Coinflip Posted January 30, 2015 Posted January 30, 2015 As i'm sure is the case for many others, i've found the task of delving into Nietzsche to be daunting to say the least, so I thought i'd ask for some assistance in this matter, what's the best place to start in his work? To go beyond that, is there even a 'best' place to start with him?
Sal9000 Posted January 30, 2015 Posted January 30, 2015 Yes, there is. Start with Thus Spake Zarathustra, a novel in which he presents his ideas. Not only is it an easy read it the style is also enjoyable. The groundworks of his ethics can be found in 'On the genealogy of morality' and 'The birth of tragedy'. These are more technical and dry but systematic. The rest can be read with no specific order. 1
Pepin Posted January 30, 2015 Posted January 30, 2015 From a lecture I heard about him, an issue is that he doesn't really provide a historical context and just starts arguing. It assumes you are familiar with the history of philosophy as opposed to giving his account. This is just something to keep in mind, as it may be a bit hard to follow when he starts referencing stuff.
entropyanndroid Posted January 31, 2015 Posted January 31, 2015 I would suggest starting with "The Genealogy of Morals", which is one of his earliest and most coherent works. He analyzes Master and Slave moralities as stratified concepts, also exploring various historical accounts and precedents, including the Law of Manu which codified the early caste system in India. From there, I would recommend "Twilight of the Idols", which includes his critique of the effect of Socrates on philosophy, Greece and beyond. If you harbor beliefs similar to Molyneux's you will likely disagree with his assertions but you may find them important for founding a coherent opinion of your own.
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