Simply Nietzsche

by Peter Kail

Overview

“This is the best introductory text on Nietzsche in English, German or French, and in three respects: it is genuinely introductory without being superficial; it reflects good philosophical judgment; and it stakes out interesting and plausible hypotheses on some vexed questions of interpretation. The writing is also crisp and engaging throughout.”
—Brian Leiter, Karl N. Llewellyn Professor of Jurisprudence, Director of the Center for Law, Philosophy, and Human Values, The University of Chicago

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781943657513
Publisher:	Simply Charly
Publication date:	12/10/2019
Series:	Great Lives , #16
Sold by:	PUBLISHDRIVE KFT
Format:	eBook
Pages:	132
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Peter Kail is Associate Professor in Philosophy at the University of Oxford and Official Fellow and Tutor in Philosophy. He is the author of Projection and Realism in Hume's Philosophy (2007) and co-editor of Nietzsche on Mind and Nature (2015). He is a founder member of the International Nietzsche Society and serves on its executive committee.

Editorial Reviews

"This is the best introductory text on Nietzsche in English, German or French, and in three respects: it is genuinely introductory without being superficial; it reflects good philosophical judgment; and it stakes out interesting and plausible hypotheses on some vexed questions of interpretation. The writing is also crisp and engaging throughout."
--Brian Leiter, Karl N. Llewellyn Professor of Jurisprudence, Director of the Center for Law, Philosophy, and Human Values, The University of Chicago

"Peter Kail has written a lively and intelligent short guide to Nietzsche's remarkable corpus. Best of all he does not make this singular philosophical genius conform to the dreary character of so much academic philosophy. Instead, Nietzsche the profound psychologist and writer of great distinction shines through."
--Keith Ansell-Pearson, Professor of Philosophy, University of Warwick

"This is an admirably readable, philosophically-astute introduction to Nietzsche's thought."
--Andrew Huddleston, Reader in Philosophy, Birbeck College, University of London

"Kail's Simply Nietzsche offers a clear and admirably concise overview of the central themes in Nietzsche's work. It is highly accessible and is written in a lively, conversational style. It would be an excellent introductory guide for students."
--Paul Katsafanas, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Boston University

"Peter Kail's introduction to Nietzsche offers a brisk, informed, and sympathetic approach to this philosophical giant. The book is something of a tour de force. In seven short, lucid chapters it manages to cover the full extent of Nietzsche's most significant writings from The Birth of Tragedy to Ecce Homo, leaving no philosophical stone unturned. A perfect companion for students, teachers, or novices who are just curious to know what makes Nietzsche so compulsively readable despite his being the most challenging thinker since Kant. Nietzsche will turn your life upside down. Simply Nietzsche will help you get your bearings as you land back in reality."
--James I. Porter, Irving G. Stone Professor in Literature and Professor of Rhetoric and Classics, UC Berkeley

"Few philosophers have left a more enduring mark in the popular imagination, and none has been more frequently caricatured or misunderstood, than Friedrich Nietzsche. To correct this misrepresentation, we needed a writer possessed of a deep knowledge of the increasingly sophisticated philosophical scholarship devoted to his thought and capable of making it at once accessible and appealing to a broad readership. In Peter Kail, we have found just such a writer. This short book gives a clear, concise, and well-informed overview of Nietzsche's main philosophical insights, which corrects common misunderstandings of them, emphasizes their originality, and acknowledges their lingering problems."
--Bernhard Reginster, author of The Affirmation of Life and Professor of Philosophy, Brown University

From the Publisher