Philosophy in the Tragic Age of the GreeksFor Nietzsche the Age of Greek Tragedy was indeed a tragic age. He saw in it the rise and climax of values so dear to him that their subsequent drop into catastrophe (in the person of Socrates - Plato) was clearly foreshadowed as though these were events taking place in the theater. And so in this work, unpublished in his own day but written at the same time that his The Birth of Tragedy had so outraged the German professorate as to imperil his own academic career, his most deeply felt task was one of education. He wanted to present the culture of the Greeks as a paradigm to his young German contemporaries who might thus be persuaded to work toward a state of culture of their own; a state where Nietzsche found sorely missing. |
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according alien Anaxagoras Anaximander antiquity assume becoming beginning believe called cold coming-to-be complete concept concerned contradiction culture derived doctrine earth effect empirical equal essence eternal event everything existent experience express eyes fact fire follows force forever given Greeks hand hence Heraclitus human ideas imagine impossible indefinite individual infinitely insight interpret intuition knowledge laws learned light live logical look mass material matter means minds motion move movement nature negative never Nietzsche Nietzsche’s nonexistent notes object once opposite origin Parmenides passing perhaps period philologists philosopher Plato play position possible present primal produce proposition pure qualities question reality reason remains rest seems seen semblance sense separate single Socrates space spirit stand substances succession sure takes task Thales things thinking thought tragic transformation translated true truth understanding unity whole