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Thus Spoke Zarathustra
by Friedrich Nietzsche
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.
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.