Nietzsche

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kafka
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Nietzsche

Post by kafka »

Hello, I have a few questions about this philosopher. First of all, I haven't a good preparation in philosophy, I have studied (I am studying yet) it at school but I haven't ever read books that debate of philosophy. I am reading “Thus Spoke Zarathustra”, it is beautiful and poetic but I am finding a lot of problems with the interpretation of his philosophy. The question is: “is possible to understand (at least partially) the philosophy of Nietzsche without a solid preparation? What are the books that I need to read to start”"

P.s. English is not my first language, I am sorry for the mistakes.
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Russell Burke
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Post by Russell Burke »

It's true, much of what Nietzsche says is hard to grasp, and the difficulty of getting a general sense of his philosophy is compounded by the fact that his body of work is quite extensive. Two books prominent in the field of Nietzsche studies that you might find useful are Walter A. Kaufmann's Nietzsche: Philosopher, Psychologist, Antichrist and Arthur C. Danto's Nietzsche as Philosopher.
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Libs_Books
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Post by Libs_Books »

I think it's pretty difficult to just start with that book, without understanding the context of the time from which it arose. I would suggest you do some basic reading first. Maybe a more generic introduction to philosophy? Alternatively the 'very short introduction' books from the Oxford University Press (OUP) - each one about an individual philosopher - have been recommended to me, but I can't speak about them from experience.
Vg345
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Post by Vg345 »

I would recommend Jordan Peterson Youtube lectures if you don't already watch those. He talks a lot about Nietzsche and his works. I really feel like that would be helpful. You could also try reading Carl Jung's works. He studied Nietzsche's works extensively, or so I hear. They're on my reading list but I haven't started yet. I'm currently reading the Gulag Archipelago.
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DATo
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Post by DATo »

This is the audio chapter on the section devoted to Nietzsche taken from Will Durant's best selling book, The Story Of Philosophy. I highly recommend it - both the chapter and the book. Durant is one of the most eloquently styled writers of nonfiction I have ever read.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4i11923V04
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Nikolas Farmakis
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Post by Nikolas Farmakis »

I would advise you not to read Nietzche, as he is a terrible philosopher. It has been said that Hitler took many of his philosophical principles to persuade people about his ideology.
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EternalD
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Post by EternalD »

You picked up the most challenging book, to begin with. This work should be the last one you should read. I advise starting with a more superficial book like Beyond Good and Evil.
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