Literator (Jun 2011)

How cool is Nietzsche – an aid to remove the fear of great philosophers

  • H. Ester

DOI
https://doi.org/10.4102/lit.v32i1.7
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 32, no. 1
pp. 145 – 154

Abstract

Read online

The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) is far more accessible than many of his contemporaries. He has a tremendous sense of humour, plays with words and expressions,and he is not scared of attacking other philosophers like Hegel and Schopenhauer. Nietzsche’s use of figures is very significant thanks to the variations of these figures. The result of his style is a sort of inclusiveness towards the reader. Nietzsche seduces the reader to become a member of the select group of chosen thinkers. His central work “Thus spoke Zarathustra”, shows this strategy of conquering the reader or listener in a clear way. Nietzsche’s courage to ask other philosophers or “Geisteswissenschaftler” what their essence is can encourage us to ask essential questions. However, Nietzsche’s central value of life is too vague to be acceptable and caused a lot of political confusion during the previous century.

Keywords