Nietzsche's Books Tier List

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WHERE TO START WITH NIETZSCHE?
▶ • Reading NIETZSCHE: Whe...
OUR ANALYSES:
▶ Beyond Good and Evil: • NIETZSCHE Explained: B...
▶ The Antichrist: • NIETZSCHE Explained: T...
▶ Genealogy of Morals: • NIETZSCHE Explained: T...
▶ Twilight of the Idols: • NIETZSCHE Explained: T...
▶ The Will to Power: • NIETZSCHE: Will to Pow...
▶ Daybreak: • NIETZSCHE Explained: D...
▶ The Joyful Science: • NIETZSCHE Explained: T...
▶ Ecce Homo: • NIETZSCHE Explained: E...
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Introduction
02:19 The Birth of Tragedy
04:51 Untimely Meditations
07:25 Human, All Too Human
08:20 Daybreak
09:31 The Joyful Science
11:16 Thus Spoke Zarathustra
12:27 Beyond Good and Evil
14:03 The Genealogy of Morals
15:27 The Case of Wagner
17:53 Twilight of the Idols
19:50 The Antichrist
21:28 Ecce Homo
23:35 The Will to Power
25:23 Conclusion and thank you

[@WeltgeistYT]

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[@Misko.filipovic]

Will you make a part 2,Im really interested about your taste of his more obscure essays and writings(On the use and abuse of history for life,Nietzsche contra wagner,tragedy in the ancient age of greeks,five prefaces on 5 unwritten books(idk if you will include the unfinished ones) and etc.)

[@vitormelomedeiros]

Zarathustra, Beyond Good and Evil and the Genealogy is one of the best book sequences in the history of all literature, it's INSANE how one man wrote the three one after the other

[@folksurvival]

Did you read them in that order?

[@vitormelomedeiros]

@@folksurvival no, actually I started with Twilight and then read the Genealogy first

[@sebastianfors4491]

I am so happy that I did not jump into Nietzsche with Zarathustra. After I had already read a few of Nietzsche's books and could follow his eccentric lines of thinking more naturally I found Zarathustra to be one of the greatest books I've ever read. Such a small yet impactful book for me.

[@samaldini]

One great way to understand Nietzsche is reading pre-socratic-pre-socratic books, know what I'm mean? I'm not talking about Anaxagoras, I'm talking about shit like Book of Enoch, Vedas and such. It's so funny how people believe "NIetzsche killed God, let's all be atheists!" when Nietzsche trully despised most everything post-socratic and had so much inspiration from materials that, well, would appreciate a concept of God to at least explain cosmology. The biggest mistake people do is to read Nietzsche and then post-Nietzsche stuff. You never do that. Match Nietzsche with the ancient books and you'll have a greater understanding of him.

[@sebastianfors4491]

@@samaldini You incited my interest in ancient shit. Gotta look into that.

[@faaabi8]

I c bajs forsen1

[@user-xs9lx2vb9m]

What literature route did you take to reach Zarathustra?

[@samaldini]

@@user-xs9lx2vb9m Me? Zarathustra was the first Nietzsche that I've read, I was obsessed with the idea of ubermensch. But by then I already knew, without reading Twilight of the Idols, something about phillosophy degeneration, and I already knew the ancient held the key. Once I started to Kant and I felt "holy shit this idiot walks into huge circles to make a small point and it turns out the point isn't even true, why would someone read all of these ridiculous degenerate pages". This KZbin channel is good because it makes very clear and in an easy way why Nietzsche hated post-socratic garbage. I believe the best thing one can do before taking any Nietzsche to read is to realize the disaster of the XX century, which as the tragedy of all collectivist structures and the deepest disgrace of men. Everything degenerates like Kant and Marx wrote, we're living now, and it's gross, it made all of us sick. Once you realize this, you should take a look into your own life, what makes you sicker? And then take a look in what Nietzsche book suits better to yourself. This video is great, this channel is great, but don't follow his choices, take a look into your own life and pick what better suits what you need.

[@rudyshoot1830]

I’ve read all of Nietzsche’s works, before I started to watch your channel and studying a degree in philosophy. Now, 2 years later, rereading every work (now in German), and as you said, Weltgeist, finally, with a good grasp of the concepts, im starting to enjoy every single book with the depth that it deserves. Thank you for your videos. You made me have the courage to study philosophy and not medicine. Maybe I’ll become a doctor in philosophy.

[@enlightenedanalysis1071]

That is very interesting. I also left a degree in dentistry (20 years ago) to study philosophy. Nietzsche was the main reason I got into the subject. My parents were devastated by my decision to leave dental school. But I would not change anything about the past (even if I could). Affirm the past - as Zarathustra says: “Thus I willed it”. The past made us who we are.

[@calwecelwe6841]

How different is the read in german vs english. What level is your german at? Thank you!

[@russkiygeniy5053]

fck man, I didnt have the courage. I started medicine

[@IlIlIlIlIlIlIllIlIII]

@@calwecelwe6841 They are very different, and I can't stress this enough. I've read all of the works in German, as well as three different translations (by different translators) in English, and I don't know whether it's just too difficult to translate Nietsche's very simplistic style, or whether they all just enjoy overcomplicating and sterilizing his style of writing. Nietsche loved puns and plays on words. He used specific words as themes for entire topics, and the English translations fail to emphasize that, rendering some otherwise important parts quite nonsensical. Instead they dramatize the language, add unnessecary words and age sentences with outdated English ("THOU MUST BEHOLD THYSELF") when in fact Nietsche's German is very easy to understand by modern standards ("You must look at yourself"). Nietsche MUST be read in German.

[@brago_]

​@@IlIlIlIlIlIlIllIlIIII'm gonna write in portuguese so f it. Sim, em praticamente todas as traduções irá se perder algo, porém, o conceito central é completamente compreensível. Lendo traduções você só perde as expressões idiomáticas da língua germânica e as brincadeiras bobas que Nietzsche fez.

[@vitormelomedeiros]

I'm completely bedazzled by _On the Genealogy of Morality._ It's probably the most intriguing book I've ever read. Picked it up by Weltgeist's suggestion, being one of the most straightforward books by Nietzsche I was interested to see how it would be to read it. I couldn't expect how much my already-very-shook world would be shaken. To pick this book up was a great decision, and I thank the channel for suggesting it! Really, if you have any doubt that you should read the _Genealogy,_ treat this comment as your signal. Pick it up and read it; you _will not_ regret it.

[@JoyfulWisdom1]

Ecce Homo and The Case of Wagner are the underrated gems, in my opinion. "Becoming what one is" through selfishness in spiritual and bodily nutrition, and "aesthetics as applied physiology" are some of my favourite ideas of Nietzsche's.

[@sethgaston8347]

Just finished Thus Spake for the first time. Intensely in love with it. It’s certainly a S Tier for me. Favorite quote ~ “Man must become better and eviler” -so do I teach. The evilest is necessary for the Ubermensche’s best. Absolutely beautiful!!

[@WAZZA1235]

Wow, that's truly the Nietzsche-est line. Someone that know nothing about him would assume he's pushing people to be bloodthirsty, savage monsters, but not at all. When he means evil, he means it specifically in the christian sense, but Nietzsche placed much value in many things that Christianity holds as evil, how many of the things Christianity recognizes as evil are actually deeply human and SHOULD be accepted. Be 'evil' (according to Christianity), it shall free your soul from the chains of self-hate, hatred of the body, hatred of life and hatred of the earth. All of this and more in 2 sentences. The man was a genius of the most terrible of calibers. He truly saw the world very differently compared to any philosopher before him. At first Nietzsche makes you cringe, and then he fills you with awe, then you feel the deepest and most terrible of terrors and fears of existence, finally you come back to yourself, feeling a sense of acceptance and deep serenity. Philosophy seems to me to be more of an experience of absorbing personalities than it is an experience of learning information. Send the happiest man on earth to learn Schopenhauer and after 6 months - 1 year he'll come back a pessimistic mess. He has absorbed the philosophy that he has studied, and it has given him a taste of the mental state of the philosopher that created it.

[@TehKarmalizer]

@@WAZZA1235​​⁠ I’m not convinced it means to act in ways that Christianity has deemed evil but are actually good. To me, it reads that man cannot achieve his greatest heights without seeing his greatest lows. The peak of the mountain is all the higher contrasted against the floor of the valley. Great righteousness is a battle against great evil. They cannot exist alone.

[@valerietaylor9615]

I was a pessimistic mess long before I read Schopenhauer.

[@mpiraalfa]

We're drowning in information but real knowledge is so rare these times. Your channel is a gem, you're doing such a great work here. A big thank you from Greece!!

[@Pablito5614]

Bro American fan here, I gotta say man you have the most badass philosophy channel on KZbin. Your videos are always just long enough to cover what u need to cover with all the fat trimmed, you language us concise and precise. Much love brother, hope you get all the recognition and success you deserve.

[@Unknown-jf5sk]

Please don't ever stop making these videos ! They're highly Educational and good for beginners!!

[@joseandres32_]

Very nice video! My very first read was The Antichrist, I was hooked on Nietzsche from that moment. My favorites are Ecce Homo and Zarathustra.

[@vitormelomedeiros]

one of my favorite works by Nietzsche was written between the Untimely Meditations and Human All Too Human, and I think it might have been supposed to be one of the thirteen planned Meditations? It's of course Truth and Lie in an Extramoral Sense, and some of its themes would only be fully explored in his Nachlass, including some bits published in Will to Power! such a good idea for a video and execution too, loved the format!

[@brago_]

BR ou PT?

[@theletterm5425]

Great video. Very interesting to hear your thoughts on every individual book.

[@amanofnoreputation2164]

_Zarathustra_ is the, "So we played the first thing that came to our heads -- just so happened to be, the best song in the world. It was the best song in the world," of Neitzsche's work. The initial parts were written in scarcely a week apeice.

[@seanrrr]

You have no idea how hyped this makes me to read the book lol. However, I'm going into it hoping for some "One and one make two, two and one make three", but I'm sure I'll find it's more "Ah-rah, dee soo-guh-goo-gee-goo-gee... A-fliguh woo-wa mama Lucifer!"

[@schizophrenicguy4157]

that's so brilliant! thank you for this video.

[@gingerbreadzak]

Nietzsche's Books Tier List 00:00 📚 Introduction and Purpose of the Video The video introduces the purpose of ranking Nietzsche's books in a tier list based on the creator's personal preference and enjoyment. It emphasizes that the list reflects the creator's preferences and is not necessarily a guide for newcomers to Nietzsche's work. 02:30 🏛 "The Birth of Tragedy" and Its Themes "The Birth of Tragedy" discussed as Nietzsche's love letter to Richard Wagner. Introduction of the concepts of the Apollonian and Dionysian in ancient Greek culture. The impact of Socrates and Euripides on Greek culture. Nietzsche's later disavowal of some ideas in "The Birth of Tragedy." 04:59📖 "Untimely Meditations" and Its Essays Discussion of Nietzsche's "Untimely Meditations" consisting of four essays. Overview of the essays, including David Strauss, history, Schopenhauer, and Richard Wagner. Suggestion that most of these essays can be skipped unless one is deeply interested in specific topics. 07:32 📚 "Human, All Too Human" Introduction Introduction to "Human, All Too Human" as Nietzsche's first book in an aphoristic style. Mention of embryonic concepts and critiques against Darwin in the book. Suggestion that the book can be skipped for those seeking more clarity in later works. 08:26 🌄 "Daybreak" and Its Significance Introduction to "Daybreak" as the book where Nietzsche begins his attack on morality. Mention of Nietzsche's evolving ideas and his critique of Darwin. Suggestion to consider "Daybreak" as an underrated gem in Nietzsche's works. 09:36 😄 "The Gay Science" and Its Themes Discussion of Nietzsche's "The Gay Science" as a source of the death of God and the eternal return concepts. Description of Nietzsche's philosophy of joyfulness and levity in the book. Suggestion to read "The Gay Science" ideally twice for a deeper understanding. 11:26 📜 "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" Complexity Description of "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" as a complex work written in a cryptic style. Emphasis on the need for a solid background in Nietzsche's ideas to understand the book. Mention that reading other Nietzsche works is not sufficient; understanding is essential. 12:35 🧐 "Beyond Good and Evil" and Its Challenges Introduction to "Beyond Good and Evil" as one of Nietzsche's more challenging works. Mention of the book's difficulty for readers unfamiliar with philosophy. Emphasis on the importance of background knowledge in philosophy to comprehend the book. 14:11 🧬 "On the Genealogy of Morals" and Its Scope Description of "On the Genealogy of Morals" as a work that delves into the source of Western Christian morality. Mention of the book's focus on Master and slave moralities and its historical perspective. Recognition of this book as Nietzsche's masterpiece with a more structured argument. 15:32 🎭 "The Case of Wagner" and Nietzsche's Break Discussion of "The Case of Wagner" as a work where Nietzsche formally announces his break with Wagner. Mention of Wagner's shift towards Schopenhauer's philosophy as a reason for the break. Mention of the personal and philosophical aspects of Nietzsche's relationship with Wagner. 17:52 🌄 "Twilight of the Idols" and Its Purpose Introduction to "Twilight of the Idols" as a summary of Nietzsche's main ideas. Explanation of the pun in the title related to the destruction of philosophical idols. Appreciation of the book's content but acknowledgment of its need for familiarity with Nietzsche's work. 18:48 🌅 Conclusion and Advice on Nietzsche's Works A concluding message emphasizing the need to read more Nietzsche to gain a higher perspective. Recommendation to read Nietzsche's works progressively to synthesize his ideas. A reminder that Nietzsche's philosophy requires a deep exploration to fully comprehend. 19:01 💪 Nietzsche's "Twilight of the Idols" explores the theme of the strong versus the weak. Notable chapters include a critique of Socrates and "Morality as Anti-Nature." Radical in tone, it showcases Nietzsche's provocative writing style. 19:58 🔥 "The Antichrist" is a sustained critique of Christianity, emphasizing Nietzsche's theological speculations. Written in 1888 but published seven years later due to its radical content. Requires familiarity with the Bible and the New Testament for a deeper understanding. 21:32 🧠 "Ecce Homo" serves as Nietzsche's intellectual autobiography, with provocative chapter headings. Nietzsche psychoanalyzes himself, discusses his life's course, and reflects on each of his books. Provides insight into Nietzsche's self-perception and his prophetic view of his influence. 23:38 📜 "The Will to Power" is a controversial collection of notes compiled by Nietzsche's sister after his death. Debated whether it truly represents Nietzsche's ideas or not. Contains reflections on the eternal return and other philosophical themes. 25:14 🤷 "The Will to Power" is a non-canonical work and considered a bonus for dedicated Nietzsche enthusiasts. Exercise caution when using quotes from this book out of context. Not included in the tier list but mentioned for completeness.

[@nicholasleonardbookedits-si9ng]

Our sky was once the shade of blushing cheeks, that canvas fresh, for cherub passage safe. How tight we hugged them when the thunder screamed. They're banished now as carbon gasses reign. Our faces honor ancient sunset skies, although our forearms’ empty harbors wilt. Pollution’s silver mirrored in our eyes; no matter what, the wealthy prosper still. Oh but something’s remembered in your face. It makes me certain cherubs seek return. Their gentle knock against the day is faint. Perhaps our faces could emit the cure. Those dimples brandished like a dagger drawn to cut the sky and let the cherubs out...

[@dionysianapollomarx]

This is great. Could even work as a guide. You’re right about reading Beyond Good and Evil, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, and Genealogy of Morals without first reading the other books. That confuses more than illuminates. Love BG&E though.

[@monke6669]

Hey try osho's commentary on thus spake zarathustra

[@makiaveliprime77dag95]

Can you please do Thus Spoke Zarathutra?I mean an analysis of course, it would be amazing.I love your videos on Nietzsche

[@denisgilbert1283]

In the Penguin edition of Twilight of the Idols, there is a super 'Glossary of Names' at the back, the translator RJH providing succinct notes on all the people referred to in this & FN's other books, who represent certain ideas and about whom I would have known little at the time I first read it. That's where I learned first about other prominent philosophers & writers. A perfect reading list.

[@enlightenedanalysis1071]

Weltgeist, can I ask if you think the biography of Nietzsche by Walter Kauffman is a good and fair book? I am referring to Kauffman’s book “Nietzsche: philosopher, psychologist, anti-christ”. I have not read this book completely yet, but I would appreciate your opinion, if you have read it. Also any thoughts on Stefan Zweig’s book on Nietzsche? Is this something you have read also? Thank you.

[@patrikhigl1032]

Haven't read nearly all of his works but damn do I think Genealogy is underrated. It was the first I read by him and that ending, holy crap does it leave a strong impression!

[@CrazyLinguiniLegs]

The Genealogy of Morals is actually considered Nietzsche’s best book by a lot of philosophers and professors of philosophy.

[@youtubeisevil]

I read 5 of his books now but I don't regret starting from Zarathustra. It made me interested in all his other works and the narrative/storyline lured me in

[@scottfarrar3463]

My personal favorite is Twilight of the Idols. I will say this however, When I first read Nietzsche's works I only understood his basic philosophy. Later I had this paradigm shift where I saw life as mirror, or xerox machine, or what Nietzsche calls eternal recurrence of the same. It was only then that his "radical" ideas became obvious and not hypothesis.

[@nikolab8760]

Great video, as always. I would put Beyond Good and Evil in the S-tier. For me, it's his best work. Also, Meditations at B-tier. Schopenhauer as a teacher and On the Use and Abuse History are such inspiring essays.

[@nation5478]

The Clancy Martin english translations are really fantastic with all the elaborate footnotes. really helps bring the necessary historic and cultural contexts.

[@joeyfajardo8738]

I like that you put the penguin classics versions on here. The covers penguin did are beautiful

[@romandesilva9124]

Hey man good stuff. Your content is scripted well and I can tell you are being authentic. Real nice bro!

[@WeltgeistYT]

I appreciate that!

[@luker.6967]

Glad you put the genealogy so high

[@ayda2876]

do you mostly read and re read NS ans SH ? or do you also read other things like Junger Spinoza Kant Heiddeger Montaigne..ect ?

[@dozidac]

Would it be best to read his works chronologically? Also where can I get them? Are there multiple versions of the same book/translation? Are there any books with both the English translation alongside the original language? ( I assume he only wrote in German)

[@tuathadedanann195]

One of the best channels on youtube

[@SocietyOfTheLiftedLorax]

I jumped in with the genealogy of morals, which was a struggle, but completely readable. There wasn't a single page that i could just read, no. I underlined everything and wrote post it notes and had to research French and Greek. So much fun.

[@KobyMathews]

What are the best English versions to read?

[@joshualove3073]

I love Nietzsche's obscure earlier works..

[@ruigdidbjrgx]

Do a part 2!!!!

[@ryanthegreat805]

We all needed this

[@tevildo9383]

I might get flak for saying this, but I think you can read Thus Spoke Zarathustra first if you don’t expect to understand it. Read it like poetry or literature, not philosophy. Don’t try to over analyze it. Just enjoy it. I read TSZ first, and I will never claim that I understood the vast majority of it when I first read it, but I loved it anyway. It was beautiful and painful, confusing and moving. Since then, I have purchased and read all of Nietzsche’s major works aside from HAH and BoT, and I’ve been listening to a great deal of The Nietzsche Podcast. Now, I’m re-reading TSZ and I feel like I’m getting a lot that I missed before. But I don’t think I would have fallen in love with Nietzsche the way that I did if I had started with another book. I’ll add that I was already familiar with and favorable towards individualism and egoism, having read Rand and Stirner beforehand (I definitely prefer Nietzsche now). My point being: everyone is different, and while the you should not make a serious effort to comprehend TSZ before becoming familiar with Nietzsche (I honestly doubt anyone other than Nietzsche himself will ever truly, fully understand TSZ), you can still read and enjoy (and understand certain sections of) the book. It all depends on the angle from which you approach it. I think you have to kind of allow yourself to get lost in the imagery, and if something just doesn’t click, you move on and come back whenever you think you’re ready. I’ll also say, I’m not super familiar with the various translations of TSZ, but I happen to own the Clancy Martin Barnes & Noble rendition which reads very well in my opinion, and it has some helpful footnotes.

[@AAlecs]

What do you particulary like in Nietzsche? And how did you find him?

[@jmiller1918]

This was a fun and enjoyable video, and I loved hearing your almost informal, but sincere rankings. I have a peculiar affection for "The Birth of Tragedy..." because it was the first book of his I read. I am also a sucker for aphorisms, so tend to really enjoy aphoristic Nietzsche. I'm glad you included "Will to Power", even though you stopped short of ranking it. With the caveats you mentioned, it is certainly worth reading.

[@duebel735]

I started reading nietzsche with zarathustra when I was a teenager. Of course I didn't understand everything, but I read this book over and over again and I still do it. In my opinion, this one book of nietzsche must be read in german, just because of the beautiful and magnificent style of writing. If my son couldn't read german, I would tell him to go learn german, only to read this one book.

[@Orion225]

I read Human All Too Human last month. And i find it as brilliant as his other works.

[@MC-hc4rn]

What's a good book that goes into the history of Philosophy? I'd like to read Nietzsche but as you mentioned I only have a basic understanding of Philosophy and philosophers.

[@Animal_Mother]

The Genealogy of Morality breaks down his view on the religious morality of the time and his objections to it. I hope that helps.

[@isaacm4159]

The history of Western philosophy Bertrand Russell.

[@user-vb4ng9du6p]

PLEASE DO ONE ABOUT THE DELEUZE BOOK ‘NIETZSCHE AND PHILOSOPHY ‘

[@AlexStrixner]

Which translation are you referring to?

[@enlightenedanalysis1071]

Thanks for this video. I agree with you about “Gay Science” and “Beyond Good and Evil” - both are great works.

[@nl3064]

Zarathustra was the first book of his I read, and to date the only one I finished. I read it when I was sixteen - funny enough, even my mom told me it would be too heady - but I had no problems with it. I don't get why people think Zarathustra is so puzzling. There's always the chance more went over my head than I realized, but for the most part I found it readable and digestable in terms of concepts.

[@amanofnoreputation2164]

I am now convinced that not one thing Jung said or did was comprehensible independant of Nietzsche. If you understand Nietzsche, you have already overcome the most difficult concepts of Jung; the ones almost everyone overlooks. If you are ignorant of Nietzsche, you will most likely be too ready to take what Jung sayes at face value and not understand that he fears losing his mind as Nietzsche did and the critical tone he takes with the philosopher, and many who would succeed him, comes from a place of sympathy. Cruel sympathey that would see Jung attempt to dissociate himself from Nietzsche as eagerly as Nietzsche wished to be free form his resetment and the small man. The last man. The ugliest man in himself who proclaimed the death of God and plunged him into madness. It has been said that the purpose of Jungian psychology is to make accessible the healing power of the unconscious, but this is a profoundly incomplete way of looking at Jung's work. Jung actually became a psychologist for his own psychological development as much for the sake of others. Consequently, it was a process of self discovery, as is most apparent in the _Red Book._ But to the extent that Jung discovered he was an intuitive like Nietzsche, one perhaps morbidly fit to join Zarathustra with the Higher Men, it was a process of self denial and aversion. What he wanted most was to be understood and to avoid being branded an eccentric. He, sadly, had great difficulty with this and the deeper significance of his work is tragically bound up with Zarathustra and mired in obscurity like Nietzsche was in his own lifetime.

[@joblakelisbon]

Nietzsche madness has something almost divine to it. At the very least it is replete with dramatic irony. He is a very similar figure to Jesus of Nazareth in the sense that he basically sacrificed his entire life, indeed his most precious gift - his mind - in order to take humanity forward into a new age. He was the most brilliant philosophical mind that the world has produced and yet in his own country he was barely read in his own lifetime - and after world war two, was almost embarrassingly cast aside. I see modern day Nietzscheans as, to some extent, like early Christians only in a much more fraught position as the work of Nietzsche still hasn't been truly completed. We are still awaiting the new value system that lines up with Nietzsche's work.

[@monke6669]

Osho's commentary on Thus spake zarathustra makes it easier for us to understand the intricacies, please give it a try fellow readers

[@conatus1306]

Personally, I don't like 'Daybreak'. I'm not sure if it's how he's writing or the opinions he's giving so early on, but I just can't really enjoy the book so much as I do the others. I also think 'Untimely Meditations' is a great book from Nietzsche. Particularly, 'On the Use and Abuse of History for Life' is an essay that I regularly come back to, time and time again - especially to (do exactly as he says only the worst readers do [from which book, I don't recall]) pillage it for interesting quotations, but then again, I'm very much interested in history. Genealogy, Zarathustra, and Twilight are definitely his all-star books, though. Recalling my history with him, I did what everyone says not to, and I started with Zarathustra. Obviously, I did not understand any of it and put it down very quickly. It wasn't long, though, before I picked up 'The Gay Science' and 'The Anti-Christ' which I enjoyed thoroughly, working through him 'till now where I've covered pretty much everything. Still I have only read snippets of 'Beyond Good and Evil', though. The only translators I've ever really used are the H.L. Mencken and Cambridge Press editions.

[@Premiseandconclusion]

I just came to inspect whether or not Zarathustra and the Geneology made the S-tier bracket!

[@unknownman993]

Weltgeist: Save Zarathustra for last. Me: *is the first book I picked up*

[@angel666oflight]

Another person to keep in mind when reading Birth of Tragedy is the Swiss historian of art and culture Carl Jacob Christoph Burckhardt

[@nupraptorthementalist3306]

I would say few thinkers wrote books of comparative and uniquely great quality, but probably no one has. He's simply in his own mould, that of a different sort, more "embodied". There are others like Whitehead and I'd say Schopenhauer in his own necessarily dark ("the root and not the flower") way who made books of equal value, but not intensity*, or liveliness.

[@SuperYTPmaster]

Will you make a video on Bronze Age Pervert? Surely you must know of him by now

[@folksurvival]

Why would he make a video about BAP?

[@SuperYTPmaster]

@@folksurvival Because he talks a lot about Nietzsche, raises specific topics Nietzsche covered

[@lecomtedemonte-cristo1998]

​@@SuperYTPmasterits too niche. Also he is a gay jewish troll

[@thomasfischer9259]

Genealogie der Moral is really the only required reading of Nietzsche. I'm not trying to be edgy, but you are not missing much by not reading the other books. For me, the only S tier book he wrote. He has fantastic essays, however. Die Geburt der Tragödie is also decent and worth a serious read, but not required. He was a megalomaniac himself that tried making a new religion. A lot of what he writes is ironic tantrums. Linguistic rhetoric that his daddy Schopenhauer would spank him for, the same why he spanked the bum on street, Hegel.

[@birdie9679]

comment for the algorithm :) excellent as usual

[@WeltgeistYT]

Thanks for that!

[@samaldini]

One great way to understand Nietzsche is reading pre-socratic-pre-socratic books, know what I'm mean? I'm not talking about Anaxagoras, I'm talking about shit like Book of Enoch, Vedas and such. It's so funny how people believe "NIetzsche killed God, let's all be atheists!" when Nietzsche trully despised most everything post-socratic and had so much inspiration from materials that, well, would appreciate a concept of God to at least explain cosmology. The biggest mistake people do is to read Nietzsche and then post-Nietzsche stuff. You never do that. Match Nietzsche with the ancient books and you'll have a greater understanding of him.

[@ideologybot4592]

There's a purity element to this idea, and it's valid, although not in the sense of trying to understand him but trying to understand a piece of his inspiration. Nietzsche liked pre-Socratic Greek work, in particular, because of its embrace of all aspects of life and the lack of a denial element to thought and action. The pre-Socratics were more complete beasts, without centuries of guilt limiting their thinking. Socrates was a deconstruction machine, and his approach was almost exclusively to tear apart ideas in discourse. This eventually got us Plato and the allegory of the cave, which is at the root of Christian enlightenment concepts. There's plenty of stuff out there that's post-Socrates that has value to this, and obviously, Nietzsche was very interested in society since the Greek Axial Age, so you don't fully understand Nietzsche through pre-Socratic cultural study.

[@Experimentaccount1]

DISCLAIMER: I’m not familiar with this KZbin channel nor have I watched the KZbin video from which this Short was presumably clipped. While I don’t personally think there’s a “best” book of Nietzsche’s to start with per se, I do think it’s absurd to suggest that HATH is generally permissible to overlook in its entirety. Even though Gay Science is probably the most extensive collection of aphorisms in Nietzsche’s bibliography, HATH might be the work which most closely approaches something like a robust systematic approach to political philosophy in Nietzsche’s bibliography. Yes it’s probably not the most aphoristic of Nietzsche’s aphoristic works, but I do think it is probably the aphoristic work which is most oriented in philosophy. It’s a blurrier question as to whether we’re still in the domain of philosophy with the other aphoristic works. I think that philosophers looking to engage with Nietzsche *as a philosopher* could read BG&E and HATH and have most if not all of what they need. Philosophers on a time crunch could probably do HATH and get what they need too. Yes BG & E is technically shorter but most readers (regardless of background) end up reading it slowly because the text sort of assumes the reader’s familiarity with some of the author’s contemporaries and predecessors, particular details within Kant’s works, etc. HATH is longer, but it’s still pretty short all things considered-it can be read aphoristically. For all fortune cookie connoisseurs looking to kick back in their living room lawn chairs and enjoy something a little lighter than a scholarly essay, by all mean, poor yourself a Solo cup of Sherry and have have your Gay Science, Genealogy, Ecce Homo, etc. I am with you in spirit. For all Kyles looking for more depth than what the superhero movies and martial hobbies provide, Zarathustra and maybe Will to Power, I guess? Certainly not a book with the word “Gay” in its title.

[@nova8091]

Thus spoke Zarathustra reads like the bible of the modern era and feels like a spiritual experience

[@ideologybot4592]

I do think it should be mentioned that The Gay Science contains many of Nietzsche's attacks on the concept of scientific truth, objective truth, and that these are some of the most interesting and fruitful of his conceptual investigations. He defined truth differently, understood reason differently, in such a way that the Enlightenment project - which is still ongoing - became entirely different through his eyes. I would place GoM and BGE and his best, but GS belongs in the same tier on this basis alone, rougher in ways but unique in topic and that encouraging poetry which allowed for us to interpret everything personally.

[@nupraptorthementalist3306]

Nietzsche reveals himself explicitly as a process philosopher in the Nachlaß-even Kaufmann in the footnotes said comparisons with Whitehead's philosophy of occasions would be fruitful.

[@jackherbic6048]

I really disagree, I think you should read Zarathustra first and then again. The parable nature of it I think is really what is at the core of his thinking. I think its better to have the art first and then the context after. Letting the parables hit you how they will re reading them and puzzling over the meaning is a great experience and really encourages you to think for yourself. It is like the experience of having a wise old man give you puzzling advice and leaving you to interpret it. I think this would be lost if you are only thinking of it in context of a more systematic understanding of his philosophy.

[@username2872]

What about the "aphorism of Love and Hate"? Ain't that Nietzsche's as well?

[@Jabranalibabry]

Ranking UberRAPS from MC Z, lets go!

[@adyatv]

If one were to hypothetically acknowledge that humans may not categorically be the sole sentient creatures on this planet and even more unlikely in this universe, what body of literature, philosophy, morality or ethics could the other sentient species also find truth or universal value in?

[@toetbakker]

could it be that Nietzsche wrote Might is Right?

[@bruceli9094]

I'm impressed how Western philosophy ultimately ascended over eastern philosophy and creates the foundation of our modern world today. Concepts such as Individualism, human rights, freedom, democracy, "murder is wrong", all were ideas invented by western philosophers.

[@Endymion766]

I'm still not really understanding why Nietzsche broke with Schopenhauer. Based on what I recall from other videos, is it not that he found Schop to be a dead end for civilization and wanted to find an optimistic answer to Schop's pessimism? Or was something more elementary than that? Nietzsche feels rather rational to me and not having a tendency for something like a great calling because he just feels it must be.

[@Jabranalibabry]

Nietz basically follows Shoppenhauer's thinking and comes up with an insight: how we answer nihilism is based on who we are, it is an answer based on instincts and desires. He thinks then becoming life rejecting is a psychological malaise; what happened to Shoppenhauer. He thinks, we must go into the opposite direction and become life affirming. Hope it helps, bro

[@luker.6967]

@@Jabranalibabryreminds me of Kierkegaards leap of faith

[@Endymion766]

@@Jabranalibabry thanks, I think my confusion is coming from my own subjectivity where in a strange way I see Schop as life affirming already.

[@Jabranalibabry]

@@Endymion766 nah, I think shoppie is good too. I was just telling you how nietz perceived his work.

[@ViVeriVniversvmVivusVici]

I started my philosophical journey by jumping into the deep end with Beyond Good and Evil. It was the most difficult book to read for this ghetto child to comprehend. It came to me at a time when I was wrestling with my own inner-conflict with God. My Will to Understand overcame all odds. I can honestly say, Nietzsche saved my life.

[@GrassesOn97]

Thank goodness, I thought I was the only one who didn’t like the Untimely Meditations.

[@JayseeYT]

I was talking Nitzche with my philosophy professor and it just turned into him trashing on Thus Spoke Zarathustra for 20 minutes 😭

[@bosh2042]

Sounds interesting! why?

[@JayseeYT]

@@bosh2042 i'm pretty ill equipped to say since its the only Nitche work I've fully read but he said its his weakest and leans too into being poetry. I dont share his opinion and its possible he misunderstood it

[@dionysianapollomarx]

Kind of false. TSZ is Nietzsche being the closest to narrative prose.

[@TehKarmalizer]

It has to be that way. The narrative is an essential part of the ideas. That’s so under-appreciated these days, where everything must be abstract and granular and sterile.

[@virgilcaine3291]

Oh you did not allow commercials during the video. No biscuit.

[@danielkey929]

I saved Zarathustra until last. Read it over Christmas. Then again in April. You are right - save Zarathustra until last. You must prepare for Nietzsche, not just read Nietzsche, especially for Zarathustra.

[@Tommhe]

Guys do you have a discord server for philosophy addict intellectuals?

[@lights473]

Something tells me this guy really likes Nietzsche and Schopenhauer

[@tastbesta]

TI >>>>>>>>

[@SouthPark333Gaming]

But did you read them in German?

[@Fictionalre]

But did he grow a very silly mustache while reading?

[@SouthPark333Gaming]

@@Fictionalre Yeah, I think so

[@SeraphimVolker]

Twilight of the Idols is number one for me; it's small, fun to read in parts and it inspired my conversion to Orthodoxy ☦️🖤☦️

[@veerswami7175]

Lol and my conversion preabhrmic faith 😂

[@SeraphimVolker]

​@@veerswami7175 I have no clue what you're saying 😅

[@brago_]

Why it helped you to convert to orthodoxy?

[@PanSzawu]

It helped me destroy my faith in Christianity, which I thank him for.

[@SeraphimVolker]

@@brago_ Nietzsche makes the case for Christ throughout Twilight of the Idols without knowing it. The Christ depicted in real and ancient Christianity (Orthodoxy) is the depiction of Christ that Nietzsche expressed an insatiable longing for.

[@alfatejpblind6498]

Nietzsche is obviously elitist, I’m fine with that. How do you know if you’re worthy to even make the investment in reading him? Radically different people seem to find things they like in Nietzsche. Is it because he is so vague anyone can interpret him as saying anything, or does he actually touch something deeper? Occams razor seems to suggest to me that I should suppose the former. Has anyone who has thought about the above read him and come out with any honest insights or thoughts?

[@arono9304]

My S-tier and I

[@jmiller1918]

underrated!

[@HARV1991]

8:30 comercially and artistically...

[@jomana1109]

Not first 😢

[@Brooder85]

I disagree with the assessment that you need to have any in depth knowledge or familiarity with Nietzsche's works before you read his Zarathustra. This is why he referred to it as a book for "all and none". It's not any dry academic systematic tretise....its a work of robust imaginative and creative philosophy. Anyone can begin reading it, and achieve their own wealth of inspiration and wisdom. This is why it's so dam popular. It touches everyone, in every way.

[@joblakelisbon]

For the GOAT I'd recommend starting out with Genealogy of Morals. That's one that will immediately change your life. I actually found Thus Spoke Zarathustra very disappointing despite being a student of Nietzsche. The writing style itself is borderline unintelligible a lot of the time. The characterisation is basically non-existent apart from Zarathustra himself. I expected something more of a narrative given that is what the book seems to be constructed as - yet almost every literary and narratorial structure and finnesse are lacking in the book. The best qualities of it were the immense one-liners that Zarathustra came out with: Nietzschean classics. I'm just about to read a Manga version of it so let's see if that hits differently. I'm slowly making my way through the complete works in multiple different languages. The thing that I keep thinking is that some of us out here need to take the next step - to actually build the next set of values that can sustain humanity for the next millenium. No small task.

[@quantumfizzics9265]

Zarathustra is D tier for me cus I don't get it lol. Too many oxymorons, poetry, and parables. My brain explodes. Perhaps one day when I get more and more familiar with Nietzsche's works (I read five of his most acclaimed) I will start liking Zarathustra.

[@badrbenkirane2714]

First

[@user-oz9tf9zp7k]

Never read his books twice; if you've read them ones you've read them infinite times with infinite variations.

[@metnah1]

Why does every niche youtuber do these? Iceberg video next.

[@TristanLouisino949]

I don't really know about other philosophers or nietzsche books but in my life whatever i see and notice i honestly believe beyond good and evil is one of the best book ever exited (off course after phenomenology of the spirit of hegel)

[@joejohnson6327]

Since it's pretty clear that N. didn't want non-extraordinary people to read his books, I'm gonna stay away from them. 🥲