Friedrich Nietzsche has exerted a profound influence on Western philosophy. Thinkers diverse as Martin Heidegger, Carl Jung, Sigmund Freud and Michel Foucault all count Nietzsche as one of their inspirations. Nietzsche is also one of the most popular philosophers among the general public and is sometimes regarded as the “non-philosopher’s philosopher”. In our second episode covering this enigmatic thinker, we take a look at Nietzsche’s very first publication: The Birth of Tragedy (1872). In brief, Nietzsche argues that art is the only consolation for the horror and absurdity of existence. Existence, he writes, is only justified as an aesthetic phenomenon. This is Nietzsche in his primordial phase; those interested in his more mature philosophy will learn a lot from reading the Birth of Tragedy. If you enjoy the episode, please rate the podcast and follow us on Instagram and/or Youtube @ideasmatterpod

Raymond Geuss’ lecture series on Nietzsche