Nietzsche's Zarathustra takes an interdisciplinary approach to Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra, focusing on the philosophical function of its literary techniques and its fictional mode of presentation. It argues that the fictional format is essential to Nietzsche's philosophical message in his work. Part of that message is Nietzsche's alternative to the Western worldview as developed by Plato's dialogues and the Christian Gospel, which he presents through the teachings of his hero, Zarathustra. Another part of that message is that any doctrine, including those of Zarathustra himself, has an ambivalent nature. Although doctrinal formulations are designed to preserve and communicate philosophical insights, they can become dead formulas, out of touch with the live philosophical discoveries that they aimed to capture. Thus Spoke Zarathustra explores Zarathustra's own vulnerability to this risk, and his way of regaining real connection with living wisdom. The doctrine of eternal recurrence, which is particular prominent in Zarathustra, is a case in point. The doctrine is offered in opposition to the worldview that Nietzsche associates with the Christian doctrine of sin, which in his view promotes a view of this life as devoid of intrinsic value. However, certain ways of adhering to this doctrine themselves rob life of its value. The book also defends the importance of Part IV of Thus Spoke Zarathustra, which many scholars have seen as unimportant by comparison with the first three parts. Nietzsche's Zarathustra argues that Part III would not have been a culmination for the work, and that Part IV is essential to Nietzsche's project. Part IV's allusions to Apuleius' The Golden Ass, an ancient Menippean satire, suggest that it should be read as a satire in which Zarathustra falls into and recovers from folly. It is thus the culminating statement of the point that there is always a discrepancy between the living philosophi

Addressing the issue of how to read Nietzsche, this book presents an accessible series of essays for students and general readers on Nietzsche's individual works, written by such distinguished Nietzsche scholars as Frithjof Bergmann, Arthur Danto, Bernd Magnus, Christopher Middleton, Eric Blondel, Lars Gustaffson, Alexander Nehamas, Richard Schacht, Gary Shapiro, Hugh Silverman, and Ivan Soll. Among the works discussed are On the Genealogy of Morals, Beyond Good and Evil, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Twilight of the Idols and The Will to Power.

Product Description: Although many of the world's musical traditions recognize the positive value of music for ethical life, the Western philosophical tradition has largely forgotten this idea. The dominance of formalism in musical aesthetics has encouraged this abandonment of the idea that music has an ethical dimension...read more

Product Description: What does philosophy know of love? From Plato on, philosophers have struggled to pin love to the dissecting table and view it in the cold light of logic. Yet, as Arthur Danto writes in the foreword to this volume, "how incorrigibly stiff philosophy is when it undertakes to lay its icy fingers on the frilled and beating wings of the butterfly of love...read more

In this collection, 12 scholars of non-Western philosophy aim to provide an introduction to some of the great and often neglected philosophical traditions of the world. While some of these cultures have long, written philosophical traditions, in others philosophy is to be found in poetry, mythology and folk tales, or is inseparable from wisdom of life in general. Subjects include: Chinese thought, Japanese thought, American Indian attitudes, Latin American traditions, Arabic philosophy, Persian philosophy, African philosophy, Indian philosophies, esoteric philosophy.

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Product Description: This brief and inexpensive paperback provides an introduction to some of the world's great philosophical traditions through original sources. It can be used as a supplement to a traditional western-oriented textbook, or it can stand-alone...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Product Description: Reissued for 2003! This comprehensive anthology offers a vast collection of classic and contemporary readings in aesthetics from both western and non-western sources. It is organized topically into four parts: Art and the Nature of Beauty, Interpreting and Evaluating Art, Challenges to the Tradition and Beyond the West...read more

Provides a brief history of Western philosophy and philosophers, and provides information on Eastern philosophy and philosophers in such areas as Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, and Jainism. (view table of contents)

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A multicultural examination of the three historical movements in philosophical thought and development over a 4000 year period

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An assessement of Nietsches's life and work unravels the myths surrounding the philosopher's politics, sexuality, and state of mental health, emphasizing the views actually expressed in his writing. (view table of contents)

Product Description: Alejada tanto de la aridez academicista como del alarde expositivo o recopilatorio que a menudo tiende más a mostrar el conocimiento que a transmitirlo o estimularlo, esta BREVE HISTORIA DE LA FILOSOFÍA está concebida para todo aquel cuyo interés por aproximarse a este ámbito se ve enfriado por la vastedad del mismo o acas...read more

Product Description: Introducing Philosophy: A Text with Integrated Readings, Tenth Edition, is an exciting, accessible, and thorough introduction to the core problems of philosophy and the many ways in which they are, and have been, answered. The authors combine substantial selections from significant works in the history of philosophy with excerpts from current philosophy, clarifying the readings and providing context with their own detailed commentary and explanation...read more

Product Description: Solomon and Higgins's engaging text covers philosophy's central ideas in an accessible, approachable manner. You'll explore timeless "big questions" about the self, God, justice, and other meaningful topics, gaining the context you need for an understanding of the foundational issues, as well as the confidence to establish your own informed positions on these "big questions...read more