Beyond Good and Evil Paperback – February 4, 2014

Once in a while I come across an interesting summary of or a spin on Nietzsche’s ideas, get excited and feel the urge to get it directly from the horse’s mouth. And every time I started reading “Beyond good and evil” or “Genealogy of morals” or anything else by him I felt bored being lost in his streams of consciousness.This time I gave myself a word to finish this book and went through the usual mixture of boredom and annoyance going through his long passages on the propriety of the subjugation of women, his bad mouthing other Enlightenment authors etc with occasional interesting insights in between; but then there was chapter IV with many pithy aphorisms, and then the first half of the last IX-th chapter of the book is by far the best, where he explains what he calls slave-morality and master-morality.You may disagree with Neitzsche on his ideas, you may feel that you can explain away most or all of his takes on human nature with more elaborate contemporary insights from the evolutionary psychology and game theory, OCEAN traits and the dark personality triad etc, but his true genius is in the fact that even after you have internally argued with him and have done all the mental critique of his ideas, you are still left with the feeling that you have learned something very important, something that was not explained away. This residue will certainly differ from person to person (I see a lot of “key ideas” from this book on the internet that I have glossed over without finding interesting). So go read the first half of the last chapter, then chapter 4, and then, if you still have interest left, go through the rest.

Great quick read.

This is one of the foundations that anyone interested in Philosophy will read at some point. Nietzshe is one of the key authors in this area and will form the core of most discussions in morality.This said, while thought provoking, insightful and intriguing, unless you are looking to get into a philosophical debate on morality or looking for thoughts to guide political decisions, this isn't your book. If you want a fast read, entertainment or something that keeps you awake, this isn't your book. Caution needed as this may cause: headaches as you try to grasp the larger concepts and loss of consciousness as you fall asleep after just a few pages.I enjoyed this book. I'll be keeping it on my Kindle and have highlights/notes to go back to. But even I had to focus to push through all of this book.

First let me say some of the book was like being on an acid trip, pondering ideas, coming from nowhere and ending incomplete. Maybe I didn't understand the relativity of tearing down philosophies of religion and artists. But I did like the final chapter, once I understood the that ideas where randomly going to be asserted and not supported, and to be taken on the authority of him. Saying that there were alot of insightful things. But let me also say that it is strange that many places in the book it is stating to form your own ideas your own ethics your own humanity and why because I say so, wow how thought provoking is that. Maybe it is because I believe in freedom I don't understand forcing or being forced. What does one care what another does or does not in his religion or philosophy right or wrong it is order for them. Example he makes reference to flat earth being it is self evident, well he was wrong, so should we dismiss the book, does that mean there is no master and slave. There is plenty I agree on and would surely have back up with reason and created arguments rather the assert the because I am smarter argument, which is difficult to do when you are saying create your own world. So my question is it enlighten or psychopathic is it genius or crazy. Are Germans better than English. Be self reliant and we could be if it were for those people. If you like my review, you will like the book, jumping all over the place asserting ideas without reasoning but good information within. Maybe being nonreligious I don't get the push back. Not being German seeing how one composer is better than another because of race. Hmm! I guess we will take it on his authority. So in conclusions a mess of good and bad ideas in random order to go though like stacks of papers on a desk this pile over here for this, this one over there for that. Still feel a great philosopher, ideas and concept are great more than that extraordinary I do use them.

When the past becomes the future and you don't learn from it today!!!

The price for this title was very cheap, however, there are no page numbers, chapters, or index. Additionally there are no clear paragraphs, so hard to follow the narrative. The printing itself was light and difficult to read.

If you have not read this I must ask why. Then I must ask you to ask yourself why. Anything by Nietzche is not just interesting and a learning experience, it is hillarious as well. despite the label of being a nihlist, given by people who never read him or disagree with him, Nietzche has a profound insight to life that is actually quite joyous-not just in this work but in general. I suggest every book he has, mind you I am biased as I was a philosophy major and had to read him anyway, bvut I had read him befor that too. It's worth it to buy this alone or better yet buy a collected works that includes his other work as well.

It took me a while to follow this diatribe. But I caught on. Then I realized most of it went over my head. I did find some great quotes.

It's one of the hardest books I have ever attempted to read. Each Aphorism requires multiple readings. Either that or I am just too thick headed for the ideas and the language in the book. But if you are looking for some intellectual stimulation this book checks all the right ones.

This is my first time sitting down and reading Nietzche's philosophy, and I was captivated... Some of these ideas will stay with me a long time. Thoroughly recommend for opening one's mind further - a compelling read

An odd flow of the harsh and blunt words (of nietzsche) mixed with his finer, somewhat melodic, poetic writting...It's can read very passionately... And has the workings to inspire the imagination...

This book has very much deep insights. This book gives bits of nationalism,morality.this book will intereststudents of philosophy. Overall a unique learning material for me.

A well produced, reader-friendly edition of a work I hadn't read since I was an undergraduate in the early 1960s. Thought provoking and wryly witty stuff. Great fun. It changed Western philosophical thinking and is still worth delving into.