Kierkegaard and Nietzsche provided the basic foundations of 19th century Existentialism. It is a philosophy that emphasises the existence of the individual as a free and responsible agent determining their own development. We all suffer and enjoy the same condition, the human condition, and have done so since time immemorial. Kierkegaard is commonly regarded asContinue reading “Kierkegaard and Nietzsche – Giants of Existentialism”
Author Archives: Eternalised - Philosophy
Lovecraftian Cosmicism – Existentialism, Absurdism and Nihilism
Howard Phillips Lovecraft was an American writer of weird and horror fiction, who is known for his creation of what became the Cthulhu Mythos and the creator of the literary philosophy known as Cosmicism, emphasising the cosmic horror of the unknown. “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongestContinue reading “Lovecraftian Cosmicism – Existentialism, Absurdism and Nihilism”
Book Review: The Sickness unto Death – Kierkegaard
Søren Kierkegaard wrote one of the most remarkable theistic existentialist works of the 19th century, The Sickness unto Death is famed for the depth and acuity of its psychological insights. Writing under the pseudonym Anti-Climacus, Kierkegaard explores the concept of ‘despair’. Despair is a deeper expression for anxiety which is a not-wanting-to-be-oneself. It is aContinue reading “Book Review: The Sickness unto Death – Kierkegaard”
(mis)Understanding Nihilism
What exactly is Nihilism? It is often associated to extreme pessimism and believed that it is an active negation of life, or thinks of it as empty of inherent meaning. In other words, that there is no such thing as “meaning” or “value”, no meaning in the universe, no meaning in the search of meaningContinue reading “(mis)Understanding Nihilism”
Book Review: Genealogy of Morals – Nietzsche
Nietzsche wrote On the Genealogy of Morals: A Polemic, in response to a book by his former friend Paul Rée, on the origins of morality. This book is among Nietzsche’s most sustained and cohesive works. Rating In the first essay, titled “Good and Evil”, “Good and Bad”, Nietzsche sets up a contrast between what heContinue reading “Book Review: Genealogy of Morals – Nietzsche”
Dostoevsky’s Raskolnikov and Nietzsche’s Übermensch
The frequent mention of Nietzsche and Dostoevsky together is still topical for the very reason that both of them were among the acutest anatomists of our cultural, social and moral crisis, the symptoms of which were already so prominent at the turn of the nineteenth century. It was a flourishing period for the creative powersContinue reading “Dostoevsky’s Raskolnikov and Nietzsche’s Übermensch”
The Comedy of Existence: Superhuman Laughter – Nietzsche | Existentialism
Nietzsche states in Beyond Good and Evil: “I would really allow myself to order the ranks of philosophers according to the rank of their laughter – right up to those who are capable of golden laughter. And assuming that the gods also practise philosophy, a fact which many conclusions have already driven me to –Continue reading “The Comedy of Existence: Superhuman Laughter – Nietzsche | Existentialism”
The Absurd – Camus, Kierkegaard & Dostoevsky | Existentialism
Albert Camus’ views contributed to the rise of the philosophy known as Absurdism, he defines the Absurd “as the conflict between the human tendency to seek inherent value and meaning in life, and the human inability to find any meaning in a purposeless, meaningless, and irrational universe, with the ‘unreasonable silence’ of the universe inContinue reading “The Absurd – Camus, Kierkegaard & Dostoevsky | Existentialism”
Nietzsche and Eastern Philosophy (Hinduism)
Both Hinduism and Buddhism (see Nietzsche and Buddhism) are of interest to Nietzsche not in themselves, but as alternative positions from which to continue his attack on Christianity. He declared that “the critic of Christianity is profoundly grateful to the students of India” for making Buddhism available as a religion to compare with Christianity. InContinue reading “Nietzsche and Eastern Philosophy (Hinduism)”
Nietzsche and Eastern Philosophy (Buddhism)
There are some good reasons to believe that Nietzsche was interested in Eastern philosophy during his lifetime. In the Antichrist he states: “Buddhism, I repeat, is a hundred times more austere, more honest, more objective. It no longer has to justify its pains, its susceptibility to suffering, by interpreting these things in terms of sin—itContinue reading “Nietzsche and Eastern Philosophy (Buddhism)”
