Nietzsche

It is my group's task to come up with connections between Nietzche and other texts. Lucky for me, I feel that the first ten pages connect with almost every work we have looked at so far this year. Section one of the preface screams White Castle. Hoja embarks on a journey to find out why he is who he is. Identity is the main theme in the novel. Nietzsche says, "We are unknown to ourselves...'who are we really?'...we are necessarily strangers to ourselves" (13). Orhan Pamuk uses these essential questions and themes as the basis of his novel. Section 3 reminded me of the teachings of Lao-tzu in Tao Te Ching. Tao literally means "path" or "way." Te means "to get." Burton Watson says, "...te...denotes a moral power or virtue characteristic of a person who follows a correct course of conduct" (Lau-Tzu xiii). Nietzche questions morality in section 3. Here he questions the origin of good and evil. Section 3 also reminds me of the works we read by Socrates. Nietzsche describes his mode of learning to be Socratic. He says, "I departmentalized my problem; out of my answers there grew new questions, inquiries, conjectures, probabilities..." (Nietzsche 17). Nietzsche uses the Socratic method in order to attain knowledge. Finally, in section 7 Nietzsche actually talks about Darwin and his influence. Nietzsche says, "This was unknown to Dr. Ree; but he had read Darwin-so that in his hypotheses...the Darwinian beast and the ultramodern unassuming moral milksop who 'no longer bites' politely link hands...with which it is mingled even a grain of pessimism and weariness, as if all these things...were really not worth taking quite so seriously...But to me...there seems to be nothing more worth taking seriously" (Nietzsche 21). Nietzsche discusses Darwin as an adversary to his beliefs. He believes morality to be of the utmost importance.

It amazes me just how many times I made connections in Nietzsche to works we have read in the last two months. Because we have read these other works, I feel I have a better understanding of what Nietzsche is talking about and what he believes.