On the Advantage and Disadvantage of History for Life (Paperback)

~ Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (Author)
Key Phrases: historical education, historical power, monumental history

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, German (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 70 pages
• Publisher: Hackett Publishing Company (June 1980)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0915144948
• ISBN-13: 978-0915144945
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.6 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #263,192 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unique and startling, January 2, 2001

By	Robert Lawrence (Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This book is different than Nietzsche's well-known major works. It does not explicitly examine the nature of morality, the master/slave relationship, or related questions. Instead, it questions the relationship of historical knowledge to life in the present. By "present", Nietzsche does not mean some specific century or decade, but rather the present we perpetually find ourselves in as human beings.

Nietzsche asks: given that we always live in such a present, why do we want or need historical knowledge? Animals live without a historical sense: they do not reflect on the past or contemplate their future -- they simply live from moment to moment in the eternal present that humans perpetually avoid. And generally, Nietzsche notes, animals seem happier than human beings: more spontaneous, more cheerful, less given to morbid and resentful states of mind.

Given these differences, should humans abandon the study of history and try to live in the present like animals? No, says Nietzsche, this relation to history is the true source of human uniqueness and achievement. The question is not "Should we study history?" but rather, "What history should we study, and in what amount?" The answer, says Nietzsche, is history that gives us a proper appreciation of life's difficulties and the struggles that have preceded us, but which nonetheless spurs us to creative action in the present. We should never study history for history's sake; rather, we should study it with a view to understanding and surpassing our present.

This is a short, powerful volume, dense with ideas but astoundingly clear.

1 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended, November 30, 2000

By	Charse Yun (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

A great primer on the problems of history and a great introduction to a brilliant mind.

4 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars presenta el peligro que un exceso de erudión de historia, November 27, 1998

By A Customer

he leido 6 capítulos. Es un tema interesante para abordar el estudio de la historia. Para Nietzcshe la historia es indispensable pero hay que saber tener el punto de equilibrio para que sea util para la vida: demasiada historia anquilosa. La tradición tiener un limite de utilidad; el exceso mata la vida y la dinamica de la vida; pero la absoluta carencia imposibilita entender el mundo en el que se vive.