Much had been made of Nietzsche’s predictions of the coming nihilism. As a result of the death of the Christian God, Europe is bound for a crisis of values, in which nothing can any longer give us a goal beyond ourselves and our own happiness, and people search for this meaning or justification in all sorts of other spheres of human life: morality, reason, h ... Show More
Jul 21
The Gay Science #23 (V.356-363)
In this chapter of our readthrough, we confront "the problem of the actor". Nietzsche predicts that things shall become ever more "artistic" in Europe, as the actor's talent self-falsification becomes developed in all members of society. Whereas in the Middle Ages, the individual ... Show More
2h 21m
Jul 7
The Gay Science #21 (V.343-347)
"You tremble, carcass?" After a long hiatus, we shall now fearlessly embark upon book V of The Gay Science, added to the text in 1887. In this final division of the text, we'll see Nietzsche's attempt to incorporate his late philosophy, as the conclusion of his middle period medi ... Show More
2h 5m
Mar 2022
How Facing Nothingness Can Transform Your Life
Nothingness is generally considered to be analogous with death and extinction which every healthy living instinct wants to avoid. Many find the notion of nothingness unfathomable. Japanese philosopher Keiji Nishitani, however, was convinced that the way out of nihilism, that whic ... Show More
20m 59s
Jan 2022
215. The Problem with Atheism
In this week’s compilation, we explore the idea of what happens when the religious instinct gets brushed aside – and the things that fill that void instead. Things that, depending on who you ask, may be actively contributing to the breakdown of a society founded on the Abrahamic ... Show More
1h 11m
Feb 2024
Class 6: Nietzsche and the Death of God
“God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we, the murderers of all murderers, comfort ourselves?”—Friedrich Nietzsche, The Gay Science. HIST 271/HUMS 339: European Intellectual History since Nietzsche is a survey course designed to introduce students to th ... Show More
50m 59s