Twilight of the Idols

I've heard much about Frederick Nietzsche over the years and finally got around to read one of his books, Twilight of the Idols. It's been an enlightening read.

I wouldn't recommend Nietzsche to anyone. He's a bold pagan who embraces the pagan worldview without qualification. His writing is full of zest. He loves eugenics, euthanasia, and the development of power. He has a wicked sense of humor and makes fun of Christianity and philosophy at every opportunity.  He was a significant influence on the acerbic H.L. Mencken, who wrote a preface to a later edition of one of Nietzsche's books. The "alt-right" considers him a patron saint, although he would probably appreciate "patron god" more. If a young man has lost his way and struggles with asserting masculinity, Nietzsche would be the worst possible influence.

Why should some people read Nietzsche? Read him if you want to understand history. His influence on German philosophy is impressive. His beliefs laid the foundation for the philosophy of the National Socialist (Nazi) Party in Germany. The superiority of Aryans, anti-Semitism, worship of power and pagan symbols, it's all in Nietzsche. But his thought is not new. He merely condenses the older Germanic pagan beliefs that had been idle for a several centuries following the advent of Christianity in Europe.

We should also read him to shock us out of our intellectual stupor. We've been accustomed to the Christian culture around us for so long that we haven't had to think about why we hold specific beliefs and practice certain ethics. Our forefathers could articulate their debt to Scripture, natural law and Christian tradition as the reason for their beliefs and practices, e.g. care for the poor, the sick, widows, orphans, etc. Nietzsche challenges us to explain ourselves. He presents a bold message of a new world where Christianity will wither away and worldly men will take over. Flabby Christianity isn't sufficient to answer his claims. To answer him requires preparation, thought, and wisdom accrued through time. There are no shortcuts.

The most striking argument he presents is the condemnation of Christianity as an "other-world" religion, i.e., one that only focuses on what comes later and insufficiently appreciates the good of this world. His indictment rings true. We often treat God's good world as if it were the opposite of the original garden of Eden, only taking from one tree and fearing to partake of much else. God made us and He made all the creation good. Although we've perverted much of it through sin, the good of His creation should be enjoyed, not feared (see Joe Rigney, The Things of Earth, for a good introduction to enjoying God's gifts of creation). To delight in Him and His gifts casts down one of the most powerful weapons our great enemy has.

This post barely scratches the surface in explaining the depth of Nietzsche's thought, but I hope it gives you some reasons for reading him. If you are grounded in your faith and are prepared to encounter one of the most robust pagan minds of the last two hundred years, you could do a lot worse than Nietzsche.