With the decline of antiquity and the spread of christianity, the theory largely fell into disuse in the western world, with the excepti. His books include from hegel to nietzsche 1964, meaning and history 1957, and max weber and karl marx 1982. The consensus on the importance of eternal return for. Friedrich nietzsche friedrich nietzsche nietzsches mature philosophy. Coming to terms with eternal recurrence routledge, 2005 his course offerings at old dominion university include 19thcentury philosophy, 20thcentury continental philosophy, heidegger, nietzsche, ancient philosophy, myth and philosophy, social. It is the fountain of truth the ultimate philosophy. The eternal recurrence of the same martin heidegger on amazon. May 14, 2020 one notable exception is found in the work of friedrich nietzsche 18441900, a 19thcentury german thinker who was known for his unconventional approach to philosophy. Yet he remains a thinker of singular importance, a great opponent of hegel and kant, and the source of much that is powerful. The idea of eternal return or eternal recurrence has existed in various forms since antiquity. I know that time and personal identity are two concepts that are constantly interwoven, but i wonder if there is a way to think of eternal recurrence in this frame as well.
The will to power and the dreaded eternal recurrence. Dedicated to professor hansgeorg gadamer on his 100th birthday. The theory is found in indian philosophy and in ancient egypt as well as judaic wisdom literature and was subsequently taken up by the pythagoreans and stoics. Nietzsches philosophy of the eternal recurrence of the. In which of his books does nietzsche talk about eternal. Embedded in it is an urgent exhortation to calibrate our actions in such a way as to make their consequences bearable, livable with, in a. His whole philosophy of will to power and eternal return aims to shake to the eyeteeth the selfevidence of a rationalistic, philosophic approach and thus to make genuine, self. Eternal return also known as eternal recurrence is a concept which posits that the universe has been recurring, and will continue to recur, in a selfsimilar form an infinite number of times. The title character, named after the founder of the old persian religion, does at first seem to speak on behalf of the sacred teaching of a new, godless theology of eternal recurrence. Metaphysics, misc in 19th century philosophy remove from this list direct download 4 more. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
One of nietzsches most famous ideas is that of eternal recurrence, which appears in the penultimate section of his book the gay science. Nov 02, 2008 the eternal recurrence is nietzsches way for the self to generate its own gravitas in the absence of god. Perspectivism is a concept which holds that knowledge is always. The doctrine of eternal recurrence, the basic conception of thus spoke zarathustra, asks the question how well disposed would a person have to become to himself and to life to crave nothing more fervently than the infinite repetition, without alteration, of each and every moment. This life, as you now live it and have lived it, you will have to live once more and innumerable times more. Why is nietzsches eternal recurrence so depressing. His most famous viewsthe will to power, the eternal recurrence, the ubermensch, the master moralityoften seem incomprehensible or, worse, repugnant. In his doctrine of the eternal recurrence, he offers a formula for a test for whether life is accepted, embraced and loved. Nietzsches philosophy of the eternal recurrence of the same. Personal identity and the eternal recurrence ask a. Nietzsche called the gay science the most personal of all my books. The theory is found in indian philosophy and in ancient egypt as well as.
Nietzsche often thought of his writings as struggles with nihilism, and apart from his critiques of religion, philosophy, and morality he developed original theses that have commanded attention, especially perspectivism, the will to power, eternal recurrence, and the superman. The only version of the book published in nietzsches lifetime concludes with seven seals a hostile, mocking echo of the closing book of the bible, in which zarathustra seven times trumpets his love for eternity in a symbolic new creation of man and the whole. After all, at an atomic level the two are similar in composition. I was wondering if there is any relationship between personal identity and nietzsches ideas of eternal recurrence.
The middle period, from human, alltoohuman up to the gay science. It is commonly called the doctrine of eternal recurrence, but it is less a doctrine i. Hatab argues that eternal recurrence can and should be read literally, in just the way nietzsche described it in the texts. Other articles where eternal recurrence is discussed.
He has read, enjoyed and studied nietzsche all his life. Eternal recurrence in nietzsches philosophy 277 the most important treatment of the theory is found in the gay science and in zarathustra. Although mostly linked with nietzsches the gay science 1882 and thus spoke zarathustra 1883, eternal recurrence can actually trace its origins to ancient times. Emrys westacott is a professor of philosophy at alfred university. Harvey lomax is associate professor of political science at the university of memphis. Somewhat surprisingly given its prominence in the interpretation of nietzsches work, the motif of eternal recurrence occurs explicitly only a few times in his published books. The theory is found in indian philosophy and in ancient egypt as well as judaic wisdom literature. Nietzsches eternal recurrence, a litmus test for the. For many atheists, such a thing doesnt need doing and.
Nietzsche and eternal recurrence the week in doubt. Nietzsche mentioned or expressed his philosophical views and opinions about the concept or notion of eternal return, or eternal recurrence. Nietzsches philosophy of the eternal recurrence of the same by lowith, karl and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Philosophy books for selfisolation steven gambardella medium. So the initial effect of eternal recurrence should border on the possibility of pessimism. He has published over thirtyfive articles and five books, including nietzsches life sentence. Since then, lowiths book has continued to gain recognition as one of the key texts in the german nietzsche reception, as well as a remarkable effort to reclaim the philosophers work from political misappropriation. Arnold zuboff, nietzsche and eternal recurrence philpapers. Alex ross, the new yorker s music critic since 1996, is the author of the rest is. Harvey lomax is associate professor of political science at the. Nietzsches theory of eternal recurrence can prove to be perplexing to some because of the questions it raises. The challenge of eternal recurrence issue 93 philosophy now. His careful examination of nietzsches cosmological theory of the infinite repetition of a finite number of states of the world suggests the paradoxical consequences this. I see no reason to associate eternal recurrence with depression.
Eternal recurrence in 19th century philosophy nietzsche. B nietzsches comments on his books c eternal recurrence, by b. Yet he remains a thinker of singular importance, a great opponent of hegel. In this video, i explain the idea of eternal recurrence in nietzsches philosophy. The eternal return, suffering, and the affirmation. One notable exception is found in the work of friedrich nietzsche 18441900, a 19thcentury german thinker who was known for his unconventional approach to philosophy. The concept initially inherent in indian philosophy was later found in ancient egypt, and was subsequently taken up by the pythagoreans and stoics. Nietzsches philosophy of the eternal recurrence of the same book. Karl lowith 18971973 taught philosophy at the university of marburg until his forced exile in 1934, and then at the new school for social research and the university of heidelberg. The eternal recurrence is nietzsches way for the self to generate its own gravitas in the absence of god.
It is by no means an original idea, with variants of eternal recurrence appearing in both egyptian and mayan mythology, and in the work of kierkegaard. Eternal recurrence chapter 8 nietzsche on truth and philosophy. That eternal recurrence is a consequence of the will to power may be plausible as regards the structure of zarathustra, but it is false as regards the actual development of nietzsches thought, for nietzsche embraced eternal recurrence before he developed the idea of the will to power found in zarathustra. Nietzsches zarathustra is described in karl lowiths book on nietzsches philosophy of the eternal recurrence of the same 1978, 1997 as a parable in which all knowledge is merely human creativity responding to new ways of dying. Nietzsches myth of eternal recurrence my philosophical. Eternal return also known as eternal recurrence is a theory that the universe and all existence and energy has been recurring, and will continue to recur, in a selfsimilar form an infinite number of times across infinite time or space. Start by marking nietzsches philosophy of the eternal recurrence of the same. He is the author or coauthor of several books, including thinking through philosophy. In which of his books does nietzsche talk about eternal recurrence. He called this question the eternal recurrence or the eternal return and brought it up in several of his books. The book offers a readable treatment of most of the core topics in nietzsches philosophy, all discussed in the light of the consummating effect of eternal recurrence. In other words, eternal recurrence is the idea that our lives will be repeated endlessly. Part of a series of lectures, this work analyzes the philosophy of heidegger as.
Untimely meditations, are dominated by a romantic perspective influenced by schopenhauer and wagner. Related filed under episodes tagged with eternal recurrence, nietzche, philosophy, ubermensch. At the center of nietzsches philosophy is the idea of eternal return the ultimate embrace of responsibility that comes from accepting the consequences, good or bad, of ones willful action. For many atheists, such a thing doesnt need doing and represents a form of nostalgia for.
Further references are contained in both his earlier and later works, and particularly in the posthumous publications, the nachlasse nietzsche presents the idea of eternal recurrence in many. Long before the western philosophers ever wrote of it, eternal return was and still is, a central pillar of various faiths and cultures. The eternal recurrence my philosophy brings the triumphant idea of which all other modes of thought will ultimately perish. Within the eschaton cycle framework, the recurrence is not of necessity eternal and reality can collapse back into itselftheres always that threat of everything just ending, and we. Eternal recurrence and the kalachakra matt larkin books. My philosophy brings the triumphant idea of which all other modes of thought will ultimately perish. Personal identity and the eternal recurrence ask a philosopher. Nietzsches writings fall into three welldefined periods. Feb 03, 2018 in this video, i explain the idea of eternal recurrence in nietzsches philosophy.
Why is a human brain intelligent and selfaware, while a puddle of water is not. What, if some day or night, a demon were to steal after you into your loneliest loneliness and say to you. Selfcreation and beginning again echoing rilkes exhortation to be always beginning, nietzsche insists that existence begins in every instant thus spoke zarathustra, trans. Some believe that we come back in our current forms, while others believe we come back in different forms or social classes. Nietzsches philosophy of the eternal recurrence of.
Mar 22, 2018 the eternal return as a scientific theory is the idea that all events and experiences in the universe will be repeated again and again for all eternity. Since then, lowiths book has continued to gain recognition as one of the key texts in the german nietzsche reception, as well as a remarkable effort to reclaim the. Should you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment. This week i take a look at the concept of eternal recurrence or eternal return.
I, the last disciple of the philosopher dionysus i, the teacher of the eternal recurrence. The title of this book is nietzsches philosophy of the eternal recurrence of the same and it was written by karl lowith, j. More than eighty years after his death, nietzsches writings and his career remain disquieting, disturbing, obscure. The death of god, eternal recurrence and the ubermensch are concepts that grapple with morality in a world beyond religion and metaphysics. We are taught how to discuss and debate, but not how to live. The most important one is naturally thus spoke zarathustra, where he is basically giving his best to try and decipher the meaning of life. Eternal return is a theory that the universe and all existence and energy has been recurring, and will continue to recur, in a selfsimilar form an infinite number of times across infinite time or space. This idea of eternal recurrence became a cornerstone of his nihilism, and thus part of the foundation of what became existentialism. The idea of eternal return or eternal recurrence has existed in. Jul 08, 2016 i see no reason to associate eternal recurrence with depression. The concept of eternal recurrence, the idea that with infinite time and a finite. An easy yes to eternal repetition would not be an honest and direct assessment of tragic limits in existence. Put simply, its the theory that existence recurs in an infinite cycle as. Philosophically we call this concept eternal recurrence after a nietzschean thought experiment or sometimes eternal return, a cyclical model of the universe.
Published in the print edition of the october 14, 2019, issue, with the headline the eternal return. Eternal recurrence, or eternal return, is the idea or belief that time is a circle and life infinitely repeats itself. For lowith, the centerpiece of nietzsches thought is the doctrine of eternal recurrence, a notion which lowith, unlike heidegger, deems incompatible with the. Nietzsches best 8 books an ebook to search the spirit of friedrich nietzsche edited by bill chapko contents editor notes introduction to nietzsches life and writings the gay science ecce homo thus spoke zarathustra the dawn twilight of the idols the antichrist beyond good and evil genealogy of morals appendices a timeline biography. Philosophy books for selfisolation steven gambardella.
But nietzsches philosophy aims to uncover an alternative to pessimism in terms of how countermeanings are implicated in meaning. Eternal recurrence of the same events also known as eternal return is one of nietzsches more notable ideas. Nietzsche mentioned or expressed his philosophical views and opinions about the concept or notion of eternal return, or eternal recurrence of the same, i. Friedrich nietzsche nietzsches mature philosophy britannica. Mar 06, 2019 nietzsche mentioned or expressed his philosophical views and opinions about the concept or notion of eternal return, or eternal recurrence of the same, i. Nietzsches philosophy of the eternal recurrence of the same by.