A forum for discussion and clarification of philosophical issues relevant to class.
May 2, 2007
Nietzsche documentary
This might help you understand Nietzsche's background a bit better. It's not exactly the best interpretation of his life and philosophy (and the relationship between the two), but it should give you some ideas that might clarify the reading.
I just want to comment on the way he make me feel while watching the video and doing the reading. I felt his pain due to the lost of his love ones and of course as a child you don't understand why the people that you love so much have to die and if there is a God why will he let it happen. I also wonder if he would sill believe in God if he had not gone through all this suffering.
After watching this video clip, I also wondered many of the same things. Personally, I thin kas a young childe, the circumstances that he went through were never dealt with so he withdrew within himself and this may have been why he went insane. death is a horrivle thing, speaking from experience, but if there is support around, you deal with it. Remember the video said he was sent to boarding school. Though I think people think he was a great philosopher, I think he lived a lot of his life with self-pity and being a hermit. Our lives are what we make it.
This is why I was a bit hesitant to share this documentary... because I had a feeling people would jump to judge these specific parts of his life as determinant of his writings... There is much more to a person than one's childhood experiences, and his philosophy actually supports this: it was exuberantly life-affirming, and not very melancholy. Also, his insanity was due to a physiological condition, not to unresolved childhood issues.
yes, you are right that there is a lot more to a person;s life than his childhood but the video focused on that and how he was alone so much etc. Was he alone because as a child he was alone a lot and he felt more comfortable? Maybe I didn't understand it too well? The video said he went insane they think because if the syphillis that he contracted. but I am still not sure why he did the things he did....is there something else you can send that depicts other parts of his life except his sadness? You have read so much about him that I am sure ther are other sides of him that we can not see in the video. Sorry if I offended you.
A significant portion of his ideas can be understood by careful analysis of the writings and philosophers who influenced his thinking, especially Kant and Schopenhauer, as well as the music of Richard Wagner.
If you understand those intellectual traditions, then you'd be better able to understand the substance of his writings.
He's always intrigued my curiosity, more so than most other philosophers, so I've studied his writings more carefully than others. In fact, I wrote my master's thesis on him... a paper about 130 pages. What fun it was to write that... no joke.
As you have said, you studied him obviously for a great length of time. We are only seeing little bits of him. And at this point of the class, we will not be able to look into the other philosophers you talked about. After reading what you said, it is quite scary going into a final exam, feeling like you do not understand him at all........what about that video Pam was talking about? The one about the worm? How do I chck that out?
As you have said, you studied him obviously for a great length of time. We are only seeing little bits of him. And at this point of the class, we will not be able to look into the other philosophers you talked about. After reading what you said, it is quite scary going into a final exam, feeling like you do not understand him at all........what about that video Pam was talking about? The one about the worm? How do I chck that out?
Thanks.....now for a few questions on Nietzsche...In the documentary they talked about the Greek model of tragedy....what were they referring to? i though Nietszche thought that power was the way for you to control your own destiny/that the ultimate truth existed in creativity, joy and the ultimate trith and this had become overshadowed by Christianity? People who lived their life through Christianity did have the feeling power ,which is the importance of life. By having a feeling od power , we realize about life through our own experiences........Am I getting this yet? BY denouncing Christianity, you will have the power to think for yourself, and you can choose your own fate as you will not be influenced by outside sources???????????????/
Nietzsche had studied the Greeks very thoroughly, and found in them an amazing sense of love for life and exuberance, which he took as the best exemplar of the best type of morality.
He found in Christianity and Judaism the very opposite: a denial and negation of this life and a hope for a better afterlife. He saw this as a disingenuous form of compensation and jealousy, which he considered pathetic responses.
He does like power, but not necessarily power over others. He believes in having power over oneself, in growing, in overcoming obstacles, in becoming, in creating, in individuality.
So, you are on the right track with your undertstanding.
Did anyone else have problem with the clip? Mine stopped 30 min. into the story. Well what I got from the story was he had a happy life until his father and brother died and when he came down with an illness. When he met a girl and good friend he became happy again. You need interaction with people in life to feel a sence of worth. Feeling like you belong. He seemed like a smart man but a lot of hurtful feelings held him back from enjoying life.
11 comments:
I just want to comment on the way he make me feel while watching the video and doing the reading. I felt his pain due to the lost of his love ones and of course as a child you don't understand why the people that you love so much have to die and if there is a God why will he let it happen. I also wonder if he would sill believe in God if he had not gone through all this suffering.
After watching this video clip, I also wondered many of the same things. Personally, I thin kas a young childe, the circumstances that he went through were never dealt with so he withdrew within himself and this may have been why he went insane. death is a horrivle thing, speaking from experience, but if there is support around, you deal with it. Remember the video said he was sent to boarding school. Though I think people think he was a great philosopher, I think he lived a lot of his life with self-pity and being a hermit. Our lives are what we make it.
This is why I was a bit hesitant to share this documentary... because I had a feeling people would jump to judge these specific parts of his life as determinant of his writings... There is much more to a person than one's childhood experiences, and his philosophy actually supports this: it was exuberantly life-affirming, and not very melancholy. Also, his insanity was due to a physiological condition, not to unresolved childhood issues.
yes, you are right that there is a lot more to a person;s life than his childhood but the video focused on that and how he was alone so much etc. Was he alone because as a child he was alone a lot and he felt more comfortable? Maybe I didn't understand it too well? The video said he went insane they think because if the syphillis that he contracted. but I am still not sure why he did the things he did....is there something else you can send that depicts other parts of his life except his sadness? You have read so much about him that I am sure ther are other sides of him that we can not see in the video. Sorry if I offended you.
No offense taken.
A significant portion of his ideas can be understood by careful analysis of the writings and philosophers who influenced his thinking, especially Kant and Schopenhauer, as well as the music of Richard Wagner.
If you understand those intellectual traditions, then you'd be better able to understand the substance of his writings.
He's always intrigued my curiosity, more so than most other philosophers, so I've studied his writings more carefully than others. In fact, I wrote my master's thesis on him... a paper about 130 pages. What fun it was to write that... no joke.
As you have said, you studied him obviously for a great length of time. We are only seeing little bits of him. And at this point of the class, we will not be able to look into the other philosophers you talked about. After reading what you said, it is quite scary going into a final exam, feeling like you do not understand him at all........what about that video Pam was talking about? The one about the worm? How do I chck that out?
As you have said, you studied him obviously for a great length of time. We are only seeing little bits of him. And at this point of the class, we will not be able to look into the other philosophers you talked about. After reading what you said, it is quite scary going into a final exam, feeling like you do not understand him at all........what about that video Pam was talking about? The one about the worm? How do I chck that out?
You can find it here: http://occc-philo-s-07.blogspot.com/
Thanks.....now for a few questions on Nietzsche...In the documentary they talked about the Greek model of tragedy....what were they referring to? i though Nietszche thought that power was the way for you to control your own destiny/that the ultimate truth existed in creativity, joy and the ultimate trith and this had become overshadowed by Christianity? People who lived their life through Christianity did have the feeling power ,which is the importance of life. By having a feeling od power , we realize about life through our own experiences........Am I getting this yet? BY denouncing Christianity, you will have the power to think for yourself, and you can choose your own fate as you will not be influenced by outside sources???????????????/
Nietzsche had studied the Greeks very thoroughly, and found in them an amazing sense of love for life and exuberance, which he took as the best exemplar of the best type of morality.
He found in Christianity and Judaism the very opposite: a denial and negation of this life and a hope for a better afterlife. He saw this as a disingenuous form of compensation and jealousy, which he considered pathetic responses.
He does like power, but not necessarily power over others. He believes in having power over oneself, in growing, in overcoming obstacles, in becoming, in creating, in individuality.
So, you are on the right track with your undertstanding.
Did anyone else have problem with the clip? Mine stopped 30 min. into the story. Well what I got from the story was he had a happy life until his father and brother died and when he came down with an illness. When he met a girl and good friend he became happy again. You need interaction with people in life to feel a sence of worth. Feeling like you belong. He seemed like a smart man but a lot of hurtful feelings held him back from enjoying life.
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