it seems as though Nietzche is the most talked about philosopher.......?

Question

why is this? what did he prove that was so amazing??

Answer 1

Hm... I'm not sure that I agree that he's the MOST talked about philosopher, but he certainly is talked about a lot.

I think the biggest reason may very well be his style. Nietzsche tended to be brief. Some of his books are little more than collections of one-line sayings on various topics. But for all this shortness, his material has a lot of density. He packs a lot of punch into small space. If he were alive today, the media would love him - he's perfect sound-bite material.

A lot of his bites are MEANT to grab your attention, too. Even if he means the exact opposite of what he's saying. For example, the one thing he is probably most quoted for having written was, "God is dead." Say that to a theist and you'll probably get either a punch in the snoot or an interesting conversation.

So, like a good piece of candy, it's easy to pick up something Nietzsche has written but it leaves a certain aftertaste that can linger for some time. Much of what he wrote has lots and lots of layers. This is why it's best to read it in German if you can... Nietzsche makes HEAVY use of words with double-meanings and implication which is difficult (at best) to translate.

And maybe that's another reason why people talk about his stuff a lot: with all that subtlety, sometimes it's not too difficult to miss the point, or to wonder if the conclusion you came to about it was the same as someone else's. Thus it's talked about because it merits a certain amount of discussion.

Lastly, I think Nietzsche gets mentioned a lot because he really did have some very distinctive ideas. He was a well-educated man who drew a lot of conclusions through the comparison of past and contemporary societies. Along with Kierkegaard, he is considered to be the founder of the existentialist movement which tends to reject out of hand all pre-defined purposes and moral systems and encourage people to grab Life by the horns and make their own meaning out of it.

And the meaning of life is undoubtedly one of the more compelling questions that gets asked of philosophy. One only has to hang around in this forum for a bit to see it asked several times a day. Nietzsche's answer to that is to some very inspiring and at least curious to most.

Personally, I highly recommend some of his stuff. Pick and choose from it like a buffet. Enjoy!

Answer 2

Nothing. He was a very controversial (and some would say crazy) philosopher, and that is why he is so often discussed. The philosophers with less extreme views are less interesting to most people.

Answer 3

I don't think Nietzsche is the most talked about when you consider Plato and Aristotle, but Nietzsche's popularity comes from his existentialist beliefs. Oh and the fact that he had syphilis, was incestant and hated women. If you want to read something of his you should give "Beyond Good and Evil" a shot.

Answer 4

I wouldn't say he's talked about that much. However, he was a very querky fellow, and I suppose that's why he's interesting to talk about.

Answer 5

Not much.

He is a lively polemicist, however, and notable for his extreme atheism.

Answer 6

I don't talk too much of him, one thing is for sure=)