Continental Philosophy Lecture9: Nietzsche and Eternal Recurrence
Nov 26, 2021
Explore Nietzsche's theory of eternal recurrence and its interpretations, implications for time and eternity, and its connection to other key concepts in his philosophy. Delve into the relationship between eternal recurrence and presence, understanding the concept as a continual reoccurrence of time. Discover the significance of affirming eternal recurrence for cultivating a spiritual attunement to life and its relation to the question of nihilism.
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Eternity And Recurrence Joined
- Nietzsche's eternal recurrence fuses eternity and change, asking us to hold time and timelessness together.
- This fracture reveals the concept's dual face as both ontological claim and ethical injunction.
Two Faces: Fact And Moral Test
- The ontological reading says existence repeats in infinite cycles across infinite time.
- The ethical reading frames a thought-experiment test asking if you'd will your life to repeat eternally.
Perspective Over Scientific Proof
- Nietzsche insists eternal recurrence must be grasped from the perspective of life, not a view from nowhere.
- Thus it resists scientific verification and links to perspectivism and the will to power.