Nietzsche -or- Kierkegaard?

Answer 1

Hm. Kierkegaard overtly admits that as far as he knows, many of his own works are meaningless. Talking of some of his own writing, he says, "...there is not a single word which is mine. I have no opinion about these works except as a third person, no knowledge of their meaning, except as a reader, not the remotest private relation to them." Riiiight. He spent much of his life attacking one church because he wanted everyone to attend another church. Petty.

Nietzsche at least got out of the house every now and then. Saved people's lives as a medic in the military. Served as a professor at a university for a decade. Nietzsche was no superman, but then he never claimed to be... all his writing talks about such a person coming but not being. Though even with the madness that overcame him in his later years, I would say he did far more to earn the title than Kierkegaard ever did.

PS: For those of you who like quoting, "God is dead", try reading more than one line. In the section where Nietzsche writes that, it is a MADMAN who says that God is dead. Indeed, most of the text seems to refer to God being not dead in actuality, but in the hearts of most men (an idea that I find many religious people agree with!). In other sections he seems quite overtly to refer to a living god. To quote:

"Companions, the creator seeks, not corpses, not herds and believers. Fellow creators, the creator seeks -- those who write new values on new tablets. Companions, the creator seeks, and fellow harvesters; for everything about him is ripe for the harvest."
- Friedrich Nietzsche

Answer 2

Kierkegaard definitely, Nietsche was nothing and into nothing.
A man closed in his own delusions and kept by his sisters can hardly be an Ubermensch more like a Nebisch or mishkeit.

[edit: Nietsche may have been a stretcher bearer, that is far different than a combat medic in today's world. He didn't get out of the house, he was forced out. When Nietsche's person came it was Adolf Hitler. His popularity in America is shown in the nihilistic materialism of our popular culture, something I'm hardly proud of. Kierkegaard for all his faults at least thought and wrote compassionately, and even if unoriginal at least brought forward the best of the things he considered.]

Answer 3

Kierkegaard. Nietzsche was just too pessimistic about this world- the whole dog eat dog thing may be true, but it's not so nasty as he made it sound. People make life harder for themselves.

Answer 4

Nietzche is the undisputed winner of the arguement. I think Kierkegaard comes of too intellectual to have broad appeal. A huge percentage of american are Nietzsche fans they may or may not be aware.

Answer 5

Definently Kierkegaard,

Nietzsche and his 'God is dead' concept is no where as profound as Kierkegaard's connection of existence and God

Nietzsche is more of a Nihilist than an existentialist, which is what Kierkegaard was

Answer 6

Søren Kierkegaard says "God is alive." Friedrich Nietzsche says "God is dead." You decide which is correct.

Kierkegaard sends you to the dictionary on purpose. He wants you to work in order to understand his message.

Answer 7

Kierkegaard was sweeter

Answer 8

Kierkegaard is just so mysterious...

Answer 9

What do you mean? Which one is more relavent today? Which one is easier to read in his original language? Which is our personal favorite? Which one we'd rather see skewered and roasting on the barbie?

It's all in the CONTEXT, dude.

Answer 10

Nietzsche forever... wrong...