During his life in the late 19th-century, Friedrich Nietzsche was a relatively obscure German philosopher. Since his death, however, he has become deeply influential and well-known, and was a source of inspiration for many important 20th-century thinkers. Despite this popularity, Nietzsches philosophy remains relatively mysterious, and often misunderstood. Much of his writing consisted of aphorisms, rather than more traditional prose and arguments, and many of his positions seem to contradict one another. This course will cover a broad range of Nietzsches writings, focusing on such central concepts as the will to power, eternal recurrence, and the oft-misunderstood Ubermensch (overman). Throughout, we will focus on developing a consistent interpretation of an enigmatic philosopher whose views have been mischaracterized and misappropriated throughout the past century.
