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Nietzsche: the greatest philosopher who ever lived

Rational Agnostic

Well-Known Member
I "discovered" Nietzsche's works a few months ago, and have been reading him as much as I can. As it happened, I discovered him at a time when I was going through a bit of depression and anxiety. Nothing too serious, just a "funk" I suppose. Reading Nietzsche fired me up about life again and brought me out of anxiety and depression unlike anything else ever could have. He had has some of the most profound insights about life that I have ever read. Whether a Christian, atheist, liberal, conservative, etc, there will likely be something in his works that provokes you to strong disagreement, or strong agreement, but it's impossible to read Nietzsche without having some strong reaction, which is why I recommend him for everyone. And his wisdom, and insights about embracing life are written better than any other writer I have read. Like this (Aphorism 341 from The Gay Science, Book IV):

The Heaviest Burden. What if a demon crept after you into your loneliest loneliness some day or night, and said to you: "This life, as you live it at present, and have lived it, you must live it once more, and also innumerable times; and there will be nothing new in it, but every pain and every joy and every thought and every sigh, and all the unspeakably small and great in thy life must come to you again, and all in the same series and sequence - and similarly this spider and this moonlight among the trees, and similarly this moment, and I myself. The eternal sand-glass of existence will ever be turned once more, and you with it, you speck of dust!" - Would you not throw yourself down and gnash your teeth, and curse the demon that so spoke? Or have you once experienced a tremendous moment in which you would answer him: "You are a God, and never did I hear anything so divine!" If that thought acquired power over you as you are, it would transform you, and perhaps crush you; the question with regard to all and everything: "Do you want this once more, and also for innumerable times?" would lie as the heaviest burden upon your activity! Or, how would you have to become favourably inclined to yourself and to life, so as to long for nothing more ardently than for this last eternal sanctioning and sealing?

WOW. It's passages like this that never cease to amaze and inspire me. No other writer that I know of has managed to convey such power, determination, and optimism.
 

Twilight Hue

Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
Confucius say: "Baseball wrong — man with four balls cannot walk." ;0}

Yet I do like..

"That which doesn't kill you, will make you stronger".
 

whirlingmerc

Well-Known Member
I "discovered" Nietzsche's works a few months ago, and have been reading him as much as I can. As it happened, I discovered him at a time when I was going through a bit of depression and anxiety. Nothing too serious, just a "funk" I suppose. Reading Nietzsche fired me up about life again and brought me out of anxiety and depression unlike anything else ever could have. He had has some of the most profound insights about life that I have ever read. Whether a Christian, atheist, liberal, conservative, etc, there will likely be something in his works that provokes you to strong disagreement, or strong agreement, but it's impossible to read Nietzsche without having some strong reaction, which is why I recommend him for everyone. And his wisdom, and insights about embracing life are written better than any other writer I have read. Like this (Aphorism 341 from The Gay Science, Book IV):

The Heaviest Burden. What if a demon crept after you into your loneliest loneliness some day or night, and said to you: "This life, as you live it at present, and have lived it, you must live it once more, and also innumerable times; and there will be nothing new in it, but every pain and every joy and every thought and every sigh, and all the unspeakably small and great in thy life must come to you again, and all in the same series and sequence - and similarly this spider and this moonlight among the trees, and similarly this moment, and I myself. The eternal sand-glass of existence will ever be turned once more, and you with it, you speck of dust!" - Would you not throw yourself down and gnash your teeth, and curse the demon that so spoke? Or have you once experienced a tremendous moment in which you would answer him: "You are a God, and never did I hear anything so divine!" If that thought acquired power over you as you are, it would transform you, and perhaps crush you; the question with regard to all and everything: "Do you want this once more, and also for innumerable times?" would lie as the heaviest burden upon your activity! Or, how would you have to become favourably inclined to yourself and to life, so as to long for nothing more ardently than for this last eternal sanctioning and sealing?

WOW. It's passages like this that never cease to amaze and inspire me. No other writer that I know of has managed to convey such power, determination, and optimism.


I liked RC Sproul's description of Nietzsche's views. Life is meaningless but the man with a meaningful life builds his house on the side of an active volcano.

In that light I cannot say I'm impressed with Nietzsche. I also would not buy a watch that is advertised using his quote that 'whatever does not kill me makes me stronger'
 

Shadow Wolf

Certified People sTabber
As much as I love Nietzsche for his incredibly life affirming views, I equally loathe, detest, and despise Nietzsche because he was a bitter douche. And it shows.
 

Bob the Unbeliever

Well-Known Member
I had a long collection of Nietzsche's quotes I used to trot out on occasion. Alas, I think the DOC file I had it in, died a few years back, as I cannot seem to find it on my current DOC folder.

I do try to copy all my older DOCs, every time I update Windoze, but apparently I missed copying that file.

To me? Nietzsche is not unlike Bleu Cheese, or perhaps Caviar. Or maybe even real (not processed) Horseradish sauce.

Best sampled a little at a time, and diluted with other food (philosophies). :)

But I agree with Hubert Farnsworth, you either love his stuff, or you hate it, or both-- it's rare that someone reads Nietzsche and goes..... "meh".

:D

But. I did go get my favorite Nietzsche quote:
"A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything."
~ Friedrich Nietzsche
 

Shadow Wolf

Certified People sTabber
I liked RC Sproul's description of Nietzsche's views. Life is meaningless but the man with a meaningful life builds his house on the side of an active volcano.
Though Nietzsche is typically associated with Nihilism, I can't say I agree as that doesn't really capture Nietzsche. Rather, Nietzsche was more about revealing false and prescribed meanings to life, in a sense revealing true sources of nihilism that corrode and destroy life, facets of society that only give a facade of meaning and purpose.
And Nietzsche would probably not hesitate to point out the absurdity of building a house on an active volcano. For Nietzsche embracing life wasn't being reckless or destructive, but relentlessly pursuing what drives you, foregoing the trivialities of the master/slave dichotomy, and setting yourself apart from the herd. Don't build your house on a volcano, be the volcano and rumble and explode with all the intensity you can muster.
I feel this quote from Hunter S Thompson better captures the life-affirming bits of Nietzsche's philosophies:
“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!”
 

Bob the Unbeliever

Well-Known Member
Though Nietzsche is typically associated with Nihilism, I can't say I agree as that doesn't really capture Nietzsche. Rather, Nietzsche was more about revealing false and prescribed meanings to life, in a sense revealing true sources of nihilism that corrode and destroy life, facets of society that only give a facade of meaning and purpose.
And Nietzsche would probably not hesitate to point out the absurdity of building a house on an active volcano. For Nietzsche embracing life wasn't being reckless or destructive, but relentlessly pursuing what drives you, foregoing the trivialities of the master/slave dichotomy, and setting yourself apart from the herd. Don't build your house on a volcano, be the volcano and rumble and explode with all the intensity you can muster.
I feel this quote from Hunter S Thompson better captures the life-affirming bits of Nietzsche's philosophies:
“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!”

I love the Hunter S Thompson quote. I first read it, via one of Robert Heinlien's essays.

Brilliant.
 

PruePhillip

Well-Known Member
As much as I love Nietzsche for his incredibly life affirming views, I equally loathe, detest, and despise Nietzsche because he was a bitter douche. And it shows.

Nietasche said that the "death of God" would lead to nihilism.
Dostoevsky said it would lead to Totalitarianism.
Both men turned out to be right.
 

Kangaroo Feathers

Yea, it is written in the Book of Cyril...
I "discovered" Nietzsche's works a few months ago, and have been reading him as much as I can. As it happened, I discovered him at a time when I was going through a bit of depression and anxiety. Nothing too serious, just a "funk" I suppose. Reading Nietzsche fired me up about life again and brought me out of anxiety and depression unlike anything else ever could have. He had has some of the most profound insights about life that I have ever read. Whether a Christian, atheist, liberal, conservative, etc, there will likely be something in his works that provokes you to strong disagreement, or strong agreement, but it's impossible to read Nietzsche without having some strong reaction, which is why I recommend him for everyone. And his wisdom, and insights about embracing life are written better than any other writer I have read. Like this (Aphorism 341 from The Gay Science, Book IV):

The Heaviest Burden. What if a demon crept after you into your loneliest loneliness some day or night, and said to you: "This life, as you live it at present, and have lived it, you must live it once more, and also innumerable times; and there will be nothing new in it, but every pain and every joy and every thought and every sigh, and all the unspeakably small and great in thy life must come to you again, and all in the same series and sequence - and similarly this spider and this moonlight among the trees, and similarly this moment, and I myself. The eternal sand-glass of existence will ever be turned once more, and you with it, you speck of dust!" - Would you not throw yourself down and gnash your teeth, and curse the demon that so spoke? Or have you once experienced a tremendous moment in which you would answer him: "You are a God, and never did I hear anything so divine!" If that thought acquired power over you as you are, it would transform you, and perhaps crush you; the question with regard to all and everything: "Do you want this once more, and also for innumerable times?" would lie as the heaviest burden upon your activity! Or, how would you have to become favourably inclined to yourself and to life, so as to long for nothing more ardently than for this last eternal sanctioning and sealing?

WOW. It's passages like this that never cease to amaze and inspire me. No other writer that I know of has managed to convey such power, determination, and optimism.
Meh, I prefer Heinlein.
 

Kangaroo Feathers

Yea, it is written in the Book of Cyril...
2017-05-26 aynfreddy.jpg
 

Flankerl

Well-Known Member
I think the more messed up someone is the bigger is the chance of this person liking Nietzsche.
 

lewisnotmiller

Grand Hat
Staff member
Premium Member
I think the more messed up someone is the bigger is the chance of this person liking Nietzsche.

Gee, ya really know how to sweet talk a guy.

For myself, I can't say I 'like' Nietzsche. I think someone earlier called him a douche, and I guess that's pretty plausible.
But I do find his writing interesting. It provokes thought in me, which is a good thing.
It's also the type of writing it's worth reading several times, and not assuming you 'get it' on first viewing.
 

Brickjectivity

Turned to Stone. Now I stretch daily.
Staff member
Premium Member
I "discovered" Nietzsche's works a few months ago, and have been reading him as much as I can. As it happened, I discovered him at a time when I was going through a bit of depression and anxiety. Nothing too serious, just a "funk" I suppose. Reading Nietzsche fired me up about life again and brought me out of anxiety and depression unlike anything else ever could have. He had has some of the most profound insights about life that I have ever read. Whether a Christian, atheist, liberal, conservative, etc, there will likely be something in his works that provokes you to strong disagreement, or strong agreement, but it's impossible to read Nietzsche without having some strong reaction, which is why I recommend him for everyone. And his wisdom, and insights about embracing life are written better than any other writer I have read. Like this (Aphorism 341 from The Gay Science, Book IV):

The Heaviest Burden. What if a demon crept after you into your loneliest loneliness some day or night, and said to you: "This life, as you live it at present, and have lived it, you must live it once more, and also innumerable times; and there will be nothing new in it, but every pain and every joy and every thought and every sigh, and all the unspeakably small and great in thy life must come to you again, and all in the same series and sequence - and similarly this spider and this moonlight among the trees, and similarly this moment, and I myself. The eternal sand-glass of existence will ever be turned once more, and you with it, you speck of dust!" - Would you not throw yourself down and gnash your teeth, and curse the demon that so spoke? Or have you once experienced a tremendous moment in which you would answer him: "You are a God, and never did I hear anything so divine!" If that thought acquired power over you as you are, it would transform you, and perhaps crush you; the question with regard to all and everything: "Do you want this once more, and also for innumerable times?" would lie as the heaviest burden upon your activity! Or, how would you have to become favourably inclined to yourself and to life, so as to long for nothing more ardently than for this last eternal sanctioning and sealing?

WOW. It's passages like this that never cease to amaze and inspire me. No other writer that I know of has managed to convey such power, determination, and optimism.
I'm glad you are feeling better.
 

Desert Snake

Veteran Member
I "discovered" Nietzsche's works a few months ago, and have been reading him as much as I can. As it happened, I discovered him at a time when I was going through a bit of depression and anxiety. Nothing too serious, just a "funk" I suppose. Reading Nietzsche fired me up about life again and brought me out of anxiety and depression unlike anything else ever could have. He had has some of the most profound insights about life that I have ever read. Whether a Christian, atheist, liberal, conservative, etc, there will likely be something in his works that provokes you to strong disagreement, or strong agreement, but it's impossible to read Nietzsche without having some strong reaction, which is why I recommend him for everyone. And his wisdom, and insights about embracing life are written better than any other writer I have read. Like this (Aphorism 341 from The Gay Science, Book IV):

The Heaviest Burden. What if a demon crept after you into your loneliest loneliness some day or night, and said to you: "This life, as you live it at present, and have lived it, you must live it once more, and also innumerable times; and there will be nothing new in it, but every pain and every joy and every thought and every sigh, and all the unspeakably small and great in thy life must come to you again, and all in the same series and sequence - and similarly this spider and this moonlight among the trees, and similarly this moment, and I myself. The eternal sand-glass of existence will ever be turned once more, and you with it, you speck of dust!" - Would you not throw yourself down and gnash your teeth, and curse the demon that so spoke? Or have you once experienced a tremendous moment in which you would answer him: "You are a God, and never did I hear anything so divine!" If that thought acquired power over you as you are, it would transform you, and perhaps crush you; the question with regard to all and everything: "Do you want this once more, and also for innumerable times?" would lie as the heaviest burden upon your activity! Or, how would you have to become favourably inclined to yourself and to life, so as to long for nothing more ardently than for this last eternal sanctioning and sealing?

WOW. It's passages like this that never cease to amaze and inspire me. No other writer that I know of has managed to convey such power, determination, and optimism.
No
 

shunyadragon

shunyadragon
Premium Member
I definitely do not consider Nietzsche the best philosopher in history, but I like him. I consider him the most understood philosopher in history. Nietzsche cannot be understood by the individual 'sound bites' oft quoted as many have done in this thread. His writings are full of sarcasm, ridicule, and shock effect statements with the goal of getting the readers to think of alternates. Understanding Nietzsche would be to consider him more in the abstract, and avoid the linear 'he says this and beleives this.'

Those that cling to their own narrow view see these statements as walls that justify their own belief over Nietzsche's, which is an illusion.

Nietzsche was most definitely a Naturalist, and most likely an atheist or strong agnostic.
 
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viole

Ontological Naturalist
Premium Member
I "discovered" Nietzsche's works a few months ago, and have been reading him as much as I can. As it happened, I discovered him at a time when I was going through a bit of depression and anxiety. Nothing too serious, just a "funk" I suppose. Reading Nietzsche fired me up about life again and brought me out of anxiety and depression unlike anything else ever could have. He had has some of the most profound insights about life that I have ever read. Whether a Christian, atheist, liberal, conservative, etc, there will likely be something in his works that provokes you to strong disagreement, or strong agreement, but it's impossible to read Nietzsche without having some strong reaction, which is why I recommend him for everyone. And his wisdom, and insights about embracing life are written better than any other writer I have read. Like this (Aphorism 341 from The Gay Science, Book IV):

The Heaviest Burden. What if a demon crept after you into your loneliest loneliness some day or night, and said to you: "This life, as you live it at present, and have lived it, you must live it once more, and also innumerable times; and there will be nothing new in it, but every pain and every joy and every thought and every sigh, and all the unspeakably small and great in thy life must come to you again, and all in the same series and sequence - and similarly this spider and this moonlight among the trees, and similarly this moment, and I myself. The eternal sand-glass of existence will ever be turned once more, and you with it, you speck of dust!" - Would you not throw yourself down and gnash your teeth, and curse the demon that so spoke? Or have you once experienced a tremendous moment in which you would answer him: "You are a God, and never did I hear anything so divine!" If that thought acquired power over you as you are, it would transform you, and perhaps crush you; the question with regard to all and everything: "Do you want this once more, and also for innumerable times?" would lie as the heaviest burden upon your activity! Or, how would you have to become favourably inclined to yourself and to life, so as to long for nothing more ardently than for this last eternal sanctioning and sealing?

WOW. It's passages like this that never cease to amaze and inspire me. No other writer that I know of has managed to convey such power, determination, and optimism.

Also one of my favorites.

Ciao

- viole
 

Shadow Wolf

Certified People sTabber
For myself, I can't say I 'like' Nietzsche. I think someone earlier called him a douche, and I guess that's pretty plausible.
It was me who called him that. Really, I think anyone who claims to love Nietzsche hasn't read much of Nietzsche, just as someone who claims to not like Nietzsche hasn't read much of Nietzsche. He wrote wonderful and passionate pose about life, but he also wrote scathing hate towards just about everybody. Personally, I'd prefer Stoic philosophy as it tends to come with the life affirming views of Nietzsche without all the baggage (or something about how evil and bad women are every few pages).
But, yet interestingly, Nietzsche's social reputation apparently didn't match up to his writings, and he was known for being quite the gentleman, sensitive towards women, and he had a public break down upon seeing a horse being beaten. Not so much what could easily be thought given his thoughts regarding morality and lambs and birds of prey.
 

Flankerl

Well-Known Member
Hmmm. Even if this is true, why is being "messed up",as you so kindly put it, necessarily a bad thing? As Nietzsche himself said: "One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star."

Was that before or after he went absolutely insane?
 

Rational Agnostic

Well-Known Member
It was me who called him that. Really, I think anyone who claims to love Nietzsche hasn't read much of Nietzsche, just as someone who claims to not like Nietzsche hasn't read much of Nietzsche. He wrote wonderful and passionate pose about life, but he also wrote scathing hate towards just about everybody. Personally, I'd prefer Stoic philosophy as it tends to come with the life affirming views of Nietzsche without all the baggage (or something about how evil and bad women are every few pages).
But, yet interestingly, Nietzsche's social reputation apparently didn't match up to his writings, and he was known for being quite the gentleman, sensitive towards women, and he had a public break down upon seeing a horse being beaten. Not so much what could easily be thought given his thoughts regarding morality and lambs and birds of prey.

No doubt he wrote a lot that I disagree with. I said he is the greatest philosopher who ever lived because I think he managed to convey some of the most powerful, life-affirming ideas with the written word better than anyone else. And BTW, I just noticed you have quotes from Nietzsche's Zarathustra in your signature.
 
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