Also Sprach Zaratustra

(also spelled Zarathustra; and translated Thus Spoke Zarathustra)

A philosophical work by FriedrichNietzsche.

from http://www.usc.edu/schools/annenberg/c/faculty/thomas/nietzsche.html (but, due to broken links, http://www.luminary.us/nz/zarathustra.html might be more useful) ...

Zarathustra took himself to the mountains, meditating there for ten years alone. Then one morning he rose, addressed the sun and went down the hill to impart his wisdom to mankind ...

There are certain central concepts that it is essential to keep in mind about Nietzsche's philosophy. He takes it for granted that the Enlightenment analysis of religion is correct, and that religion is a comforting but limiting self-delusion. He infers that all values (including religious values) are the creations of human beings and that therefore we are all responsible for creating high values and living up to them. Yet these values need not be shared. He is a thorough relativist, arguing that one person's virtue is another's vice. Once these basic principles are understood, most of his writing becomes quite clear. Another obstacle to comprehension, however, consists in his constant cultural references which may be unfamiliar to the untrained reader.

Also a musical composition by Richard Strauss (http://web.archive.org/web/20001002180429/http://www.classiccd.co.uk/reference/works/s/straussr-also.html). Anyone who has seen StanleyKubrick's 2001: A SpaceOdyssey will associate the opening fanfare with the monolith.

CategoryBook