"Thus Spoke Zarathustra(1883)" by Nietzsche(1844-1900)

//Summary - Level-B2//

Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra introduces ideas like the "death of God," nihilism, and the "Superman." The phrase "God is dead" means traditional values like truth, goodness, and beauty have lost meaning, leaving life without purpose. Zarathustra urges people to accept this and embrace "eternal recurrence," where everything repeats endlessly. Instead of despair, he teaches "love of fate"—accepting life as it is. Superman, a future being, will create new values. Until then, humans must struggle and grow. Nietzsche's philosophy challenges us to live fully despite life's emptiness, shaping a future beyond nihilism.

1)
"God is dead" means that everything has become worthless:

This book is written in the form of a story in which Nietzsche's alter ego Zarathustra conveys ideas such as "the death of God", "nihilism", and "Superman". God means the Christian God and all otherworldly (divine/ideal) values and ideals.

2)
When Zarathustra tells people that "God is dead", it means that all the highest values up to now, namely truth, goodness and beauty, have lost their power, and the scheme of reality and ideals collapses (the myth that truth is somewhere collapses).

When this happens, the highest values will have no basis, and there will be nothing to aspire to. We will also have no answers to life's most excellent questions, such as "Why do we live?" and "What do we live for?"

3)
All metaphysical questions, such as "Why do the world and human beings exist? What meaning and value do they have?" become meaningless (nihilism).

At the story's beginning, Zarathustra proclaims the "death of God" and suggests that people should face the meaningless reality, but this is not readily accepted.

Also, "love of neighbour" was a Christian value, but this is a false attitude. He preaches not love of neighbour but "love of distant people"—Superman, who will appear in the future. People do not understand this either.

4)
Nobody in the world understood Nietzsche's philosophy at that time.

Disappointed, Zarathustra returns to the mountain and makes various efforts to spread the fact of the "death of God".

5)
What is the Superman who will appear shortly?

Zarathustra preaches "eternal recurrence" to people who have lost their highest values, considered the most extreme form of nihilism.

In the fourth part of the book, Zarathustra tries to spread the ideas of "eternal recurrence" and "love of fate" to teach the "Superman". This world has neither a beginning with God's creation nor an end with the Last Judgement.

6)
Christianity had a linear worldview from the past to the future, aiming at the Kingdom of God. But in the world of nihilism, where God is dead, life has no meaning or purpose, and it becomes a circular world of endless creation and destruction.

The film "Nietzsche's Horse" (directed by Béla Tarr, Hungarian film, 2011) expresses this meaningless worldview with unique visual beauty.

7)
"You have to live this life you are living now and have lived so far again countless times, and there will be nothing new in it, and all your sufferings, joys, thoughts, sighs, everything of your life will return without omission, and everything will follow the same sequence and order".

8)
In the "eternal recurrence" world, where the same things are meaninglessly repeated, there is no hope for the future, and everything becomes empty. "Eternal recurrence is the highest form of nihilism.

But Zarathustra teaches us not to run away from a meaningless world but to embrace it as it is.

9)
Accepting the meaningless life that repeats itself over and over again by saying: "So that was life, let's try it again! Nietzsche called this attitude "love of fate" and called the person who can live like this a "superman".

"This person will come to us one day. He who saves the world, who gives meaning to the earth, will be called a 'Superman'".

10)
In an age with Superman, Superman will be a being who gives new value to the world. We live today as a "fertiliser" for the "Superman" who will appear soon (destroying ourselves).

11)
Things that are useful in life:
When you are in pain, ask yourself, "Can I repeat this an infinite number of times?" Most of the time, you will think, "No way!" But it is good to work hard and get into the habit of saying, "So that was life; let's try again."

3 Minute Guide to "Thus Spoke Zarathustra(1883)" by Nietzsche(1844-1900)

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Masterpiece 01 "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" by Nietzsche

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Learning Nietzsche's "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" in "100 Minute Masterpieces" Part 1

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[Eternal classic] Zarathustra | Nietzsche - What is the ultimate philosophy that creates an invincible sense of self-affirmation?

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Thus spoke Zarathustra - Wikipedia

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"Thus Spoke Zarathustra" ( Also sprach Zarathustra ) is a work that represents the later thought of German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, published between 1883 and 1885. It is also translated as "Thus Spoke Zarathustra," "Thus Spoke Zarathustra," "Thus Spoke Zarathustra," and " Thus Spoke Zarathustra." It consists of four parts.

Overview:
Nietzsche studied under the philologist Friedrich Wilhelm Ritschel at the University of Bonn and the University of Leipzig, and his abilities were recognized, leading to him becoming a professor of classical philology at the University of Basel at the young age of 26 ( 1870 ). However, due to health reasons, he retired from the university at age 35 ( 1879 ) and began a solitary writing life. Despite suffering from bouts of chronic illness, he published many books until he went insane in 1889. Among them, this book is considered to be the most important. The initial inspiration for this book came in the summer of 1881, when Nietzsche stayed in Sils Maria, a small village in the Engatin Valley. While walking, he suddenly had a revelation about the idea of eternal recurrence. Two years later, the idea matured and became "Thus Spoke Zarathustra."

This book is one of Nietzsche's most important philosophical works in his later years. Set against the backdrop of the decline of Europe at the end of the 19th century, it develops the idea ofthe superman (Übermensch) as an alternative to the Christian ideal.

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