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1: What other famous figure began his mission at the age of thirty by retreatinginto the wilderness? How long did the other figure stay there? How long doesZarathustra stay there? Much of the imagery here is probably borrowed from\"The Allegory of the Cave\" in Plato\'s Republic. (Nietzsche generally disliked Plato, and disagrees with him on many points; buthe was greatly influenced by him nevertheless.) Plato says that an enlightenedthinker is like a man who gradually struggles free of the chains of illusion inan underground cave and who learns by ascending to the world above and viewingthings in the light of day, finally discovering the essence of truth by gazingat the sun itself. However, it is not enough for the philosopher to grasp truthfor himself: he has a responsibility to descend back into the cave of illusionand free the prisoners of falsehood. This is what Nietzsche means by\"going under.\" What arguments can you make that the discoverer oftruth has an obligation to preach that truth to others?
2: The Old Man represents traditional religious hermitism. How is Nietzschecriticizing the tradition of the hermit or cloistered monk? FrequentlyNietzsche has his characters say not what they would say in real life, butinstead reveal what he thinks are their secret feelings. In other words, heputs his analysis of their motives into their mouths. Would areal monk likely say that he has stopped loving man? Why would Nietzsche feeljustified in saying that he has? Nietzsche is fond of self-quotation. HereZarathustra is amazed that the Old Man has not heard of one of Nietzsche\'s mostfamous pronouncements: ²God is Dead.\" This is probably the mostwidely-quoted and thoroughly misunderstood of all Nietzsche\'s sayings. He doesnot mean to imply that God was ever alive. A clearer statement (though lessdramatic) would be: \"That period in history during which the idea of theChristian God expressed the highest ideals of Western Civilization has passed,and it is now clear that belief in him is a dead burden on a society which hasoutgrown him.\" What changes in European culture might have led him tothis conclusion? Have you ever heard someone argue against his statement thatGod is dead? Did their arguments demonstrate knowledge of what Nietzsche wasactually saying?
3: Nietzsche did not accept many of Darwin\'s findings, but he is clearlydependent on his theories for some of his language in this section. In whatways does his theory of the overman differ from the theory of Darwinianevolution? In what ways is it similar? What does he mean by saying theoverman shall be the \"meaning of the earth?\" We often speak of discovering the meaning of something; why does Nietzsche insteaddepict meaning as something to be created? What effects doesit have on people when they believe that truth is absolute, and must bediscovered? What effects does it have on them when they believe that truth isrelative, and must be defined by each individual? Which do you agree with? Why? What contrast is he drawing between those who are \"faithful to theearth \"\" and the preachers of \"otherworldly hopes?\" Given whatwas stated above about his death of God theory, what does he mean by theparagraph that begins \"Once the sin against God was the greatest sin . . .?\" What change in values is he preaching? What has been the traditionalChristian view of the body (\"flesh\") versus the soul(\"spirit\")? (Hint: there are many relevant passages in Paul. See forinstance Romans 8:1-13. Please note that such attitudes are distinctlyunfashionable today, but have been powerful and widespread in the past.) Howdoes Nietzsche react to these attitudes? \"The hour of the greatcontempt\" is for Nietzsche a way of describing the point at which onerealizes that one\'s earlier ideals were petty and mean, and aims for something higher. What is the effect of his constantly using the possessive pronoun inspeaking of \"your happiness,\" \"your reason,\" and \"yourvirtue?\" Why does he criticize pity? Later Nietzsche will make adistinction between the sort of pity that he thinks is weak andself-destructive and the \"gift-giving virtue,\" which is compassionate,but proud and strong. Can you find any signs of such compassion even in thesmall portion of the book you have read so far? \"Meanness\" here means\"stinginess,\" \"miserliness.\" Since he clearly does notbelieve in the traditional notion of sin, why does he say what he does about it? How does the image of lightning express the virtue that he is preaching incontrast? How does this contrast with Voltaire\'s fear of\"enthusiasm?\" Which do you think is the preferable view? Why?
4: The tightrope walker is a fairly obvious metaphor, spelled out byZarathustra, of humanity in the process of transformation (going over) from thecurrent stage of human consciousness to a more advanced stage. The speech thatZarathustra gives is clearly modeled on the Beatitudes (see Matthew 5:1-12). In what way does he think being \"a great despiser\" is a positive act? What is the difference between loving virtue in general and loving one\'s ownvirtue ? What is it about the latter that Nietzsche approves of? Paraphraseinto plain English this statement: \"I love him who casts golden wordsbefore his deeds and always does even more than he promises.\" Why does hepraise \"going under?\" In what way do these various people preparefor the development of the overman?
5: What is Zarathustra\'s explanation for the fact that the people do not welcomehis message? In what ways is \"the last man\" the opposite of theoverman? What are the last man\'s main characteristics? Why does he disapproveof quick reconciliation? What virtue might counterbalance it? Why does hescorn the caution about pleasure that aims above all at preserving health? Whatis the crowd\'s reaction to his description of the last man?
6: In what ways is the jester like Zarathustra? Traditionally Christianity hasoffered as one of its main comforts the belief in life after death. How doesZarathustra offer the denial of life after death as a comfort? What problem in Christian belief is he hinting at here? (Hint: see Matthew7:13-14.) The dying tightrope walker complains that if there is no life afterdeath, his life has been meaningless. How does Zarathustra answer him? Doesmeaning have to be permanent to be worthwhile? Can you answer Nietzsche\'scritique of the Christian philosophy of death?
7-8: This passage rather ponderously makes the obvious point that Nietzsche\'sphilosophy is aimed at giving meaning to life, and that death is irrelevant toit. Why doesn\'t it matter that Zarathustra breaks his promise to bury the deadman?
9: What contrast is Nietzsche making between \"the people\" and\"companions?\" Is Nietzsche a believer in equality? Does he thinkthat everyone can become an overman? In what sense is the lawbreaker a creator? How does the one who rejects old values help to create new ones?
10: One traditional Christian interpretation of the fall of Adam and Eve isthat they committed the sin of pride, believing that eating the fruit of thetree of the knowledge of good and evil would give them the wisdom of gods (seeGenesis 3). How does Nietzsche use the symbols of the serpent and the eagle toinvert what he sees as traditional Christian attitudes? How do modern peoplefeel about pride? Is it more often seen as a vice or a virtue? How about whenwe call it \"self-esteem?\" Nietzsche interprets the story of the fallas a parable denouncing the quest for knowledge, and by extension, scienceitself. Why might he have felt that Christianity was hostile to science? Doscience and religion still come into conflict with each other at times?
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