Get Your Smart On
5 Substack posts to help you enter into Nietzsche's thought.
Sam Kriss recounts his adolescent fascination with Nietzsche, initially driven by a Gnostic yearning for intellectual escape from the perceived harshness of the material world, only to be confronted by Nietzsche's misogyny and reactionary views. He argues that Nietzsche's philosophy acts as a mirror, revealing the reader's own biases and motivations. The essay then examines how both the left and right have selectively appropriated Nietzsche's ideas, ultimately concluding that genuinely understanding Nietzsche requires confronting the inherent contradictions within his philosophy – particularly his simultaneous celebration of strength and acknowledgment of his own physical weakness. The essay culminates in Kriss's assertion that Nietzsche's "master morality" is actually a remedy for the weak, and that Frantz Fanon's unique engagement with Nietzsche best exemplifies transcending the limitations of resentment and achieving a true, self-created existence.
In this essay, Duncan Stuart explores the complex and often contradictory relationship between Nietzsche's philosophy and leftist thought. Stuart argues that despite Nietzsche's anti-egalitarianism and apparent sympathy for notions of strength and willpower, his emphasis on newness, overcoming, and the death of God resonates with leftist critiques of existing power structures and calls for radical transformation. The essay challenges interpretations that portray Nietzsche as simply a reactionary figure, highlighting the inherent ambiguity and self-undermining aspects of his work. Ultimately, the author suggests that while Nietzsche's ideas should be critically engaged with and potentially "left behind," his enduring relevance lies in his grappling with fundamental questions of modernity, the creation of new values, and the struggle against established norms.
This post introduces Nietzsche's philosophy, characterizing him as a "Hegelian Protestant" who fundamentally challenged traditional European philosophy and Levantine religion. The author highlights two key concepts: Nietzsche's view of all preceding thought as a mere "thought experiment" and his concept of "nihilism," defined not as mere rejection but as a continued engagement with life while lacking genuine spiritual belief. The piece concludes by emphasizing Nietzsche's complexity and paradoxical nature, suggesting that even understanding his core ideas reveals layers of further insight.
This essay explores Nietzsche's concept of "master-slave morality," arguing that much of societal judgment stems from ressentiment, or resentment. The author contrasts master morality, characterized by strength and self-affirmation, with slave morality, born from weakness and envy, which inverts values to rationalize its own limitations. The central argument is that criticism often originates not from genuine moral conviction but from a desire to diminish what one cannot attain, highlighting the importance of self-reflection to distinguish genuine moral judgment from the self-serving criticisms born of ressentiment. Recovering Overthinker encourages readers to examine the root of their own judgments, suggesting that understanding this dynamic is crucial for personal growth.
Stephen Edred Flowers proposes a reinterpretation of Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophy, arguing for an "esoteric Nietzsche" influenced by Zoroastrianism. The author highlights key Nietzschean concepts like the Will to Power and Eternal Recurrence, suggesting their mystical implications and connections to Mazdan thought. The piece contrasts Nietzsche's apparent amorality with underlying nuances suggesting a focus on individual responsibility and effectiveness. It frames Nietzsche's critique of conventional morality as a rejection of externally imposed values rather than a complete denial of good and evil. Finally, the excerpt serves as an introduction to a larger work exploring these themes in greater depth.