Subject: Re: Nietzsche and the Philosophes
From: Gene (pariah1980@yahoo.com)
Date: Wed Jun 28 2000 - 23:01:48 GMT
I wouldn't consider myself an athiest(though I don't
claim to be a model christian either), but I have to
admit I am just fascinated by this man. Just to set
the record straight, Nietzsche was NOT
anti-semitic(Hitler was influenced by Nietzsche, and
the intro to "The Portable Nietzsche" argues, to
paraphrase, that Nietzsche has attracted his share of
crack-pots and villains, but if books are to judged on
the good and bad uses they are put to, what book has
been more misused than The Bible? Similarily, don't
you think it's strange that "Catcher" is big on the
list of reading material for serial killers and
assasins? And in "The Portable Nietzsche" a letter to
his sister is included where he condemns her for
having associated with anti-semitic people; her
husband for one. From what I've read(various sectins
of the portable reader and "Beyond Good and Evil"),
Nietzsche was very anti-political. Not that he was an
anarchist, but he didn't believe in being tied down to
any political organizations(kind of like claiming
"independent" on voting ballots, I think), and he was
especially resentful of various anti-semitic
organizations that tried to gain his public support.
He was also very pro-feminist, and poked fun at the
philosophers for not understanding women and
oppressing them with religious doctrines.
The Plato book I have(which I equally love just as
much) has "The Republic", "The Symposium",
"Parmenides", "Euthyphro", "Apology: Socrates at His
Trial", "Crito: Socrates in Prison", and "Phaedo: The
Death of Socrates"(he was sentenced to death, but on
the day of his death, he committed suicide by drinking
poison). So far, I've read the first couple pages of
"The Republic", and the entire trial, prison, and
suicide books. I just think it makes a very
fascinating picture to compare the two completely
different ideologies of Nietzsche and the Philosophes,
almost like two sides of a coin.
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