Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) is famous for his statement that God is dead and his provocative account of Master and Slave moralities and for the fact that Adolf Hitler and the Nazis claimed that Nietzsche was one of their great inspirations. Were the Nazis right to do so or did they misappropriate Nietzsche's philosophy? In this book, based on the 2006 documentary, Professor Stephen Hicks asks and answers the following questions: * What were the key elements of Hitler and the National Socialists' political philosophy? * How did the Nazis come to power in a nation as educated and civilized as Germany? * What was Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophy the philosophy of "Live dangerously" and "That which does not kill us makes us stronger"? * And to what extent did Nietzsche's philosophy provide a foundation for the horrors perpetrated by the Nazis?
Nietzsche and the Nazis
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About the Author
Dr. Stephen Hicks is Professor of Philosophy at Rockford College, Illinois, and Executive Director of the Center for Ethics and Entrepreneurship. He has been a visiting professor at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. and a visiting scholar at the Social Philosophy and Policy Center in Bowling Green, Ohio. He is also the author of Explaining Postmodernism: Skepticism and Socialism from Rousseau to Foucault (Scholargy, 2004), The Art of Reasoning: Readings for Logical Analysis (Second edition, W. W. Norton & Co., 1998), and articles in academic journals such as The Review of Metaphysics and other publications such as The Wall Street Journal.
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Stephen Ronald Craig Hicks (born 1960) is professor of philosophy at Rockford College, where he is also Executive Director of the Center for Ethics and Entrepreneurship. He is the author of *Nietzsche and the Nazis* (Ockham's Razor, 2006, 2010), *Explaining Postmodernism: Skepticism and Socialism from Rousseau to Foucault* (Scholargy Publishing, 2004), and co-editor of *The Art of Reasoning: Readings for Logical Analysis* (W. W. Norton & Co., 1998). Hicks earned a Ph.D. from Indiana University in 1991 and his B.A. (Honours) from the University of Guelph, Canada in 1981.
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27 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Hicks provides a wonderful case study for the importance of philosophy by means of showing the extent to which ideas and ideals drove the Nazis. For those of us who have been trained by countless accounts of the Nazi ideology as merely the barbaric notions of a crazed Hitler, Hicks provides important reminders of just how deeply German intellectuals and students subscribed to Nazi ideology as a set of important ideals for cultural rejuvenation. Hicks does not simply indict Nietzsche, and includes a clear analysis of ways in which Nazi ideology was and was not consistent with Nietzsche's ideas, despite the explicit worship of Nietzsche by many leading Nazis. In addition, Hicks provides a broader perspective on the extent to which German intellectuals at the time had bought into racial theories and eugenics (as had many intellectuals in the Anglo-American world on both the left and the right). He also documents clearly the roots of National Socialism as a deliberate, and explicit integration of Nationalism and Socialism, starting with the Nazi platform of 1920 (which is included as an appendix to the book).
Hicks' perspective is personal, easy to read, and a compelling narrative. The book is illustrated with Nazi photos, posters and book covers from the 1920s and 30s giving a visceral chill to the reader as one realizes that these ideas formed the popular ideals of an entire generation. This book would provide a great introduction to the role of ideas in history for anyone who is interested in one of the most horrific case studies (along with communism) in the history of humanity.
Hicks' perspective is personal, easy to read, and a compelling narrative. The book is illustrated with Nazi photos, posters and book covers from the 1920s and 30s giving a visceral chill to the reader as one realizes that these ideas formed the popular ideals of an entire generation. This book would provide a great introduction to the role of ideas in history for anyone who is interested in one of the most horrific case studies (along with communism) in the history of humanity.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By L Abrams
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
The title of this book is far too modest. If you've ever wondered how the barbaric horrors perpetrated by the National Socialists - Nazis - could have been carried out by a country that was near the apogee of 20th century civilization, if you've ever wondered what could possibly explain the purposeful, deliberate slaughter of twenty million people - this is the book for you. Stephen Hicks demonstrates how the Nazis rationalized evil. They thought of themselves as highly idealistic crusaders for a noble cause. Ideas rule the world, and the Nazis were a horrific case in point. Some of the ideas behind their bloody movement still have wide currency in the 21st century, as Hicks demonstrates with appropriate quotes.
He concludes with the first and second rules of politics.The second is Know Your Enemy. The first: Know Yourself. Know what you stand for and why. Know the principles that are the direct opposites of the Nazis'. You will find them summarized on page 106. Finally, having shown in great detail that the Nazis knew what they stood for, Hicks asks: do we? Study this book and you will. Highly recommended.
-Larry Abrams, author, The Philosophical Practitioner
He concludes with the first and second rules of politics.The second is Know Your Enemy. The first: Know Yourself. Know what you stand for and why. Know the principles that are the direct opposites of the Nazis'. You will find them summarized on page 106. Finally, having shown in great detail that the Nazis knew what they stood for, Hicks asks: do we? Study this book and you will. Highly recommended.
-Larry Abrams, author, The Philosophical Practitioner
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By John Davis
Format:Hardcover
I agree with the author wholeheartedly that the primary cause of Nazism was philosophy (which is also the primary cause of all the religious/secular turmoil in the world today). I thought he presented the case quite logically and very understandably. I like how he writes. The other reviews by Strong and Abrahms are more eloquent than mine, and they are right on. This is a great book and an easy read. It is also a wake-up call to know what you stand for, and then stand for it.
