Nietzche is easy to read and very interesting. But in context of the whole Western canon, he is just one point, there are many interesting writers to read.

A very difficult read. Nietzsche's "The Birth of Tragedy" and "The Genealogy of Morals" represent pivotal points in his philosophical evolution. "Birth of Tragedy" introduces the Apollonian vs. Dionysian duality in Greek art, portraying reason and passion's symbiosis. Nietzsche suggests this harmony is rare in contemporary settings, particularly manifesting through music.

"The Genealogy of Morals" marks Nietzsche's mature reflections. The first essay explores the nobleman/slave binary, foundational to his philosophy. The second delves into guilt's origins, rooted in the debtor/creditor relationship. The final essay scrutinizes ascetic ideals, critiquing philosophers and Christianity's role, unraveling why ascetic priests are prevalent across cultures. Nietzsche dismantles existing thought structures, criticizing philosophy, religion, and reason vehemently. Yet, his philosophy, fraught with contradiction and conjecture, invites readers to question assumptions.

Nietzsche's intentional dismantling aligns with his critique of objectivity as a sham. He challenges the myth of a "pure knower" and advocates for diverse perspectives. His role, he asserts, is not to claim absolute truth but to offer different eyes for a comprehensive understanding. Embracing Nietzsche involves appreciating the journey over fixating on a destination, allowing his ideas to provoke thought without absolute attachment.

Ick.

Nietzsche’s first book could be read as a work of metaphysics (or as a comment on the metaphysics of the ancient Greeks), but it is more a work of philology (Classics studies) than of philosophy. To be precise, about the first third of this book is about the birth of tragedy; the second third is about the decline and death of tragedy in Classical Greece, and the last third of the book is about the rebirth of tragedy in the late nineteenth century.

Nietzsche argues that tragedy comes out of the spirit of music, which latter he associates with the Greek god Dionysus (and the term “Dionysian” has come to be associated with rock concerts, spring break—drinking, dancing and excess). At the time the book came out, the philological authorities (with the exception of Erwin Rohde) criticized the book for its lack of classical references and conventional methods of proof; the modern general reader may find that the classical references Nietzsche does mention (Archilochus, Pindar, Anaxagoras, for example) get in the way of his argument.

After he had written several more books, Nietzsche became critical of this early work and particularly the way it reflected the influence of the composer Richard Wagner and the philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer on his thought (and indeed, the latter half of the book, which is about Wagner, is less satisfying than the first half).

The significance of this book with reference to Nietzsche’s later work is his emphasis here on the will, which would become a dominant theme of his philosophical writing. (And although Nietzsche himself later distanced himself from his thesis, his distinction between Apollonian and Dionysian art has proved useful and has influenced later thinkers and artists.)

The Genealogy of Morals gives some idea of how far Nietzsche moved away from his earlier, Schopenhauerian thinking. There are many passages in this later book that remind me of how far ahead of his time Nietzsche was--and how even for the modern age, Nietzsche remains something of a receding horizon.

Acquired the copy I am currently using 1986
Cheap Thrills, Montreal, Quebec

This edition brings together two of Nietzsche's writings, the former one being his first book and the latter one being one of his last. The Birth of Tragedy mainly focuses and compares Apollonian and Dionysian art, and the reasons for the popularity and eventual 'death' of tragedy. In The Genealogy of Morals Nietzsche deals with the origins of morals and its terminology, such as 'good and evil' and 'good and bad'.

This was a tough read to start the challenge (PBT Subdue the Shelf Challenge) with. Trying to read it in a day didn't help me to understand a lot of what Nietzsche was arguing. Also, I know I would have been better off if I knew more about ancient Greek history. Even though a lot of his writing his powerful, poetic and commanding, Nietzsche still appeared to have many quaint views, which is understandable since these works were written in the late 1800s.

In some parts of this book I was just reading without understanding, but there were times I was able to grasp what Nietzsche was arguing even if I didn't always agree with it. For example, in The Birth of Tragedy he mentions Euripides and the Euripidean prologue which would "have a character appear at the beginning of the play, tell us who he is, what preceded the action, what has happened so far, even what is about to happen in the corse of the play." A book I'm reading at the moment, Skippy Dies, partially does this. I was intrigued finding out the origins for such a technique, and the possible reason they were used in this book.

Letto per il corso sul postmodernismo.
- memoria come origine della responsabilitá;
- uomo indipendente che puó fare promesse;
- in che senso la sofferenza puó essere una compensazione dei debiti?
- la pena ammansisce l'uomo, non lo rende migliore;
- cattiva coscienza deriva dalla metamorfosi dell'uomo in balia della societá.

Had I known that The Birth of Tragedy was in the context of ancient Greek theater, I might not have bought the book. It was an impluse buy at my favourite secondhand bookstore. That being said, while I considered not finishing the book mulitple times, I am glad that I have read it through; for the few lines that I could understand have made such a great impression on me. How Nietzsche tackles the necessity of tragedy, a pure expression of the will through music and the birth of morals, as well as guilt, have caused me to reconsider much in my own life.

Here is one of my favourite excerpts from The Genealogy of Morals.

"... everywhere a deliberate misinterpretation of suffering as guilt, terror, and punishment; everywhere, flagellant's lash, the hair shirt, the sinner stretching himself on the rack of his sadistic conscience; everywhere, dumb torment, agonizing fear, the spasms of an unknown bliss, the cry for redemption. No doubt such a system of procedures, once instituted, made short work of the ancient depression and tedium."

Eccentric? Yes. Overrated? No way. I think the key to read Nietzsche is not to take him too seriously. He provides excellent conversation starters. My copy is full of underlines, highlights, margin notes, and exclamations.

the importance of the contest being waged as an act of self overcoming not the destruction of others

i was shocked that i could read these books, but maybe even more surprised at how much they spoke to me. as a musician, a relativist, a... well whatever i am, i loved these books. for the afraid: don't be. go forth voraciously.
ooh...and the translation is very important. i'll have to check, but i think the translation i loved was walter kaufman.

Read these in high school and must read them again soon.

YOU CRAZY FOR THIS ONE, FRED!