 Deep, dark and over-blown...
Nietzsche is one of the most famous and popular philosophers of all time. While this book sums up much of his ideas, one has to wonder if Nietzsche's eventual full-blown mental illness was not already taking hold of him as he wrote this book. While there are a few passages of thoughtful ideas, much of it rambles. It also gets VERY repetitive, and was actually something of a chore to finish.
As for the philosophy itself, it is very anti-Christian. In that way it is close to Mark Twain's sarcastic "Letters from Earth". But whereas Twain is always entertaining and amazingly skillful as a writer, Nietzsche is much more thick and esoteric. In fairness, I am comparing Twain's original to Nietzsche's translation.
Unlike the pessimistic Twain, however, Nietzsche sees hope for mankind in his "ubermensch" or "superman". It is no wonder that the Nazis took Nietzsche's ideas to heart (whether Nietzsche would have liked it or not is unknown). Nietzsche's "superman" is both tender and hard, and Nietzsche praises the soldier and disdains the weak and the beggers. Nietzsche hates pity and warns: "Great indebtedness does not make men grateful, but vengeful; and if a little charity is not forgotten, it turns into a gnawing worm."
In that sense, he does have a point. I have seen that people tend to build up resentments sometimes after another person tries to help them. I guess this is why people would rather take in a stray dog then a homeless person. Chances are the dog would be very appreciative while the person might try to take advantage of the situation or get resentful and angry.
All-together, however, I would have to say that I disagree with Nietzsche's thesis. I am a Christian, and I would like to believe in the teachings of Jesus Christ. That being said, I can still enjoy a book written against Christianity if it is well written. I gave Twain's "Letter's from Earth" five stars. I also gave Lin Yutang's celebration of paganism, "The Importance of Living" five stars. However, Nietzsche was just too deep, dark and over-blown for my taste.
A point of interest if you happen to be female: Nietzsche is not very kind to women in this book. He writes: "A real man wants two things: danger and play. Therefore he wants woman as the most dangerous plaything. Man should be educated for war, and woman for the recreation of the warrior."
I give this book three stars because it is a "classic" and I felt as though the translation was probably faithful. I wouldn't buy it though. I would borrow it first the library.
 Intelligent book
I am not a student of philosophy and this is my first book to read by the author. Naturally, I didnt find the book an easy read, but I can't blame the author since Im on unfamiliar territory. However, I really enjoyed reading the book and its amazing how many phrases are worth memorizing. The book is very original and very intelligent. From what I read Nietzsche is against organised religion, so I thought it was quite strange that he chose a Prophet to deliver this thoughts to us.
GREAT BOOK
I hate long reviews... All I'm gonna say is, you need to have an open mind for this book to really embrace the meaning of his words.... Life changing book... I love Nietzsce, but I specially love this TSZ...
"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe."-Nietzsche
"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself."-Nietzsche
Nietzsche, the man who predicted the war and chaos that resulted from Europe's enthusiastic unchecked embrace of nihilism, is presenting the basics of his philosophy through Zarathustra.
This mock-gospel, philosophical work is Nietzsche's criticism of mass movements or dogmas in general, and in particular he mocks the concept of a holy scripture through the story of Zarathustra. After ten years of solitude, Zarathustra, like a modern day Moses, descends from the mountain with the hope of teaching the people love and wisdom and helping them become ubermensch. . To become an ubermensch, one has to be free from all human prejudices, group moralities and create his/her own values and purpose.
Zarathustra's teachings include the ubermensch or the enlightenment stage, the concept of will to power, the fear of the pointless eternal recurrence, and the understanding that mass movements are for the weak who can't think for themselves and as a result they take the easy escape route to religion, nationalism, democracy or some other movement.
By the end of the day, Zarathustra is saddened by his inability to move this "herd" of people and decides to focus on those who choose to separate themselves from the "herd".
Zarathustra ends up teaching his philosophy to people who choose to follow him and work toward achieving the ubermensch/overman stage. In "Beyond good and evil", Nietzsche covers the same ideas in more depth and completes this philosophical theory.
Understandably, in a time when Christianity lost people's faith to Nihilism and science, Nietzsche like others, saw an urgency to restore faith and values, but unlike any other he tried to create a new set of faith and values.
For the longest time Nietzsche was accused of being an atheist, but when the believers are acting contrary to the morals of their religions, only the courageous, such as Nietzsche, dare to question and seek the truth. Doubt is the road to faith just as uncertainty is the motive to search for truth. Nietzsche, the man who said: "In truth, there was only one Christian, and he died on the cross", wouldn't dismiss religion itself, only the practice of its adherents.
Thus Spoke Zarathustra, which was written during a time of physical and emotional deterioration in Nietzsche's life, is as chaotic and unpredictable as his health. At a time, when humanity needed a moral code, Nietzsche's ideas were a bright beacon of hope that no one believed or understood, "Thus spoke Zarathustra." is indeed "A book for none and all".
Strenght from the ashes
Many will link Nietzsche to the idea of nihilism, that once god, morality and all values have been emptied out and thrown out of their pedestals, there's very left to hold on to, and life itself becomes meaningless. Well for Nietzsche, the glass is half-full, and Thus Spoke Zarathustra is a guide on the way to overcome, on how to absolve the self from imposed value systems, seing their limitations and the reasoning behind their existance. What Nietzche preaches through his precepts is for a continuous redefinition of values, eventually to see them as arbitrary, normative patterns.
Nietzche sees this transvaluation as the way to free oneself from ALL power structures, Zarathustra himself teaches in the hope that his students eventually overcome the definitions he gives them. Thus Spoke Zarathustra mixes philosophical enquiries within the narrative of a prophetic journey, but Zarathustra's prophecy is the end of all prophets. The overman breaks away from all forms of divine order and social structuralism, but also from his own definition.
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