Book Description
The great philosopher's major work on ethics, along with ECCE HOMO, Nietzche's remarkable review of his life and works. Translated by Walter Kaufmann.
Customer Reviews:
Astonishing Philosophy.......2007-05-07
Nietzsche's complex sequel to Beyond Good and Evil is a remarkable achievement of philosophy, philology, and history. It laid the groundwork for such 20th century thinkers as Foucault and Deleuze, though they would never reach Nietzsche's complexity and moral sophistication. In the preface to the book, Nietzsche proposes the project of investigating the origins of morality on the grounds that human beings are unknown to themselves. He is ultimately concerned with the development of moral prejudices, and the value of morality itself. He criticizes mankind in its acceptance of moral principles, and writes: "we need a critique of moral values, the value of these values themselves must first be called in question-and for that there is needed a knowledge of the conditions and circumstances in which they grew, under which they evolved and changed" (456).
Nietzsche begins the essay (Good and Evil, Good and Bad), with a philological examination of the words and roots of the words related to good and evil, and a delimitation of their evolution. He makes a connection between the creations of words and places them within the historical context of rulers and nobility. Linguistically, Nietzsche has discovered that the `good' is linked with nobility. He writes: "everywhere `noble,' `aristocratic' in the social sense, is the basic concept from which `good' in the sense of `with aristocratic soul,' `noble,'" (464). Alternatively, words associated with the `bad' invariably were linked with the `plain,' `simple,' and `low.' In this way, morality as a human construction is an extension of power, wealth, and civilization. The origin of evil is intertwined with priestly aristocracies.
Nietzsche moves into a discussion of a shift in the history of morality, in which the morality of the priestly aristocracy is superceded by Jewish morality. For Nietzsche, the Jews inverted the morality of nobility and established a system which places value on the lower order of mankind. He indicates that the Jews believed "the wretched alone are the good; the poor, impotent, lowly alone are the good; the suffering, deprived, sick, ugly alone are pious, alone are blessed by God" (470). Nietzsche describes this turn as `the slave revolt' of morality. He describes the triumph of Judeo-Christian morality over the previous system of values, and indicates that this turn is a triumph for the herd instinct, and for ressentiment. He writes: "The slave revolt in morality begins when ressentiment itself becomes creative and gives birth to values: the ressentiment of natures that are denied the true reaction, that of deeds, and compensate themselves with an imaginary revenge" (472). Noble morality develops as an affirmation of itself, while slave morality always says No to what is external to it. For Nietzsche, the need to constantly turn outward to an external `other' and place judgment on it is the essence of ressentiment.
In the proceeding section of the treatise, Nietzsche discusses civilization's taming of man the animal. Here he writes: "Supposing that what is at any rate believed to be the `truth' really is true, and the meaning of all culture is the reduction of the beast of prey `man' to a tame and civilized animal, a domestic animal, then one would undoubtedly have to regard all those instincts of reaction and ressentiment through whose aid the noble races and their ideal were finally confounded and overthrown as the actual instruments of culture" (478). Nietzsche insists that Europe's taming of man is a tremendous danger, for we are made to be weary of our own being. For Nietzsche, this weariness and fear of man has compelled us to lose our love for him, to turn our backs on our instincts, to reject affirmation.
Great gift!.......2007-02-17
I gave this to my coworker and he couldn't stop talking about how great it was!
On the Genealogy of Morals and Ecce Homo........2006-07-21
_On the Genealogy of Morals and Ecce Homo_ consists of translations by Walter Kaufman and R. J. Hollingdale of the works _On the Genealogy of Morals, A Polemic_ (_Zur Genealogie der Moral, Eine Streitschrift_), first published in 1887, and _Ecce Homo_, written in 1888, by the tormented German thinker Friedrich Nietzsche. _On the Genealogy of Morals_ was Nietzsche's eighth book and consists of three essays which reveal his opposition to Christian morality. _Ecce Homo_ was an autobiographical work which consists of several chapters detailing Nietzsche's philosophy. Nietzsche's philosophical viewpoint may be described as that of aristocratic radicalism, in which he sets up an opposition between the morality of the masters and what he terms "slave morality". It is this "slave morality" motivated by a spirit of ressentiment that Nietzsche seeks to overcome by a return to the morality of the masters. Nietzsche is firmly opposed to the Judeo-Christian tradition, which he views as the culmination of slave morality. Indeed, according to Nietzsche the slaves sought to revolt against their masters by supplanting the morality of the masters with their own which glorifies the weak, meek, and sickly. Instead, Nietzsche advocates a revaluation of all values with a return to the morality of the masters, who are proud, strong, and heroic.
_On the Genealogy of Morals_ consists of a preface followed by three essays and an appendix which consists of aphorisms from his various writings. The preface notes the slave rebellion in morality, in which a morality of pity came to replace the morality of the masters. Nietzsche references the work of Schopenhauer, his great teacher, who he believes has made possible a new Buddhism for Europeans - nihilism. The first essay of this book is entitled ""Good and Evil", "Good and Bad"" and it details Nietzsche's opposition to Judeo-Christianity and Christian morality as well as Platonic philosophy. Nietzsche argues that the Jews, a slave people, began a great revolt in morality which resulted in the inversion of moral values in which what previously had been called "good" and "noble" came to be replaced by the lowly, weak, and sickly. Nietzsche argues that with Jesus of Nazareth, the Jewish slave revolt was accomplished in which Europe became under the sway of a Jew. Nietzsche contrasts this with the "blond German beast", the primitive Aryan tribesman, and his morality of the conquerer. Nietzsche quotes extensively from the church fathers, including Tertullian, regarding the "kingdom of God" and offers in opposition to the sign on the entrance of Dante's hell, "I too was created by eternal love", the sign "I too was created by eternal hate", instead. Nietzsche offers the opposition "Rome against Judea, Judea against Rome". In addition, Nietzsche shows how the Jews have come to conquer Rome through the slave revolt in which today in Rome they bow before three Jews and a Jewess (Jesus, Peter, Paul, and Mary). Nietzsche claims that the Renaissance represented a return to the classical idea; however with the Reformation motivated largely by ressentiment and the French Revolution the slave revolt was made complete. The second essay in this book is entitled ""Guilt", "Bad Conscience" and the Like". This essay focuses on the meaning of guilt and ressentiment showing the cruelty of punishment and torture. Nietzsche shows himself to be a primitive psychologist in his understanding of "bad conscience" and "guilt" and his theories were an important precursor to modern day psychoanalysis. The third essay of this book is entitled "What is the Meaning of Ascetic Ideals?". Here, Nietzsche focuses on Richard Wagner with whom he had a complicated relationship. Nietzsche also expresses his disgust with the German anti-Semites of the time (though only with a certain type of anti-Semite, the kind who still retained adherence to the Christian tradition). This essay ends with the following line: "man would rather will nothingness than not will", an expression of Nietzsche's nihilism. This book concludes with an appendix, "Seventy-Five Aphorisms in Five Volumes", containing various aphorisms from Nietzsche's writings.
_Ecce Homo_ was Nietzsche's last work and was not published during his lifetime. The book is subtitled "How One Becomes What One Is". _Ecce Homo_ contains a preface and three chapters, followed by discussions of several of Nietzsche's books, and then a final chapter. The chapters attempt to show Nietzsche's philosophical progression as he began his career as a philologist, the influence of Wagner on his early life, his subsequent break with Wagner, and his later writings. Nietzsche also includes commentary on his own writings, particularly his _Zarathustra_ and shows the opposition between the Dionysian and the Appolinian. Nietzsche entitles his chapters brazenly: "Why I Am So Wise", "Why I Am So Clever", "Why I Write Such Good Books", followed by his discussion of his individual works, and then "Why I Am Destiny". It has been suggested that Nietzsche may have been experiencing the early symptoms of his mental decline at this point and his complete mental collapse was to occur soon thereafter (rumored to be the result of syphilis, though probably wrongly). Nietzsche claims that he is wise because of his aesthetic sensitivities. He claims that he is clever because he can choose the right nutrition, climate, residence, and recreation for himself. He claims to write such good books because they open up a series of new, delicate, and noble experiences. And, he claims to be destiny because his anti-moral truths serve as intellectual dynamite which can topple the sickness inherent in Western culture. Indeed, Nietzsche writes, "I am no man, I am dynamite." Nietzsche opposes Dionysus to "the Crucified", as his new god of life's exuberance to overcome the god of the heavenly otherworld. Nietzsche claims that he wants no believers and that he fears that he will be worshipped and pronounced holy in the future. He wants to assure that his publishers will prevent his book from doing "mischief". Nietzsche ends with the pronouncement that he is the great immoralist and that Dionysus has come to supercede "the Crucified".
This translation of two of Nietzsche's important works includes commentary by Walter Kaufman. Some of Kaufman's commentary is useful; however Kaufman was prone to his own understanding of Nietzsche which he interjected all too often. Nevertheless, these two books stand out as important works which must be understood by those who seek to develop an understanding of the rise of nihilism in the Twentieth Century.
Two important works.......2005-10-09
This anthology of Nietzsche's writing is a marvelous work - Kaufmann's translations make the philosopher's unique style accessible and interesting to the English reader; it doesn't resort to false formality or dry academic prose as is often the case in translation of such material, but rather sets things in lively and dynamic tones, much as Nietzsche's own writing and tendency toward the dramatic was noted by his contemporaries.
Nietzsche's father was a Lutheran minister, but he died five years after Nietzsche's birth in 1844. Nietzsche was raised by his mother, grandmother and aunts; later in his life, his sister would become executor of his estate (after Nietzsche had become incapable of managing his own affairs) and reshape his philosophy and writings in her own idea - this becomes a running motif in later anthologies of Nietzsche; editors can quote and clip to fit their own agendas. In some ways, that is true of Kaufmann's text here, but in much less inappropriate ways than others, particularly Nietzsche's first editor, his sister.
Nietzsche was a star pupil from his earliest days at university in Bonn and Leipzig. His formal study was in classical philology, but his attentions turned in various directions quickly during his writing and professional life - he had an intense interest in drama and the arts, with Wagner's music and Greek drama in principal interest. His first book was devoted to these topics - 'The Birth of Tragedy'. It was not highly regarded at the time, but has since become much more appreciated as an anticipation of later developments in philosophy and aesthetics.
Nietzsche's life after this period was a very choppy one - he left the university, claiming illness, and while this developed later to be a true situation, at the time is was probably academic politics and difficulties fitting in with the establishment he was trying to break. He had a formal falling-out with Wagner, even writing later a piece entitled ' Nietzsche contra Wagner', finished just a few week prior to his going insane.
Kaufmann states in the introduction that Nietzsche's real career took off after his active life was over; under his sister's direction, many of the writings Nietzsche had managed to do and not get published, or which were published but forgotten, really took off in major directions. While his major works of Zarathustra, Ecce Homo, Will to Power and Genealogy of Morals were in various editions of disrepair (indeed, the Will to Power was never more complete than a series of notes), Nietzsche had a knack for language that made him very quotable, and his influence continued to grow well into the first half of the twentieth century, influencing art, philosophy, history, and politics in dramatic ways, if not always the ways in which Nietzsche envisioned.
For example, Nietzsche was not particularly impressed with the 'typical' German anti-semitism, which later erupted into the Nazi movement. He considered it rather bourgeois, and while he undoubted had his own issues with Jews (Nietzsche had issues with almost everyone, particularly any group, Christians included, who had a religious connection), the Nazi use of Nietzsche's work owes more to Nietzsche's sister's influence than anyone else.
Kaufmann states that 'Genealogy of Morals' is perhaps the closest in form to English-speaking philosophical discourse. This is a discussion that involves philosophy, psychology and linguistic theory, looking at morality in three different essays. The first essay explores the idea of good and evil as good and bad; Nietzsche develops the idea of master and slave morality - the slave resists the ideas of the master, and thus values things that are less likely to gain power - Nietzsche sees Christianity as an example of slave morality.
The second essay looks at the issues of conscience and guilt, and how these spawned the invention of gods. The third essay concludes the work with a look at ascetic ideas, how these relate to aesthetic ideas, and where in Nietzsche's opinion the great philosophers of the past have gone wrong.
Perhaps this later explains the second work in this collection, Ecce Homo. In this book (first published posthumously), Nietzsche analyses his own work piece by piece, as well as gives an overall assessment of his life. Nietzsche's insights into his own writings in hindsight is fascinating to behold. For example, his idea of his work in the first piece of this collection, the Genealogy, is as follows:
'Regarding expression, intention, and the art of suprise, the three inquiries which constitute this Genealogy are perhaps uncannier than anything else written so far. Dionysus is, as is known, also the god of darkness.'
Nietzsce is not easy reading, and this work is not the best for casual reading or the first-time reader of Nietzsche. However, for those who have already made some headway into understanding him, this is a good collection, for Kaufmann is one of the better translators and commentators. Kaufmann's notes here are especially valuable.
An Essay on Nietzsche.......2005-06-07
To the eyes of a general reader, Nietzsche's intense energy might be overwhelming, and his theories intimidating. That blonde beast which seems ready to bite into any flesh without the pangs of conscious inevitably conjures up images of a ferocious maniac who would wreck the world, bringing with it infinite sufferings to the grocery-store-citizens and the corn-field-peasants. In fact, this weak peasant who plows his land and prays before his god and whom Nietzsche despises seems like a much more amiable character to the general reader. Certainly, this peasant will not have the will-to-power to reshape the world, but he will be more or less the relative peace of normal life.
Nietzsche, however, can not be so easily dismissed, and if one believes in the above description of the strong against the weak, he is missing the essence of Genealogy. In fact, Nietzsche's blonde beasts are not renegades against the world, instead, they are the masters of the world who recognize the inherent conditions of their environment; this grasp of reality gives them command over promise and forgetfulness, and allow them to set the directions of the world with whatever values they see fit. They are indeed strong, but they are not lawless monsters to be feared. The true renegades against this world are the people who follow the slave morality-they can not succeed in the world because they refuse to conform to the conditions of reality. Under the general rubric of empowerment established by Nietzsche, Weber follows in Politics as Vocation with a concrete example of self-empower in the role of the politician, and Plato also uses Nietzsche's methods in his search to understand the nature of man and society.
The Genealogy of morals is in fact a genealogy of human weakness and suffering. This suffering arises because the conditions of civil life require activities that are in contradiction to the traditional life of the independent savages. This suffering consequently results in "bad consciousness", from which arises a belief within the weakling that he is inherently sinful and bad. Nietzsche writes,
"I regard the bad conscience as the serious illness that man was bound to contract under the stress which occurred when he found himself finally enclosed within the walls of society and of peace." (N, p84)
Nietzsche does not offer an outcast view on this point, and it is easy to imagine the decrease in freedom and increase in pain that men experienced when they turned from hunter and gathers to agriculturalists. When Ghengis Khan marched his horsemen into the lands of the Han or the Muscovites, the Mongolians horsemen despised the conquered natives for their pathetic existence as farmers who had to work all year long doing monotonous work but only to be disappointed by draught or flood.
The agricultural life is only one aspect of the constraint of life of civil man. Living in the state, the man is often deprived of land and is confronted by civil forces thousands of times greater. To lessen his pain, the provincial agriculturalist turns toward the hopes of religion and such, giving rise to the slave Morality which Nietzsche passionately accuses. Nietzsche writes,
"We stand before a discord that wants to be discordant, that enjoys itself in this suffering and even grows more self-confident and triumphant the more its own presupposition, its physiological capacity for life, decreases." (p118)
The situation which propelled the suffering people to turn toward "bad consciousness" is precisely the situation of the man with toothache. One should find a dentist and fill cavities when he has toothache; but those who are too lazy to find a doctor, or refuse to eat less candies will continue to suffer until it is too late and their teeth have already rotten away. But during and at the end of this process, in order to justify one's existence despite his sickness, the sick man tells others that the pain in his mouth is actually a great joy to have and teeth are bad anyway. Despite this effort to manipulate psychology, the man can not escape facts of his body, which is that without teeth he can not chew.
The agriculturalists were forced into a new situation in which they suffered, and the solution was to turn to the morality of the weak. The morality of the weak, in fact, has become so prevalent that many feel it is the only way to live life despite the self-negation and hate inherent in it. As he points out this problem, Nietzsche does not offer a solution explicitly; rather than prescribing, Nietzsche describes an alternative way of life of the truthful and the noble-an alternative way to resolve the problems of civil life. These men do not suffer the pains of the weak, and the reader, desiring for relief from his corrupted existence, must feel a natural inclination toward the "nobler" way of life.
Just before the weak gets ready to embark on a new life, however, they might be shocked back by Nietzsche vigorous depiction of the strong which makes them intimidating and unruly. But in fact, despite their strong "physicality", the strong are not anti-social monsters, but people who are the most willing to conform to the conditions of civil life. To understand their nature, we must delve into their qualities of strength, memory and forgetfulness. Nietzsche writes,
"The knightly-aristocratic value judgments presupposed a powerful physically, a flourishing, abundant, even overflowing health, together with that which serves to preserve it: war, adventure, hunting, dancing, war games, and in general all that involves vigorous, free, joyful activity." (p33)
This passage must not be taken to mean that one must be a Napoleon to be strong, or one who has the right blood pressure and cholesterol level will be strong, or that those who are naturally smaller have no chances in salvation. Real physical health could indeed be beneficial, but the physicality here implies a physicality of the mind-It is the experiences from war and adventure which strengthen one's understanding of the world and of himself that Nietzsche cares about, not the acts of war or adventure themselves. The man of physicality is a man who knows his environment and who can take advantages of its situation to fulfill his ends,
Nietzsche elucidates the specific quality of the strong when he describes their ability to forget and to remember. On forgetting, Nietzsche writes, forgetting offers
"a little quietness, a little tabula rasa of the consciousness, to make room for new things, above all for the nobler functions and functionaries..." (p58)
This forgetfulness at the core is an understanding over the situations of the world, it is about forgetting the senseless worries which only make man impotent. The weakling, after a disaster, will simply dwell upon the horrors of the disaster without understanding the natural causes. He will sink into a world of doubts and superstition, and as Nietzsche writes, he will think that he has done things intrinsically evil against his gods or ancestors. The strong person, on the other hand, has gained a knowledge of the world, and knows that there is no gods behind the clouds. Hence, they might worry, but they will not feel bitter or gain a "bad conscious" against themselves because of the rain. Eradicating worries-this is the essence of forgetfulness. Worry is passion-consuming, and only when the man is independent from can he have the mental capacity left over to gain a greater understanding of the world-he has more time to experience the reality of this world through adventure, through wars.
The ability to make promises arises naturally from the lack of worry; the scientists who knows how clouds form can "promise" their coming. This promise could be for any ends which the active desire of the strong man wills. As Nietzsche writes, memory of the strong is "an active desire not to rid oneself, a desire for the continuance of something desired once, a real memory of the will." (p58)
Nietzsche also describes the memory of the slave morality and its relation to punishment, but this is a different memory than the strong man's memory. Nietzsche writes that the ascetic people's memory is "unforgettable, `fixed,' with the aim of hypnotizing the entire nervous and intellectual system with these `fixed ideas'" (p61) The strong memory is proactive, for it is "an active desire", the weak memory is reactive, for it is about "hypnotizing" the mind. One is used to help the will all its directions, while the wills in only one direction-the abyss into suffering.
This individual who possesses the control over past and future, memory and promises, is the "emancipated individual". This person is liberated "from morality of customs". This emancipation is not accomplished through killing the innocents or running naked, but through the ability to set "measure of value" (p60) based on reality. Nietzsche writes, "...this mastery over himself also necessarily gives him mastery over circumstances, over nature, and over all more short-willed and unreliable creatures." Nietzsche is calling people to become "masters" over circumstances, not to destroy circumstances. The swordsman who is a master over his sword does not use his hands to fight, but is a master precisely because he uses the sword and knows where to find the best sword and how to use it the best.
The difficulty of this mastery is precisely the difficulties of acquiring new languages: it is hard for an adult thrown into a different country to learn the native tongue, but unlike those of the slave morality who give up and blame oneself for inherent inability or blame the language for being evil, the strong people will patiently learn the language. All this requires is a little bravery! Nietzsche writes, man's suffering is
"the result of a forcible sundering from his animal past, as it were a leap and plunge into new surroundings and conditions of existence, a declaration of war against the old instincts upon which his strength, joy and terribleness had rested hitherto." (P85)
Indeed, instinct is the ability of man to react quickly to familiar environment, but the civil man's life requires a new set of skills and understandings, new instincts. Just like the strong with their new tongue can now express themselves in anyway way they desire, the strong man in the greater world will be a master of the "language" of the civil society and thus gain the ability to set values and fulfill wills.
The above ideas draw a positive conclusion from the genealogy, and offers hope to those who are brave, but the Genealogy is a pessimistic book. Nietzsche writes,
"Man has all too long had an `evil eye' for his natural inclinations, so that they have finally become inseparable from his `bad conscience.' An attempt at the reverse would in itself be possible-but who is strong enough for it?... The attainment of this goal would require a different kind of spirit from that likely to appear in this present age..." (p96)
Reading this, it seems that our age is doomed, and the essay in front of you has been promoting a pointless hope that even the hope's supposed originator does not have. But Nietzsche's words are no mere pessimism, they carry a pessimism that is angry at the "bad air" in life, it is pessimism with passion! Nietzsche is an angry mother telling her son that he has no future at all because he only drinks himself to death in a bar every night. The world perhaps has been dark, but this anger will be the lightening rod which shakes away the shells of our complacent irreverence toward truth and nature!
When a reader is confounded by the world which Nietzsche depicts, he may turn to Politics as Vocation by Weber. In this essay, Weber paints a specific case of the grandiose problem of adaptation, or survival in new environments, in the person of the conflicted politician.
Politics as Vocation inherits the essence of Genealogy of Morals in calling for the politician's mastery over circumstances. The politician must both be a master of his internal conditions, and his external conditions. Internally, for the politician to be a politician, he must have "passionate devotion to a `cause'". This passion, or excessive energy, however, can lead to vanity and then the "striving for power ceases to be objective and becomes purely personal self-intoxication" (p116). In order to counterbalance this tendency, Weber says that the politician must have a "cool sense of proportion" (p115). One's ardent political passion is the fire that will draw the hearts of a thousands followers, however, if he gets carried away by the worshipping crowds, then the fire has burnt onto himself. In another word, there is no strength in the ecstasy of self-adulation, there is no power when one does not even notice the reality within himself and is merely fooled by vanity. Although the context is different, Weber is asking exactly what Nietzsche asked: the politician must know what words of praises he should forget and always know what he needs to remember to keep his crowds in control; he needs to constantly adapt to the changing conditions of the crowd so that he will always know its language and express his Will with this tongue.
Extending this into a greater sphere, politicians must rely on the support of businessmen and interest groups, and he necessarily have to use his power to bring to his backers a profit on their investments. Living in this reality, Weber advises the politician to gain mastery over the situation, to know the goals of their political life with a clarity, and to pursue this goal with a sense of responsibility to the goal. In Nietzsche's terms, the politician must learn to forget and not fall into the moral trap of self-deprecation against every "unethical" act that he necessarily takes, but he must also always remember his promised end which he will reach with his mastery over the tools of politics.
Behinds Webber, Plato also has similar things to say as Nietzsche. Nietzsche offers his readers hope with the model of the truthful he erects which all who have a little bravery could follow. Despite differences that can not be discussed here, Plato's creation of the noble city with the noble people could be regarded as an imaginary application of Nietzche's theory (although 2000 earlier).
The whole of Republic is about understanding man and the world. Plato writes, "this very thing, good judgment, is clearly some kind of knowledge, for it's through knowledge, not ignorance, that people judge well." (IV, 426e) The ultimate search for knowledge rests in understanding the light from the "sun", but practically speaking, Plato has made it his duty to search for human nature and the social nature of the Greek-state. The "tripartite soul" conclusion that he draws from the natural conditions of his world is contentious today, and Nietzsche certainly has much to say against it, however, the resolute search for understanding the internal and external conditions of man, however, is the same.
Furthermore, in building his world, Plato asks his nobles to be able to forget certain things with the noble lie. The goal here is precisely the same as Nietzsche's: Plato wanted to leave the inessentials in the past, and prevent obsession with the "dark" things that gods supposed did or the petty accounts of who was truly "silver" or "gold", stories and accounts that will elude man on their journey for greater power. With their passion freed from the foolishness of the past, from the plays of dark shadows reflected from the fires in the cage, men and society as a whole is better positioned to get out of the hole of the past and embrace the glory of truth.
In all, Nietzsche's strong men are not scary. The weak ones of the slave morality are not scary either, it is merely so sad to behold them that catapulted Nietzsche writes about them with such vehement anger. Nietzsche never says that the strong should be followed, and perhaps in other books of his one can draw differing conclusions about what Nietzsche really is promoting, however, from the Genealogy, it is clear that the contrast between the strong and the weak makes the strong a more appropriate role model. Again, one does not need to be scared of them, they are merely adroit adaptationists, masters of their environment, not destroyers.
Book Description
Nietzsche's late works are brilliant and uncompromising, and stand as monuments to his lucidity, rigor, and style. This volume combines, for the first time in English, five of these works: The Antichrist, Ecce Homo, Twilight of the Idols, Nietzsche contra Wagner, and The Case of Wagner. Nietzsche takes on some of his greatest adversaries in these works: traditional religion, contemporary culture, and above all, his one-time hero, Richard Wagner. His writing is simultaneously critical and creative, revealing his alternative philosophical vision, which, after more than a hundred years, still retains its audacious originality.
Customer Reviews:
Nietzsche: The Anti-Christ, Ecce Homo, Twilight of the Idols.......2006-06-05
The Cambridge Texts in the History of Philosophy yet again struck gold, enshrining history's greatest thinkers in pre-eminently handsome texts, robust and readable translations, and scholarly and timely commentary and introductory exegesis.
Despite Nietzsche's admonition greeting us in the very first prefatory page, this book belongs not to the few, but to all seeking meaning beyond society's regurgitated paradigms and ossified constrictions.
A philosopher-bibliophile's "must have"!
Book Description
Ecce Homo. Provided in Spanish only.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful Self-Portrait.......2007-03-05
Nietzsche's literary addendum to his philosophical oeuvre is, at its root, a radically modern autobiography. Written weeks before his collapse into paralysis, these are the final reflections of cogency from this great thinker; the sections are indeed self-inflated and passionate, with titles like `Why I am So Wise,' and `Why I am So Clever,' etc. However, Nietzsche is finally dubious about his reputation and whether or not he will ever be truly understood. He insists that his name "will be associated with the memory of something tremendous," and indeed it would. His work sought to expose the power structures of old societies and to expose the moral systems of Christianity. Nietzsche's tone is eerily prophetic as he insists that "there will be wars the like of which no one has ever seen," his stylish prose rings of a bold yet hysterical urgency. However, at the foundation of Nietzsche's thought is one of the great and subtle tensions in philosophy, the idea that his negating and destroying are "conditions of saying Yes." This is the difficulty of Nietzsche, who is all too easily categorized as the "Will to Power" philosopher of the modern period. We are still catching up to his profound insight, and this self-analysis should be a window into his genius and original intentions.
Ecce Homo.......2006-11-09
Nietzsche entitled his chapters brazenly: "Why I Am So Wise", "Why I Am So Clever", "Why I Write Such Good Books", followed by his discussion of his individual works, and then "Why I Am Destiny". It has been suggested that Nietzsche may have been experiencing the early symptoms of his mental (and physical) decline at the point of writing this work, and his complete mental collapse was to occur soon thereafter. The titles of the chapters in Ecce Homo seemed to be self-indulgent, pointing towards Nietzsche's impending insanity, but after reading Ecce Homo, I had to think that this portrayed arrogance and superiority functioned (at least partially) as a mockery of the narcissistic nature of autobiographies, of which The Confessions by Rousseau offers a good example.
A proof of this sarcastic intention is this sentence from the Preface of Ecce Homo: ""Under these circumstances I have a duty against which my habits, even more the pride of my instincts, revolt at bottom--namely, to say: Hear me! For I am such and such a person. Above all, do not mistake me for someone else!" This sentence shows how Nietzsche acknowledged the limits and self-indulgent dangers of an autobiography. At the same time, Nietzsche did use the autobiography as a medium to strengthen and emphasize his thoughts about Christianity, Western morality, modern culture, anti-Semitism and the German people.
The chapters in Ecce Homo attempt to show Nietzsche's philosophical progression as he began his career as a philologist, the influence of Wagner on his early life, his subsequent break with Wagner, and his later writings. Nietzsche also includes commentary on his own writings, particularly his Zarathustra and shows the opposition between the Dionysian and the Apollonian.
Ecce Homo is a self-portrait in writing. When discussing his image of himself, Nietzsche states that he is a philosopher "who is not an Alexandrian academic nor an Apollonian sage, but Dionysian", meaning that Nietzsche insisted that his suffering, and the scorn he received by his critics, was not noble but tragic. In this regard, the wording of his title was not meant to draw parallels with the Christ, but suggest a contrast, that Nietzsche truly is "a man." Nietzsche's point is that to be "a man" alone is to be more than Christ.
"Ecce Homo" is Nietzsche's philosophical autobiography that attacks the unselfish ideal, metaphysical abstractions, and traditional views of morality. What I liked most about Ecce Homo was Nietzsche's unflinching conviction to his unpopular perspective on religion, morality and life. Amongst his strong points was his plea for all followers of his readings to learn from him, expand due to him and then forget him. To disconnect the connection and move on. To claim the new ideas as only your own.
Ecce Homo.......2006-06-12
Ecce Homo is a book written by a man of genius, solitude and an overwhelming insight to the times in which he lived.
In his depiction of the society that has come and past, it's striking how much the people of then are like the people of now. When he spoke of the judgement, misunderstanding and blatant disrespect based solely on an image, he spoke of the cliques of the modern day. When he spoke of the shallow, moral-filled strong arms that controlled society, he spoke of the society of today. Thus the life of a philosopher.
In this book, he reflects on his past. It is his version of an autobiography. He talks of past works, reinstates his beliefs with more clarity, and of other admired artists/philosophers and their works that have impacted him.
The book is almost like an essay, with his old beliefs coming to light and covering new grounds, new theories put on the table and a strong voice that makes for a delivery that was anything but shaky in disposition.
What I liked most about Ecce Homo was Nietzche's unflinching conviction to his unpopular perspective on religion, morality and life. Amongst his strong points were his ideas or one liners that leave you pondering after you have put the book down for the night. Also powerful was his voice that reflected his mental state at the time in which Ecce Homo was "conceived". Not to mention his plea for all followers of his readings to learn from him, expand due to him and then forget him. To disconnect the connection and move on. To claim the new ideas as only your own.
There was nothing to hate about the book as far as I am concerned. I have read several of his works, and where they showed his weaknesses as being against society, this final work has really summed up the man well. It leaves no doubt in your mind as to where he stands and who he is. And given his fate, I'd be happy to have this be my final testament if I were him.
I highly recommend this read to all with an open mind; to anyone who is bored with standard teachings or beliefs; or anyone who is lonely as hell and can't see the beauty and clarity to such circumstances.
A few questions about the autobiography of a great disturber .......2005-09-14
The striking power , the unique individuality of Neitzsche's writing is like no other. He is close to being the greatest of all aphoristic philosophers. And his writing has a strength, an intensity that profoundly strikes the reader.
In this 'summa' of his own thought made before he went off into his last years of complete non- communicability he summarizes his major works, and discourses on and on about the subjects which most disturb and obsess him.
One would like to see in this obvious work of genius something worthy of praise alone. For Neitzsche is courageous, he is bold, he is daring and his daring is a daring to truthfulness , in irony even about himself, or what he knows about himself.
Yet there is a message which is conveyed in the work beyond the straightforward meaning of the page. It is in the tone and in the stance. It is in the hysteria and the hatred. And this is where my objection to Neitzsche comes.
For if he was an opponent of Wagner, and would have despised with all his soul the complete misinterpretation of his message made by the Nazis ( Their collective racism was far from his teaching as I understand it of what the 'overman' should be) the very tone of his hatred and hysteria, the very pose of all knowing certainty , the firmness of his tone and voice certainly transmit something that most hatefilled and evil movement absorbed.
For the rest, for the lonely individuals finding in Neitzsche some deep solace( "The thought of suicide enables me to get through many a rough night") for the critics of certain forms of Western thought, Neitzsche might provide a more excusable message.
But the style is also the man, and the man who wrote 'Ecce Homo' was not only not to be compared to the first Christian, he is in some deep human terms , less than wholly commendable.
God should give us kinder and saner geniuses.
Why I write such great reviews.......2004-12-17
Forgive me for wasting all your time because I haven't read the book yet, but just reading about it fills me with excitement because I have Nietzsche's books to keep me company, a fellow Overman/madman/AntiChrist. If I can be so immodest as to compare myself to him in any way, I know from experience that as he descended into madness he thought he was the AntiChrist as Christian bigots would accuse, a worthy title for the great philosopher who is to enlighten the masses of the ills of Christianity and lead us into at least a less hypocritical time. Who knows what great work he would have produced in his later years if he had medication to keep him balanced, walking on the fence that separates the world of the sane from the insane. From up here you see all. I love you Nietzsche!
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- An expressionist masterpiece
- Art's masterpiece
- Art's masterpiece
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Ecce Homo (Dover Art Collections)
George Grosz
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
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ASIN: 048623410X |
Book Description
100 drawings, including 16 in full color, by master satirist and accomplished draftsman George Grosz (1893-1959). First published in 1923 but suppressed, the collection offers an unsparing vision of human nakedness, lust, greed and cruelty. The 16 watercolors reveal artist’s perception with particular clarity.
Customer Reviews:
An expressionist masterpiece.......2005-02-11
Grosz created a gallery of archetypes representing the corrupt underbelly of post-World War I Germany. His wit is biting, his imagery striking, his vision acute, as he examines the results of an insane, lost war and a draconian peace imposed by victors intent on punishing rather than reconstructing an enemy who might have been turned toward more democratic ways by understanding rather than retribution. We are caught up in the demoralization he portrays with the poignant knowledge that a far greater corruption of Germany and of Europe, generally,would be created by a later Nazi regime which brilliantly exploited the moral degeneracy we see in this masterpiece of social criticism.
Art's masterpiece.......2000-05-11
Grosz shows us the complex nature of the human being. In a book full of prostitutes, nazis, animals and more you will discover the great "line" and "style" of a german master.
Art's masterpiece.......2000-05-11
Grosz shows us the complex nature of the human being. In a book full of prostitutes, nazis, animals and more you will discover the great "line" and "style" of a german master.
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Gotzendammerung Der Antichrist Ecce Homo Gedichte
Friedrich Nietzsche
Manufacturer: Alfred Kroner Verlag GmbH & Co KG
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ASIN: 3520077086 |
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Ecce Homo
Africa Guzman
Manufacturer: Vertigo Publishers
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ASIN: 8495709007 |
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