3.79 AVERAGE


Nietzsche's doctrines of amor fati and eternal recurrence in one paragraph:

And that I testify so much is still not enough for me. It is worth while living on the earth: one day, one festival with Zarathustra, hath taught me to love the earth.
'Was that—life?' will I say unto death. 'Well! Once more!'
My friends, what think ye? Will ye not, like me, say unto death: 'Was that—life? For the sake of Zarathustra, well! Once more!'"

—— Thus Spoke Zarathustra, The Fourth and last part, The Drunken Song.

While many of the "songs" in this book are quiet annoying, I still really enjoyed it. Gives a perfect Impression of Nietzsche's worldview/view on moral. Am glad to have read it, after first reading On the Genealogy of Morals, and Beyond Good and Evil.
challenging reflective slow-paced

Read first , learn nietzche , read again
reflective slow-paced

Not a review, but would just like to point out that there is a chapter called "ass festival," and that alone deserves 4 stars

I want to have goblins about me for I am courageous.

Analysis from Academy of Ideas

Summary from Philosphy Bro

Strauss's Also Sprach Zarathustra

I really didn't know what was going on in this book. I read it because I read in the Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, Hitler really liked Nietzsche, yet his theories on what Nietzsche said isn't what Nietzsche actually said. The author of the Rise and Fall of the Third Reich said that this book didn't make much sense at all. And he was right. I had a hard time focusing except when I heard the endless repetitions of, "Thus spoke Zarathustra" and the superman. If I understood anything, Zarathustra is an arrogant person who thinks he is better than everyone. But I didn't really understand anything.

1. I should have read his other works before reading this
2. I've never persisted this long with a book and that was a rewarding experience in itself
3. The man was mad, far before he went insane.
4. Next up: Beyond good and Evil

Can you even rate a book like this? A landmark text that I've been meaning to read for the past 15 years, but I'm glad I waited until I was in my thirties to attempt it.

In the four-part book (described on Wikipedia as philosophical fiction), Zarathustra comes down from his mountain cave to tell the people about his vision of the overman. Through his travels, he further illuminates his philosophy as he explains it to clergymen, magicians, the last pope, a tightrope walker, the ugliest man, etc.

This was my introduction to Nietzche, so I certainly didn't fully grasp all the concepts. My spouse has spent far more time with Nietzsche and still re-reads this text to absorb more. For my first pass, I used SparkNotes to recap what I'd read and make sure I was grasping the meaning. Nietzsche's writing was nothing at all like what I expected from a philosophical text. It was organic, vibrant, inventive. What a fascinating method of exploring a complex, sometimes contradictory philosophy.

This is my bare-bones novice take: Nietzsche explores an extreme individualism that emphasizes living in this life instead of devoting oneself to the assumption that an after-life exists. Hence Zarathustra's claim that "God is dead." We must commit fully to living this precious, finite life, and devote our time on this earth to journeying toward becoming the "overman." I still haven't fully understood the concept of the overman, but my takeaway is that the overman has both wisdom and humor, and has fully embraced life on earth. Nietzsche claims humanity will shake out into a hierarchy in which the future leaders of the world are overmen, and they govern the clueless crowd. It's an anti-democratic viewpoint--though not necessarily fascist--and I can see how someone who hasn't read him closely might abuse his words. (There's a lot of writing out there explaining how the Nazis and alt-right have twisted his words.)

Fascinating, and as I'm writing this review, I'm feeling like I want to reread the text and his other works. Again, as a total noob, I can't help thinking that the unusual way in which Nietzsche presents his ideas--through storytelling and with such playful language--is part of what invites so much scrutiny of his ideas. There are so many twists and turns and nooks and crannies to explore.