Simply Nietzsche

Written by Peter Kail

Narrated by Victoria Meakin

Born and raised in a small town in Prussia, Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844-1900) began his career in philology (the study of language), and served as a professor at the University of Basel. In 1879, he was forced to leave due to health issues, which afflicted him throughout his life. Supported by his university pension and aided by friends, he spent the next decade as an independent author, writing the books for which he would become famous, including Thus Spake Zarathustra, Beyond Good and Evil, and On the Genealogy of Morals. In 1889, at the age of 44, Nietzsche had a mental breakdown from which he never recovered, dying in 1900. Yet in just ten years, he produced a body of work that would mark him as one of the most influential philosophers of all time. 

In Simply Nietzsche, Professor Peter Kail traces the development of Nietzsche’s thought through the various phases of his life. Emphasizing the philosopher’s critique of modern morality and his revolutionary conception of the self, he also discusses key motifs of Nietzsche’s thought, such as the death of God, the will to power, and the eternal recurrence. 

 Even those who have never read Nietzsche or are unsure of why he’s important have heard his name. With Prof. Kail as a guide, Simply Nietzsche provides an unparalleled and accessible introduction to the life and ideas of this most remarkable thinker.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simply Charly
• Release date: Apr 20, 2020
• ISBN: 9781662235672

Reviews for Simply Nietzsche

[Francisco · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I am a stronger believer that 4 hours of good, purposeful exposition is better than, say, 12, 16 hours of different podcasts on any subject. This is introductory, obviously, but it is clear, interpretative not just descriptive. It dwells on the Naturalist Nietzsche vs the post modern and other (mis)appropriations. On a side note, I always wonder, how the history of philosophy is a history of misreadings, the authors most often and productively misread enter the pantheon and then, here we are, belated interpreters correcting the past errors when reading "the greats", past their period of major influence, though they would be not as "greats" if they've not been misread. It is more complicated than this, but this is one aspect of the reading on the history of philosophy.