Really a fun book about religion and even more, accepted dogma of any sort. The best account of Nietzsche's death of God. ( )

Nietzsche is a lot like the Grateful Dead. Now hear me out:

When you think of the Grateful Dead, the first thing that generally comes to mind is a swirling mass of unwashed hippies trying to convince you, in hushed, medicated tones, that "Dark Star" will reveal the universe to you. Subsequently, you hate the Grateful Dead in reaction to the brain dead societal rejects who have tried to make you like them through the years. What you will notice is that the source of your hatred is not the group itself or their music, but the fans. The same with Nietzsche. The popular perception of him is largely founded in his fans rather than his works, e.g. Nazis and goth kids, both equally despised and both with remarkably twisted views about the man's work.

But much in the way that the Grateful Dead wrote some great songs, Nietzsche wrote some brilliant works of philosophy. "Twilight of the Idols" is probably the best introduction to his work (it was written as a condensed overview of his thinking, right before he went crazy). Examining issues of free will, morality, cultural decay and religion (all closely tied together in his work), the book is as concise a piece of thinking as Nietzsche, or any German philosopher of his period, ever produced. His idea that free will is a false construct, intended to imply guilt and hence a concept founded in persecution, might not sit to well with some readers. Nietzsche didn't believe in equality among humanity, even as an ideal (though he was not a racist or anti-Semite, as some have claimed. He cared more about individuals than ethnic groups and any criticism lobed at Judaism was part of his overall critic of religion). He fits as well into a revolutionary conservative approach as he does into the more liberal Western philosophical tradition. That his ideas are often as shocking and disruptive today as they were when he was alive is a testament to his importance. He was a serious thinker, and he deserves to be taken seriously. Listen to "Workingman's Dead" with an open mind, while you're at it.

"The Anti-Christ," which is attached to most editions of this book currently in print, is more of an extended essay than a book in its own right. It's an often engaging and interesting attack on Christianity, and one of the last works Nietzsche completed before his breakdown. Not one of his better pieces, employing a hyperbolic and discursive diatribe on a topic which he had formally spoken of with more lucidity. Interesting, but not necessary.

(This review originally appeared on zombieunderground.net) ( )

Nietzsche: God is dead!
God: Nietzsche is dead.