı boyunca antisemitisleri küçük görürdü.
"Günün birinde beni aziz ilan etmelerinden çok korkuyorum. Ben aziz biri olmak istemiyorum. Öyle olmaktansa, soytarı bir olmayı tercih ederim"
"Günün birinde beni aziz ilan etmelerinden çok korkuyorum. Ben aziz biri olmak istemiyorum. Öyle olmaktansa, soytarı bir olmayı tercih ederim"
November 29, 2017
Clumsy introduction aside, I enjoyed the first half of this book, with its entertaining and interesting biography. Unfortunately, it was largely ruined by the author's insistence on including his own opinion, which became annoyingly prominent in the second half. He displays an arrogance and ignorance which is, even with my rudimentary understanding of the philosophy, risible. Certain evaluations are ridiculous butcheries that aren't worthy of professional publication. Read for the biography, ignore the rest.
February 12, 2022
Does not even come close to the amazing book on Wittgenstein by the same author.
This was hardly more than a short biographical enumeration of events supplemented by some inadequate attempted summaries of Nietzsche's most important thoughts.
This was hardly more than a short biographical enumeration of events supplemented by some inadequate attempted summaries of Nietzsche's most important thoughts.
March 29, 2010
Man this guy's a crappy writer! (Strathern, not Nietzsche)
January 6, 2017
90 Dakikada Sartre'ı çok beğenmiştim ama bu kitabı hiç beğenmedim. Nietzsche'nin hayatını internetten de okuyabiliriz ama felsefesi çok zayıf kalmış. Daha kapsamlı daha derin incelenebilirdi.
March 12, 2017
Nietzsche severlerin pek sevmeyeceği bir kısa kitap.
June 20, 2019
It is a good succinct beginning about Nietzsche's bio and works. A philosophy hour every day makes you well aware.
October 20, 2020
Kitap bilgilendirme bakımından giriş için bile çok kısa olmuş.
November 23, 2015
It was fun- didn't learn anything new, but that didn't seem to be the point.
October 23, 2021
Only having read one of Nietzches books, I thought this would be a great and easy way to broaden the horizon a little, before eventually going through some of his other books.
It wasn't.
The title of this book is a lie. This is almost a biography, with about 10 minutes of actual philosophy talk. Instead of focusing on the part in the title, it instead focuses on Nietzches life. A lot of it isn't even verified.
This book should have used 10-15 minutes to go through Nietszches life, then half of the remaining to go through his philosophy and the last part to show us how it changed thinking, the results of his work. This book has pretty much turned it on its head. 15 minutes about the philosophy AND what it means/the results, while the rest in his life.
The only thing saving this book from a 1 star, is that it at least is written in an understandable way.
It wasn't.
The title of this book is a lie. This is almost a biography, with about 10 minutes of actual philosophy talk. Instead of focusing on the part in the title, it instead focuses on Nietzches life. A lot of it isn't even verified.
This book should have used 10-15 minutes to go through Nietszches life, then half of the remaining to go through his philosophy and the last part to show us how it changed thinking, the results of his work. This book has pretty much turned it on its head. 15 minutes about the philosophy AND what it means/the results, while the rest in his life.
The only thing saving this book from a 1 star, is that it at least is written in an understandable way.
July 31, 2020
Learned a lot, and I'm glad the author explained Nietzsche's actual philosophy compared with how it was later distorted by the Nazis.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 223 reviews