Zarathustra
Today I finished reading “Friedrich Nietzsche, An Illustrated Biography” by Ivo Frenzel. I can honestly say after reading this book; I have no idea what Nietzsche was trying to tell us. I don’t blame the author. I think it is either, the nature of philosophy to be highly abstract and therefore out of the reach of people with average intelligence, or I am of average intelligence. For example, “Nihilism as a normal phenomenon can be a symptom of growing strength or of growing weakness”. It's like reading Einstein, I think I kind of get it, but I know I really don't.
The biological story line was interesting. I love reading about the lives of artistic, creative and misfit people. But the more I read about them, the more I believe to create art; you can not lead a bourgeois life. Money and material gain take you in the opposite direction of art. An artist must suffer for their art, no?
I do love the titles of Nietzsche’s works. “Ecce Homo” (supposedly what Pontius Pilot said when presenting Jesus crowned in thorns, translated in the Bible as “Behold the Man”), “Thus Spoke Zarathustra”, “Human, All Too Human”, and “The Will to Power” are great titles. But if I can't even understand the titles....
The biological story line was interesting. I love reading about the lives of artistic, creative and misfit people. But the more I read about them, the more I believe to create art; you can not lead a bourgeois life. Money and material gain take you in the opposite direction of art. An artist must suffer for their art, no?
I do love the titles of Nietzsche’s works. “Ecce Homo” (supposedly what Pontius Pilot said when presenting Jesus crowned in thorns, translated in the Bible as “Behold the Man”), “Thus Spoke Zarathustra”, “Human, All Too Human”, and “The Will to Power” are great titles. But if I can't even understand the titles....
posted by Unknown at
9:04 PM
1 Comments:
In a way, an artist would possibly need to be a Nihilist. (Preferable, since I'm not real big into suffering - I like my naps too much :-)
If a nihilist is one that believes in no real absolutes - no grand truths, no required "meaning of life". Then...
Strength would come from being free of constraints, weakness from a sense of uselessness.
It is the lack of strength and the leaning towards weakness that Nietzsche feared would result in man's downfall.
And though I read it a long time ago, I think I did enjoy "Thus spoke Zarathustra". I have "The Portable Nietzche" should you want to borrow it.
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