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The Philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche

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The first thing that needs to be said about this book is that, as an exposition of Nietzsche's philosophy, it's profoundly flawed. Of course it doesn't claim to be exhaustively comprehensive, and today most of its readers will be drawn as much to the author and his interpretation as to the subject itself. But here the interpretation effectively buries the subject. In his own lifetime Nietzsche observed that in most cases "whoever thought he had understood something of me had made up something out of me after his own image (Ecce Homo III I)," and such is the case of Mencken.

Symptomatic of this is Mencken's tendency to blithely dismiss (as "sheer lunacy", p.85, or "absurd", p.154) whatever in Nietzsche he fails to properly understand or finds to be at odds with his own reading. But the main problem is not so much in this, nor in his omissions, nor in his over-simplifications, nor even in his errors as such; as the introduction quite rightly notes, Mencken is "dead wrong" in equating Nietzsche's will to power with Schopenhauer's will to existence. The real problem is that, in so thoroughly misunderstanding this & other such key aspects of Nietzsche's philosophy, Mencken inevitably, and substantially, misunderstands that philosophy as a whole.

In this particular case, whereas a -higher- and -fuller- existence is seen by Nietzsche as the aim of the will to power, and hence the greatest good, Mencken's misinterpretation takes existence in itself to be the goal (eg, pp.81-83) and thereby interprets the overman as the man most fit to survive the Darwinian struggle for existence (pp.67, 79, etc.). In fact, Nietzsche repeatedly insisted that it is the mediocre who are most successful as far as mere survival goes ("the last man lives longest" Zarathustra Prologue 5; "species do -not- grow in perfection; the weak prevail over the strong again & again" Twilight of Idols IX 14), and by contrast frequently laments the fragility of the higher man ("the ruination of the higher man, of souls of a stranger type, is the rule" Beyond Good and Evil 269, see also 276 & 62, inter alia).

Another example, the more lamentable for the sheer intellectual laziness it represents on Mencken's part, is his chapter on "Truth". Now, Nietzsche's critiques of objectivity and of the limits of conscious reason, as notably in BGE & TOI, are among the most brilliant and influential things he ever wrote. Yet Mencken wastes half the chapter in a pedantic general discussion of truth, then finally turns to Nietzsche by announcing his views are too complicated to be summarized in the available space, proceeds to misrepresent them, and concludes with the patently false assertion that Nietzsche was a moral ("atheistic") determinist.

More unfortunate still, and far less forgiveable coming after the century of further Nietzsche scholarship which has been undertaken since Mencken first wrote, is that this book's introduction, which is supposed to be there to catch Mencken's errors, cheers him on in this one, as well as as in others. Let it be noted too, in passing, how absurd it it when the author of this introduction complains about the lack of clarity in Nietzsche's style--nevermind the countless passages (the Gay Science 381 is especially instructive, but see also Zarathustra, BGE, EH...) in which Nietzsche addresses the issue of style, connecting it with his conception of the order of rank. In other words, his style is a reflection of his philosophy and can't be criticized in isolation from it, any more than one can speak of Plato's use of dialectic as a mere question of style.

As a final point, this particular edition of Mencken's work is further unsatisfactory in its sloppy editing and in its lack of corrections for those facts Mencken gives about Nietzsche's life which are objectively wrong (generally he was as accurate as possible for his time, but since them far more material has come to light--about Nietzsche's relationship with Lou Salomé, for example, not to mention that awful sister of his, who in Mencken's time was still posing as the--largely unquestioned--voice of authority in all things concerning her brother).

To be fair one might find this book worthwhile for a number of reasons; as an example of how Nietzsche was often understood when his influence was first making itself felt; as one of the earliest works of an exceptional man in his own right; and there are even parts which do serve their intended purpose quite well (I think Nietzsche would have entirely approved of the chapter on Education). Finally I myself found Mencken useful here as a sort of intellectual sparring partner; having read a good deal of Nietzsche, I wanted to sort out my own thoughts by putting them up against those of another intelligent but non-specialist reader. So the book does have its uses, just not the one it claims to.

I only recently heard of this book, and a relative sent me his well-worn copy. I read it in less than 48 hours since it is hard to lay down. I know it makes one empathize with German soldiers fighting Russians, but it helps that the committed Nazi officers are also portrayed as evil and that one realizes that the non-officers in the book are simply trying to stay alive and hate the war. This is a compelling and engrossing book, and I ate it up.

Heinrich's anti-hero, sgt. Steiner leads his platoon through Soviet line to the relative safety of the German lines in the Kerch penninsula. The novel shows the Russo-German conflict for what it was - brutal, heartless, and desperate. Not only do Steiner and his men have to fight the identifiable enemy but they must fight against the enemy within their own ranks. Glory-seeking officers, die-hard Nazis, and the malaise that envelopes all when exposed to the brutal horrors of combat at its most most primitive. Telling is the section where Steiner is sent back to "civilization." Heinrich's book is a must for those who enjoy historical fiction and military fiction. It enlightens a part of the war about which most Americans know little.

As an example of H.L. Mencken's nascency as a serious writer and critic, this biography of the philosopher Nietzsche is invaluable to anyone interested in the writings of either man. The introduction by the editor is insightfully critical but does fail to emphasize the context in which Mencken himself held certain views controversial by today's accepted standards. Mencken's interpretations of Nietzsche's ideas tend toward social Darwinism. Especially where he is writing about the early life of Nietzsche, Mencken's outline is better than any other book in English on the subject. But Mencken mixes and matches concepts arising from Dionysus and Apollo too loosely, sometimes to the point of miscomprehension of Nietzsche's position, and sometimes by using their Roman name equivalents. All in all, Mencken is thorough, conscientious and clear in his expose on the great German philosopher.

This is one of Heinrich's numerous novels with the same characters. It was ,I think, originally called "The Willing Flesh" before Sam Peckinpah made a movie of it. It must be mentioned that the soldiers in the book, who were the main characters, were part of the Wehrmacht (the main German army) and in fact hated Nazis and SS. The content was very similar to the famous book "The Forgotten Soldier". Willi Heinrich manages to show German soldiers with some decency and an instinct for survival on the Eastern Front as a prime motive in a losing war. Steiner is a disobedient but brave soldier in this book and always seems to escape the most difficult situations. The story is well told with enough detail to entertain both lovers and haters of war books. The movie (excellent) only covers part of the book but shows some of the harsh realities only comparable to some of the more recent WWII films.

I have read this in German and in English - the translation is excellent, unlike many others which soften or "civilize" war stories. This is no "All Quiet on the Western Front", where recent ex-school boys are the principals. Most of the enlisted men are grown men, and have less fervor than the youth in Remarque's WW I novel. The ruthless "take very few prisoners" attitudes of Germans and of Russians add realism, pessimism, and terror to this story, as do the weight of years of WW I and WW II experience of Brandt, Fetscher, and Major Vogel in particular. As a former infantry enlisted man and officer, I see the reality of Steiner trusting only Senior Regimental Sergeant Major Fetscher among all of the rest. Unless one has knowledge of the history of the World War II Eastern Front and of the geography of southwestern Russia (the Black Sea area of Tuapse, the Kuban, and the Crimea), having a good map at hand and some reading (such as Seaton's book) will help in appreciating the distances and terrains involved.A terrifying look at grown men in fear, who doubt and yet hope. Both Heinrich and Remarque personally lived through the worlds of their books; their books are real.

This was a really excellent book. Begins as an interesting run and hide adventure behind the Soviet lines, then really gets rolling when the main character, Sergeant Steiner, and crew return to German controlled territory. Steiner is a taciturn but resourceful leader, haunted by private demons, who works best alone, but can lead his friends out of virtually any trap. Steiner's stubborn loner tendencies often do him more harm than good, particularly in his interactions with superiors. Steiner's battalion commander, the cowardly Stransky, resents Steiner as everything he is not, privately fears him, and is a cunning, manipulative villian who is easy to hate. Stransky's boss, the regimental commander, is placed in the role of being arbiter between good (Steiner) and evil (Stransky). Even if you don't like the Germans much, you wind up rooting for Steiner and pals to make it. Lots of interesting minor players. The end becomes easy to guess, but this doesn't change its emotional impact. A really excellent book

This is the most lucid and entertaining explanation of Nietzche's thought and life that I have ever encountered. Philosophical goobledygook is virtually absent and the essence of Nietzche's philosophy is accurately expounded in a no-nonsense style.

The best novel I've read that gives the German point of view of WWII. Impressive and disturbing, much like All Quiet on the Western Front. Recounts the slow German retreat to the Crimea, as seen from the point of view of one platoon.

I felt that this book was a poignant view of what was reallyhappening on the Eastern Front during World War 2. Having severalrelatives who served with the Wermacht on the Eastern Front, I foundthe book reaffirmed what they told me about it. I have found thatseveral reviewer's remarks about the book were slightly skewed. TheGerman Soldier at that time was fighting for his life, not Hitler'sphilosophy. They ralized at this time that the war was hopeless. Inthe words of my uncle, who must have got it from another, "AfterStalingrad we thought we could still win, but after Kursk, we knew itwas all lost. We fought to save not only ourselves, but our familiesin Germany."