Nietzsche's statement 'God is dead' was not a celebration but a recognition of the crisis resulting from the loss of traditional meaning systems.
Nietzsche's philosophy emphasizes embracing all aspects of life, finding meaning through our creative impulses, and owning up to our fallibility.
Deep dives
Misconceptions about Nietzsche
Nietzsche is often misunderstood and associated with controversial ideas. However, he did not rejoice when he said 'God is dead,' but rather saw it as a crisis due to the loss of traditional forms of meaning. Another misconception is that Nietzsche was an anti-Semite, but it was actually his sister who held those views. Understanding these misconceptions helps us appreciate Nietzsche's true philosophies.
Nietzsche's Philosophy
Nietzsche's philosophy sought to provide meaning in the absence of traditional belief systems. He believed that living a meaningful life involved passion, art, and a balance between the Apollonian (order) and the Dionysian (instinctual impulse). Nietzsche's philosophy was unconventional, incorporating poetry, aphorisms, and drama to appeal to our instinctual and aesthetic experiences.
The Will to Power and Amor Fati
The concept of the will to power in Nietzsche's philosophy refers to the exercise of our creative and meaningful impulses. It is about finding moments in our lives where we exercise our volition and feel powerful. Another concept, amor fati (love of fate), encourages us to embrace all aspects of our lives, even the things we find despicable or embarrassing. Nietzsche invites us to embrace our fallibility and own up to our shortcomings.
Hiking with Nietzsche in Mid-Life
The author, John Keg, embarked on a second hiking trip to Switzerland, this time in mid-life with his family. He realized that the trip couldn't be the same as when he was younger, but instead of feeling resentful, he embraced the idea of finding wiggle room within the constraints of his new responsibilities. The experience taught him to appreciate the concept of amor fati and to find meaning and adventure in the mundane aspects of life.
Friedrich Nietzsche is one of the most polarizing and misunderstood of modern philosophers. Dismissed by some and misinterpreted by others, the real philosophy of Nietzsche in fact holds some incredibly life-affirming truths for everyone, regardless of belief or age.
My guest today has spent much of both his personal and professional life tracking down those insights. At the age of 19 and then again at age 37, he traveled to the Swiss town where Nietzsche wrote his famous work, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, and learned something different on each trip from the mustachioed philosopher about living a life of meaning and significance. His name is John Kaag, and he’s a professor of philosophy and the author of Hiking With Nietzsche: On Becoming Who You Are.
In this compelling conversation, John discusses what he learned about life hiking the same mountain Nietzsche hiked, including the role that walking itself played in Nietzsche's approach to thinking. We begin with the biggest misconceptions about the philosopher, including what he really meant when he said “God is dead." John then walks us through Nietzsche's idea of the will to power, how this impulse should be balanced with amor fati -- the love of fate -- in order to achieve Nietzsche's ideal of becoming who you are, and the different things his philosophy can mean to a young man and to one approaching middle age.
