MovieChat Forums > Root of All Evil? (2006) Discussion > Concerning Nietzsche

Concerning Nietzsche

posted 15 years ago by caressque
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Since there's no Atheist forum here, I figured this might be a good place to ask - does anyone find Friedrich Nietzsche a challenging read? I'm often trying to start on something he wrote but I put down the book because I just can't understand his method of writing. Is it because it's an older way of writing or does he just use a particular pattern used among "intellectual circles"?

One reason I like Dawkins is because he's so accessible. He puts everything in normal words (ie: "Layman's terms").

[–] project_serge 14 years ago

The reason Nietzsche is a challenging read is because it was originally written in German. I've heard it said that no English translation of his works does justice to the subdleties of his writing style. Also, his books were written in a time and place where it was common for acedemic people to be fluent in a few different languages (hence Nietzsche's frequent use of French and Italian words mixed in with the German). I have read all of his books and they are a very rewarding read. His books never fail to make you think and I would recommend reading them in the order that they were published. If you are only going to read one of his books, I'd recommend either "The Gay Science" or "Thus Spake Zarathustra".