Customer Reviews

Why I Am So Wise (Penguin Great Ideas)

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"I erect no new idols; let the old idols learn what it means to have legs of clay. To overthrow idols--that is rather my business. Reality has been deprived of its value, its meaning, its veracity,"

He has been called a brilliant thinker, strikingly original, subversive, evil, creative, brazen, intellectually passionate, challenging, and the Anti-Christ ("God is a crude answer, a piece of indelicacy against us thinkers"). Reading German philospher, Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), can be a life-changing experience. He rejected Christianity as well as the morality of his time, embracing instead the belief that we are able to create our own values. The ideal man, in his view, was the "Ubermensch," or superman, characterized by strong, creative, positive qualities, and able to impose his will upon the weak and worthless. While a cover-to-cover read of this book provides the reader with a good starting point to jump into Nietzsche, a more thorough overview of Nietzsche's philosophy may be found in the Modern Library's BASIC WRITINGS OF NIETZSCHE (2000)or Viking's PORTABLE NIETZSCHE (1977).

(It should be noted that this review refers to the 2005 Penguin Great Ideas edition of WHY I AM SO WISE, translated by R. J. Hollingdale, which includes excerpts from "Ecce Homo" and Twilight of the Idols.")

G. Merritt

This is an exhilarating, sobering, beautiful, sad, scary book. The product of a great intellect on the brink of madness, it clearly reflects the encroaching grandiosity characteristic of general paresis, the form of neurosyphilis which together with the meningovascular form ultimately killed him. Within three months of writing Ecce Homo, Nietzsche suffered a complete mental breakdown from which he never regained his sanity. He was nursed by his mother and sister until his death in 1900. They suppressed publication of Ecce Homo until 1908 due to its disturbing content. Yet it provides valuable insights into his philosophy. Before we yield to the temptation to feel sorry for him, let us remember that Nietzsche's philosophy was first and foremost about affirming life in all its tragedy. As he once remarked, "all philosophers are united in their low estimation of pity."

Even if you are not a fan of Nietzsche, this little book is a great place to get a snippet of what he was all about. Granted, it's only a snippet, so there are naturally better places to turn to if you wanted more; Walter Kaufmann's Basic Writings of Nietzsche (Modern Library Classics) or The Portable Nietzsche (Portable Library) for example. That said, this 90 page book does contain several of Nietzsche's more famous ideas and frequent quotations: "revaluation of all values", "I know my fate. One day there will be associated with my name the recollection of something frightful - of a crisis like no other before on earth, of the profoundest collision of conscience.", "From the military school of life - What does not kill me makes me stronger.", "I have need of washing my hands after contact with religious people".

The book contains excerpts from Ecce Homo: How One Becomes What One Is (Oxford World's Classics) and Twilight of the Idols, Or, How to Philosophize With the Hammer. In sum, even if you are not interested in learning more about Nietzsche, this is such a short introduction that everyone could benefit from this brief induction to Nietzsche.

If you are interested in understanding Friedrich Nietzche's philosophy this little book is a great place to start. In this book the philosopher
who coined the phrase "God is dead" brings us two two other ones in this little book "What does not kill you makes you stronger" and "Do not spit against the wind". He was the first immoralist who believed that freeing the world from a make believe God and our accountibilty to him was the true way to redemption. He was one of the first antagonists to Christianity and disagreed with Christian morality. He thought guilt was terrible. Buy this book if this sounds interesting. I have always found his writings deep and memorable, he was way ahead of his time in the 19th century. He was truly a great thinker whether you agree with him or not. This book can be read in a little over an hour.

If you are interested in understanding Friedrich Nietzche's philosophy this little book is a great place to start. In this book the philosopher
who coined the phrase "God is dead" has two other ones "What does not kill you makes you stronger" and "Do not spit against the wind", I did not know he was the originator of these more popular ones. He was the first immoralist who believed that freeing the world from a make believe God and our accountibilty to him was the true way to redemption. He was one of the first antagonists to Christianity and disagreed with Christian morality. He thought guilt was terrible. Buy this book if this sounds interesting. I have always found his writings deep and memorable, he was way ahead of his time in the 19th century. He was truly a great thinker whether you agree with him or not. This book can be read in a little over an hour.

If you are interested in understanding Friedrich Nietzche's philosophy this little book is a great place to start. In this book the philosopher
who coined the phrase "God is dead" brings us two new ones "What does not kill you makes you stronger" and "Do not spit against the wind". He was the first immoralist who believed that freeing the world from a make believe God and our accountibilty to him was the true way to redemption. He was one of the first antagonists to Christianity and disagreed with Christian morality. He thought guilt was terrible. Buy this book if this sounds interesting. I have always found his writings deep and memorable, he was way ahead of his time in the 19th century. He was truly a great thinker whether you agree with him or not. This book can be read in a little over an hour.

Check out the titles of the three "chapters" in this thing; let it dawn on you that he wrote this whole book about HIMSELF; and then see if you can keep yourself from peeing your pants, laughing. ("Gimme a break!")