There are remarkable similarities between the structure and purpose of the early Wittgenstein’s philosophy (specifically as seen in the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus) and the writing style of Ernest Hemingway. Both seem to represent meaning in life, ethics, and values in their writing precisely by making apparent their absence.…
The racist and fascist foundation of Nazism has often been attributed to the writings of Nietzsche. In actuality, however, not only did Nietzsche not espouse such ideas, but also he also expressly opposed them. The blatant racism, oppression, and mass mentality of the Nazi regime are incompatible with Nietzsche's writings. Conceptually, it is difficult to fathom how Hitler managed to warp Nietzsche's ideas and writings to fuel his own totalitarian Nazi agenda. Although Nietzsche's writings did influence Hitler, it was only through misinterpretation and manipulation that Hitler came to believe that Nietzsche held pro-Nazi beliefs and promoted his works as the philosophical underpinning of the Third Reich.…
Bruce Friedrich makes his argument through the use of pathos, a rhetorical appeal that evokes an emotional reaction from the reader, and several other rhetorical…
In Beyond Good & Evil, Friedrich Nietzsche seeks to develop the idea of moral philosophy beyond basic pleasures, how they relate to the general population, and further into our own personal intricacies and how they create a set of rules that apply to most individuals. Throughout the book, Nietzsche articulate well over 200 epigrams, each of which highlights a different aspect of human morality. Nietzsche’s 68th epigram dictates: “‘I have done that,’ says my memory. ‘I cannot have done that,’ says my pride, and remains inexorable. Eventually--memory yields.” When assessing this aphorism, it is not only important to assess why our memory yields and what ensues as a result, but also what would occur if we didn’t. One could argue that we must remember our mistakes and learn from them and, by choosing to forget our mistakes for our own pride’s sake, we stall our own moral progression. However, it could also be said that forgetting our own mistakes is vital to our moral progression because rather than merely learning from our mistakes, by constantly remembering them, we allow ourselves to be caught in a cycle of guilt, preventing us from truly moving on. Rather than blindly assessing the aphorism on its own, one must look through Nietzsche’s lens regarding the concepts of intention and truth in order to determine which of the above interpretations is more plausible. Although the first notion is a reasonable interpretation of Nietzsche’s epigram regarding widely accepted notions of morality, the second proves to be a more valid conclusion when following Nietzschean philosophy. While the first interpretation allows for moral recognition and awareness, the second allows for actual progress in the individual.…
Friedrich Nietzsche believed that everyone should own up to envy because there was nothing wrong with being envious and it should serve as a guide or indication of what we could become one day. He believed that if we had a purpose in life we could put up with almost anything to be able to achieve what we wanted. Although, Nietzsche’s intentions were meant for good, envy does not always serve as a great guide or indication of what we could become. Some could take a negative turn to that emotion and possibly harm themselves or others in order to attain whatever it was they envied from the other party. Not everyone would take that as a means of motivation to work harder for what they truly desired or envied, some would have resorted to the…
It is now nearing the end of this fall semester and throughout these months I have encountered many new philosophies. Many of my ideals have been challenged and I have had to myself, confront my beliefs. Most recently, I’ve discovered the philosophies of Friedrich Nietzsche and Gloria Anzaldúa. Compared with the other philosophies, these two seem to be the most similar in at least their belief that there is no one right way to the good life, but rather there are many and are suited to each individual.…
1. What types of connections did you make most often as you read: text to text, text to self, or text to world? How did making connections increase your understanding of the magazine article?…
No serious thinker has done more unintentional harm to the Jewish people than Friedrich Nietzsche. Following his death, Nietzsche’s writings served as an inspiration and philosophical justification for Adolf Hitler and Nazism. Quite paradoxically, Nietzsche was far from anti-Semitic; in fact, many considered Nietzsche to be one of the more pro-Jewish philosophers of his era. Although Nietzsche’s position against anti-Semitism seems clear in the second and the third essay of The Genealogy of Morals, it is possible to misconstrue comments within the first essay as anti-Semitic. Yet considering the totality of Nietzsche’s writing in his The Genealogy of Morals, the Nazis wrongly regarded…
To understand Nietzsche’s version of the origin of guilt, some background information is necessary. In The Genealogy of Morals, Nietzsche introduces the reader to two different types of morality; the slave morality and the Noble morality. These two types of morality are at odds with each other, the slave morality develops specifically as a result of the critique of the master morality.…
When describing the lightning and the flash, Nietzsche is alluding to the human tendency to disassociate two things that are related. This may be because lightning is the descriptor and the flash is the action, which leads humans to separate the two. Nietzsche describes this mental process as “taking the latter for an action… separates. strength from expression of strength.” The lightning and the flash is related to the lambs and the birds of prey because it is impossible to separate, and blame, the birds of prey from their strength: their tendencies to kill. It would be as equally impossible to separate and blame the lambs for their weakness as their weakness functions as a way to protect themselves. The lambs do not understand this and thus…
Christianity as antiquity.-- When we hear the ancient bells growling on a Sunday morning we ask ourselves: Is it really possible! This, for a jew, crucified two thousand years ago, who said he was God's son? The proof of such a claim is lacking. Certainly the Christian religion is an antiquity projected into our times from remote prehistory; and the fact that the claim is believed - whereas one is otherwise so strict in examining pretensions - is perhaps the most ancient piece of this heritage. A god who begets children with a mortal woman; a sage who bids men work no more, have no more courts, but look for the signs of the impending end of the world; a justice that accepts the innocent as a vicarious sacrifice; someone who orders his disciples to drink his blood; prayers for miraculous interventions; sins perpetrated against a god, atoned for by a god; fear of a beyond to which death is the portal; the form of the cross as a symbol in a time that no longer knows the function and ignominy of the cross -- how ghoulishly all this touches us, as if from the tomb of a primeval past! Can one believe that such things are still believed?…
Nietzsche here specifies that his task is not simply to expose the psychological and historical eventuality that make for different moralities, but to question moralities for their objective value. It is exposed how a particular morality comes from a tradition. Nietzsche states how the only thing that matters is their current, actual functional value in objective terms, and their potential functional value. The work can be used to determine whether the values of the road’s protagonist’s actions are subjective, meaning they fit the characters needs. It can also be used to determine if there is any source of absolute morality in the novel.…
Nietzsche claimed in the Foreword to have written the book for a very limited readership. In order to understand the book, he asserted that the reader "... must be honest in intellectual matters to the point of hardness to so much as endure my seriousness, my passion." The reader should be above politics and nationalism. Also, the usefulness or harmfulness of truth should not be a concern. Characteristics such as "Strength which prefers questions for which no one today is sufficiently daring; courage for the forbidden" are also needed.…
Nietzsche was an immoral reprobate who went completely insave from syphillis before he died. Ad Hominem (Abusive)…
One of the most difficult trials I face in my life are ethical and moral dilemmas. I believe one purpose for this life is to learn to act for ourselves and learn to see a situation correctly and act righteously. Everyday I'm faced with decisions of right and wrong, most of which are easily and correctly dealt with. Sometimes however, decisions need to be made that are not easy or perfectly clear. In this paper I wish to discuss a presented moral dilemma and explain what I would do in the same situation.…