Nietzsche Within Your Grasp^TM

by Shelley O'Hara

• ISBN13: 9780764559754
• ISBN10: 0764559753
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-06-01
• Publisher: Cliffs Notes

Summary

Philosophy's greatest luminaries brought down to earth. Nietzsche Within Your Grasp offers fast, easy access to the life and works of one of history's most influential, iconoclastic philosophers. In fewer than 100 pages, you'll get all the essentials in everyday language. A short biographical sketch sets the scene, followed by chapters illuminating Nietzsche's overall philosophy and his most important writings. For students and lifelong learners seeking a point of entry into Nietzsche's radical pronouncements and often puzzling aphorisms, Nietzsche Within Your Grasp is the springboard to enriched understanding. Inside you'll find all the vital details, including: Life * Family and upbringing * Influences including Schopenhauer and Wagner * Descent into madness * Exploitation of writings by fascist groups Philosophy * Overview of key works, themes, and impact * Aphorisms, essays, and autobiography * Individual chapters on The Birth of Tragedy, The Gay Science, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Beyond Good and Evil, and Ecce Homo Additional Resources * Tracking down Nietzsche's major works * Collections, biographies, and critical writings * Nietzsche on the Internet Get a grip-Nietzsche is within your grasp!

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. vii
Nietzsche's Life	p. 1
Early Education	p. 1
Influences and College Years	p. 2
Schopenhauer's Will	p. 3
A Visit to a Brothel Has Consequences	p. 4
More Bad Luck	p. 4
Friendship with Wagner	p. 5
Professor Nietzsche	p. 5
A Medical Orderly in the Franco-Prussian War	p. 6
His First Books	p. 6
The Wander Years	p. 6
Unrequited Love	p. 7
Descent into Madness	p. 7
The Nazi Sister	p. 8
Nietzsche's Philosophy	p. 11
Nietzsche's Works	p. 11
Influenced By	p. 11
His Writing Style	p. 12
Nietzsche's Key Works	p. 13
The Controversy of Later Works	p. 15
Nietzsche's Themes	p. 16
The Quest for Truth	p. 16
God Is Dead	p. 17
Live Here, on Earth	p. 18
A Life Well Lived	p. 18
Life Again and Again	p. 19
The Will to Power	p. 20
Superman!	p. 20
Good versus Bad	p. 20
The Herd versus the Individual	p. 21
Master and Slave	p. 21
Nietzsche's Impact Far and Wide	p. 22
Reading Nietzsche	p. 22
The Birth of Tragedy	p. 25
What Nietzsche Argues in The Birth of Tragedy	p. 25
Setting the Stage	p. 26
From Suffering to Art	p. 28
Socrates and the Death of Tragedy	p. 29
From Socrates to Science	p. 30
Music and the Recanted Rebirth	p. 31
Influence of Schopenhauer, Wagner, and Others	p. 32
What Nietzsche Says in His Criticism of The Birth of Tragedy	p. 32
His Questions	p. 33
The Effect of His Mentors	p. 33
His Criticism of Christianity	p. 34
His Life View	p. 34
The Gay Science	p. 37
The Gay Science Defined	p. 37
What Is Gay Science?	p. 38
Structure	p. 38
The Importance of The Gay Science	p. 39
The Myths of Knowledge	p. 39
Why Knowledge?	p. 39
Question the "Truth"	p. 40
Whose Truth?	p. 40
Knowledge of What?	p. 41
Where Is God?	p. 41
Whose Morality?	p. 42
What Purpose Life?	p. 44
Love This Life	p. 44
Be an Individual	p. 45
Laugh!	p. 45
What Else?	p. 46
Thus Spoke Zarathustra	p. 49
An Introduction to Thus Spoke Zarathustra	p. 49
Who Is Zarathustra?	p. 49
How Thus Spoke Zarathustra Is Organized	p. 50
Key Themes in Thus Spoke Zarathustra	p. 50
It's Superman!	p. 51
Heading toward the "Last Man"	p. 51
Striving toward Superman	p. 52
Finding Meaning	p. 53
Your Will	p. 53
Your Virtues	p. 54
Your Own Way	p. 55
Life Again and Again	p. 56
Beyond Good and Evil	p. 59
About Good and Evil	p. 59
Cultivating a New Philosopher	p. 60
The State of Current Philosophers	p. 60
The Ideal New Philosopher	p. 61
The Natural History of Morals	p. 62
Christianity and Morality	p. 62
Herd Morality	p. 63
Master and Slave	p. 64
Will to Power	p. 65
Nietzsche's Noble Man	p. 65
Skeptics and Others	p. 66
Greatness of Soul	p. 66
Lesser Topics and Style Notes	p. 67
Ecce Homo	p. 69
About Ecce Homo	p. 69
About the Title and Style	p. 70
Nietzsche Lives His Ideals	p. 70
Nietzsche on Nietzsche	p. 71
Why Nietzsche Is So Wise	p. 71
Why Nietzsche Is So Clever	p. 72
Why Nietzsche Writes Such Good Books	p. 73
Why Nietzsche Is a Destiny	p. 75
Further Reading	p. 77
Nietzsche's Main Works	p. 77
Collections, Biographies, and Critical Works	p. 78
Nietzsche Web Sites	p. 78
General Philosophy	p. 78
Index	p. 81
Table of Contents provided by Rittenhouse. All Rights Reserved.