Nietzsche as fisherman: July 2010

Saturday, 24 July 2010

Are most contemporary scholars justified in treating the Genealogy as Nietzsche's most important work?

Tuesday, 20 July 2010

Nietzsche's Errors? What are Nietzsche's most significant/ interesting errors?

Monday, 19 July 2010

Nietzsche and Today's 'Free-thinkers'.

What are the main differences and affinities between Nietzsche and our contempory "free-thinkers"?

Nietzsche and Pascal.

Why exactly is Pascal considered 'the most instructive of all the sacrifices to Christianity'?

What's so special, for Nietzsche, about the Greeks?

This question is, of course, deliberately vague and embryonic. The topic is absurdly vast, complex, and effectively inexhaustible, but, what are some of the primary issues at stake for Nietzsche regarding his beloved Greeks?

The 'Caesar' Problem in Nietzsche.

It seems clear to me that Caesar occupies a very privileged place in Nietzsche's imagination, and is, for him, perhaps at the very summit of human types. Yet, as GS98 makes clear, Nietzsche also approves of Caesar's assassination (by Brutus), once he 'threatens the freedom of other great souls'. Why is Caesar rated so highly by Nietzsche? What societal/political issues does this raise? And, is Nietzsche worthy of being taken seriously here?

Nietzsche Nihilism and sensitivity.

Nietzsche, more than most, feels that pity all too easily slides into nausea at the human condition; and large parts of his work betray his explicit awareness that most people don't share his susceptibility to these corrosive affects. This is true from the earliest works until the latest, though the later works are, at times, more agitated and shrill. What are some of the essential connecting threads between nihilism, pity, nausea, and the increasing praise of 'hardness' from TSZ onwards?

About this blog

A Nietzschean site for the politically homeless and those hostile to the prevailing moral lies of our age.

Why this blog?

I have been reading Nietzsche seriously for 19 years now. Of the few blogs I have encountered on Nietzsche, none have been particularly satisfactory. Why?

In the context of discussing Nietzsche, of all people, I can't stand egalitarian cant. Again and again one comes across crowd-pleasing, politically correct, omissions, evasions and downright lies. Or, as often happens, Nietzsche's "cultural" concerns are simply ignored, and his views on only the most inconsequential and "traditional" philosophical subjects are sought. Better that Nietzsche is honestly hated than to have such advocates. Such, at least, is my view.

Nietzsche's primary value judgements are totally incompatible with, and "highly offensive" to, anyone who affirms any universally "'liberationist", politically correct, "progressive" crowd-pleasing tenets and sentiments. Like Nietzsche, I consider such things as "transparent lies". People are neither "good", nor equal; and yet, these embarrassingly obvious truths rarely come to light in modern intellectual discourse, even among so-called "Nietzsche scholars".

Of course, I have no realistic expectation that anyone will know or care of this blog's existence. Nevertheless, this social impotency allows the virtue of honesty some breathing space. The 'plan' is to add some general content on various Nietzschean topics that interest me. Comments and suggestions, however critical, provided they are sincere and/or informed, are welcome.

I am ever mindful of the fact that: "What matters is not people, but things"(D.167); and Nietzsche himself is, after all, a long time dead. What matters most are the issues themselves, and not Nietzsche as such.

I myself am troubled by aspects of Nietzsche, and have earnestly (and no doubt tragi-comically) tried again and again to really understand him, so I would especially welcome any informed assistance on this slippery enterprise, either from like-minded readers, or from those who may have discovered an edifying exit from certain uncomfortable Nietzschean labyrinths.

I am happy to be challenged for anything I post here, and make no claim of omniscience regarding Nietzsche. More, I would positively welcome being corrected, since it's truth i'm primarily interested in, and not vain and inconsequential chatter.

For me, Nietzsche is the most profound and important thinker available, the one who most honestly and accurately dissects the predicament of the modern Godless, but sensitive (sick?) individual, raised in an overly democratised and philistine world and brings to the fore notions such as value, meaning, nihilism, culture, humanity, dignity and consciousness. Nevertheless, important errors and flaws (to say nothing of numerous ambiguities) are also embedded in his text, and these also need identifying and addressing.

Thank you
David