Straight Hate

I suppose it is inevitable for everyone philosophy neophyte to become immersed in the ideas of Friedrich Nietzsche, but please humour me. I've read most of the Bible, a bit of the Qu'ran, the Tao Te Ching and other snippets of various religious and philosophical texts, but through them all, Nietzsche's "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" has remained king.

In his criticism of the state and cultural confusiuon, he mocks, "'There is nothing greater on earth than I, the regulating finger of God' - thus the monster bellows." I find this a striking parallel to the present-day cultural conflict between the west and the middle east, perhaps more specifically, the United States and Iraq.

But this is only one example of the numerous interesting thoughts I've discovered in the text. Nietzsche often brings up his idea of the superman, that we should ascend beyond the pathetic insecurities of humanity, and find peace in our solitude. He rails against those who only think in black and white, and I find it almost unsettling how my own views and suspicions are being described in verbose detail. I should have authored this book.

Does anyone have any thoughts or comments on the issue? Nietzsche seems to breed (unnecessary) controversy.

philechat

Nietzsche remained the philosopher on my pedestal since I read him two years ago, partly because of his literary accomplishments. He was in my opinion the most powerful spokesman on tolerance even if he did not promote tolerance as an ideal. Some of my own opinions on cultures and art were directly influenced by his philosophy.

The concept I am most facinated by has been his epousal of a tragic philosophy and an aesthetic view of life, a life devoid of moral certainties only to be replaced by our individual wills. In his opinion life in its actuality, including its abundence of suffering, is to be affirmed without extraneous systems or ideals. We ourselves create our own rules of life independent of the moral assumptions of others.

He also appears to embrace paradox, to want to show the value in all actions, even in those we commonly refer to as evil. To agree with others is in his opinion a herd-like behavior, an inability to affirm ourselves against the will of the majority. He certainly poked many holes on those "moral majority" type people who tried to call their will-to-power a justice in their sly, twisted semantics games.

Hugo Holbling

I can dance a Nietzschean jig for you but the real master is here. Ol' Ender doesn't post here nowadays, but i'll see if i can lure him back - suitably metamorphosised, of course!

Straight Hate

I must say that is an amazing thread!