Could Friedrich Nietzsche actually have a hero? For those familiar with his works, the answer to this question would not be an easy one, for the reason that Nietzsche's writings are so honest as to be almost obscure. It is not common in literature or philosophy to find an author so willingly an exhibitionist. It is as though Nietzsche were himself trying to figure out who he was in his writings, and he never hesitates to reveal his thoughts. But maybe exhibitionist is not the right term to describe Nietzsche, as such a characterization would imply that he needed another's look to justify himself. But it seems as though Nietzsche was not writing for another, but for himself, feeling perhaps that his self-analysis was best done on paper.

The author addresses this book to the readers of Nietzsche's works who are "victims" and have swallowed the bait, and consequently "carried along by the flights of his thought". She makes sure immediately to caution the reader that the expression "heroic individualism" is not found in any of Nietzsche's writings. But the equation "individual = hero" holds throughout his works. The author does a fine job of extracting this mathematics of individuation from the the writings of Nietzsche. One finishing the book, one carries away a deeper appreciation of the playful seriousness of Nietzsche's philosophy and his admonition to do philosophy while always looking in the mirror, and seeing one's own reflection, not someone else's.

Nietzsche was always celebrating, according to the author, the death of gods, and his project was to inspire a passion for greatness in a world without gods. But idols are to be smashed, and the grandeur of man is not to be found in a divine origin. It is making use of the dynamism of the flux, and the achieving of fame, and not its achievement, that is true heroism. The hero is a "dragon-slayer" who must achieve in life the highest value, and it (life) is never to be squandered. Caution though must be ever present, lest one use heroism not as a stimulus to self-development but as a means of avoiding it. "Sentimental dirge" and Wagnerian romanticism must be rejected.

The great man does not seek the admiration of the many, as the author again characterizes Nietzschean heroism: "go silently through the world and out of the world". The temptation for recognition must be avoided; one must not succoumb to the illusion of fame. The golden calf is not to replace the true self as the object of worship. Glory is always self-administered.

So how rare or common today is the hero of the Nietzschean type? Well, quite common...thousands...maybe hundreds of thousands. They are to be found in dance, in science, in literature, on the battlefield, behind the counter, sitting in the classroom and also standing in front of it, in the laboratory....indeed everywhere....the 21st century has no paucity of heroism.

This short book from Princeton University Press (only about 200 pages) is popular scholarship at its best. Thiele cuts through the many difficulties of Nietzsche's work to present, in prose accessible to any bright undergraduate, the essence of Nietzsche's project: the creation of a self that gives a noble and passionate answer to the question what it means to be fully conscious, fully human, fully engaged in creating one's values and one's life. I've been reading Nietzsche for some ten years now, and had lately begun writing about what makes him so fascinating--when Thiele's book made my own effort unnecessary. If you want to know (1) why Nietzsche looms large in the modern mind and (2) whether you want to read him yourself, this is the place to start

One of the Schopenhauer's inspirations (especially in "On the Fourfold Root of the Principle of sufficient Reason") gives a classical perspective on the modern German thought. Wonderful!!!

The relationship of Frederick Nietzsche's philosophy to Sigmund Freud's psychiatric concepts has long been an object of interest for students and practitioners of psychoanalysis. In Freud And Nietzsche, educator, historian and philosopher Paul-Laurent Assoun methodically reconstructs Freud's encounter with Nietzsche, his personal interpretations and the contribution of Nietzsche's champions. Assoun articulately examines the thematic similarities that appear on the surface to reveal close affinities between the two theorists. The analogies between the theories and writings of these two influential and original thinkers are fascinating, informative, and a vital part of critical theory which continues to be actively discussed in regard to critical theory to this very day. Ably translated into English by Richard L. Collier. Jr., Paul-Laurent Assoun's Freud And Nietzsche is a significant and highly recommended contribution to the study of Freud, Nietzsche, and psychoanalysis.

I have read many books on hypermedia and authorware as it forms the basis of my Masters degree in ICT's in Primary Education but I have found none as practical and clearly presented as this. In Ireland, where I am based, Hyperstudio is very popular but simple,clear,practical guides like this one, with a strong emphasis on evaluation and pupil learning are hard to come by. I would strongly recommend this book to any teacher who is genuinely seeking a new and workable approach to integrating authorware using the project method. The copy I read was loaned to me and I am now placing an order for my own copy.

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz was a par excellence rational thinker, i.e., one who accomplished his intellectual pursuits primarily by means of logically rigorous argumentation rather than by intuition. (It could be argued that both Descartes and Spinoza allowed themselves to be moved by feeling more than Leibniz ever did, in fact, Spinoza himself conceptualized this very tendency and named it the "third kind of knowledge" or the "intuitive knowledge of God" - cognitio Dei intuitiva). The outcome of this ruthlessly logical conception of the world is Leibniz's "Monadology". I believe it will serve best to focus on the main metaphysical thesis of this great work, by referring to the views, not of a professional philosopher but of a 20th century eminent man of science, the physicist Erwin Schroedinger (1887-1961, Nobel Prize for Physics, 1933). Schroedinger, in his book: "Mind and Matter" (Cambridge University Press, 1958) writes (Chapter 4: "The arithmtical paradox: the oneness of mind):

"The reason why our sentient, percipient and thinking ego is met nowhere within our scientific world picture can easily be indicated in seven words: because it is itself that world picture. It is identical with the whole and therefore cannot be contained in it as part of it. But of course here we knock agaist the arithmetical paradox; there appears to be a great multitude of these conscious egos, the world however is only one. ... There are two ways out of the number paradox, both appearing rather lunatic from the point of view of present scientific thought (based on ancient Greek thought and thus thoroughly "Western"). One way out is the multiplication of the world in Leibniz's fearful doctrine of monads: every monad to be a world in itself, no communication between them; the monad "has no windows", it is "incommunicado". That none the less they all agree with each other is called "pre-established harmony". I think there are few to whom this suggestion appeals, nay who would consider it as a mitigation alone of the numerical antinomy. There is obviously only one alternative, namely the unification of the minds or consciousness. Their multiplicity is only apparent, in truth there is only one mind". We observe that, both Leibniz and Schroedinger, in this juxtaposition of views, help us towards an awareness of the ultimate limits of the knowable.

You can derive pleasure and profit from other books on Richard Strauss, notably Michael Kennedy's (my review of Kennedy's latest Strauss tome is already on Amazon.com) and Norman Del Mar's; but nobody can claim to know Strauss the human being who has not read Kurt Wilhelm's magisterial account. Wilhelm brings the day-to-day behaviour of Strauss and his family to life, in a way that no previous biographer -- however diligent -- has managed to do. You finish this production feeling as if you have met the man. Wilhelm appears to have been given the run of Strauss-related archives at Garmisch, Bavaria, which earlier chroniclers either couldn't or simply didn't use. Old enough to have corresponded with Strauss in person, Wilhelm (who spent part of the Nazi period in jail) is neither oppressively autobiographical nor mindlessly sycophantic: just quizzical, fair-minded, and courageous in his judgements. I don't imagine Strauss himself would have wanted any other sort of tribute.

I believe that the other reviewers here may not have understood Franco's (admittedly unobvious) intent in this work. Certainly the greater portion of the book is devoted to an explication of Hegel's essentially post-mediaeval notions of `ability,' with particular attention paid to those seemlingly inconsistent areas aligned with the early Christian modes of thought, but--useful as this is--it is merely the foundation for Franco's presentation of his own theory of `paralysis of will' in late 19th and 20th century political discourse. One is tempted to gloss over this short section, since at first glance it seems a trivial sort of nonsense, but a close reading in the light of his comments on Heigel's later period reveals that Franco does indeed cast new and interesting light on post-Leninist Marxism. This, unfortunately, is obsecured by some meandering in the later parts, and certainly bringing Ayn Rand into it (however indirectly) was entirely uncalled for. Still, beyond the unquestionably excellent study of Hegel himself, this book has something interesting to offer modern philosophers.

I hesitate to use this review as a "discussion board", but I'm afraid TMChurch has somewhat glossed over the shortcomings in Mr. Franco's achievement. While it is, without a doubt, a substantial bit of research, Franco veers off course, neglecting the import of Hegel's private life on his all-too-public philosophy. Missing are the hazy, misbegotten 'Amsterdam Years' of Hegel's youth and the reckless university pranks and mayhem that made Hegel the philosopher everyone loves to scrath their collective heads over.

To Mr. Franco - a good work that simply requires a finer brush stroke. To TMChurch: a more careful read is in order!

As a Slobovian, it has always been difficult to accept Hegel's edification of the Prussian State. After all Prussia, in guises including but not limited to Nazi Germany, the Papist Church, the Uncircumcised turks, Croat fascist biker gangs, and italin black shirts on bicycles, has invaded my beloved land many times. Mr. Franco shows me that Hegel was more than just a rightist apologist for this tyranny, and more than simpply a precursor to godless marxism....he like Thomas Jefferson, Robbespierre, Ronald Reagan, and the late and famous slobovian rock star Czicik Kromonobicka was a believer in freedom. thank you for writing this book even if my english does not enable me to truly comprehend it.

This is an in-depth academic study of the influence of Nietzsche on Jung. As an enthusiastic reader of both these men I found the book very interesting and thorough, but somewhat dry. It reads like a (very very good) PhD thesis. It is a shame the influence of Jung and Nietzsche on the author rarely rises to the surface!

Highly recommended to Jungians and Nietzscheans alike....

Strathern's book simply reproduces the ignorant prejudices against Hegel that have bedevilled Anglo-American philosophy. Who should read this book- anyone who wants to make a few dismissive remarks about Hegel in order to give the appearance of learning at a cocktail party. Who should not read this book- anyone who might want to learn something from Hegel.

This is a witty account and overview of the life and works of Hegel, a challenge for anyone who thought Kant was difficult. The book keeps its promise to tell you everything it can about Hegel in 90 minutes -- the problem is just that you can't learn all that much about Hegel in just 90 minutes.

Strathern is a master at this kind of work, which mixes biography, critical analysis, historical context and humor all in a concise, informative & entertaining package. He lists a time line for the philosopher, his place in world/philosophic history & a selection of works for furthur reading. This series of books by Strathern is a wonderful course in Philosophy 101 without ever having to go to college, all presented in plain, easy to understand English without being bogged down with philosophy's often confusing vernacular.

Miklowitz's tome is written in the language of solipsistic academese. THough most of his interpretations and analogies start out well, they disintegrate into obfuscated enigmas shortly thereafter. Having read other authors on the same subject--including Paul Ricouer, under whom Miklowitz has studied--I recommend going to straightforward sources and not trying to waft through pages of dense and tricky text if you are looking for something comprehensible.

Do not let the sentences packed full of jargon discourage you from spelunking through the Hegelian word-stalagtites to the core of this work! First, a dtermined reader will find great illumination not only of Hegel's thinking (and who couldn't use this), but of his place and meaning in the Continental tradition. And once through the mires of the Hegelian "Meta-mess", a light-hearted, though still heavy-worded adventure through the enigmatic "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" examines Nietzsche's ironic and complex literary wit. The interpretation offered is viable and must be discussed in any subsequent work attempting to grapple with the Hegel, Nietzsche and any possible future for philosophy.

This book attempts to explain how and why the traditional philosopher's ambition to provide a complete account of reality and truth has been largely abandoned in the twentieth century. Miklowitz argues that this high-minded ambition is realized in Hegel, but that its realization is catastrophic: the audacity of "absolute idealism" discredits the entire project, and leads to the nihilism of Nietzsche's anti-systematic perspectivism. This is a subtle and difficult book about an extremely important paradigm shift from "modernity" to what some call "postmodernity." Highly recommended for anyone interested in a serious interpretation of the philosophical underpinnings of contemporary culture.