Nietzsche on the Eternal Recurrence

The idea of the eternal recurrence is that we will live the exact same lives again an infinite number of times. Nietzsche appreciates that this would multiply the value of a single life by infinity, justifying intense emotional responses.

List of contents

1. The introduction of infinities; 2. Gay Science 341, 'The greatest weight', considers infinite value; 3. The argument of KSA 11:11:38[12] anticipates Poincaré's theorem; 4. 'The Soothsayer' envisions the dark side of eternal recurrence; 5. 'On Redemption' tells of the will's struggle with the past; 6. 'The Stillest Hour' struggles to speak of infinite negative value; 7. 'On The Vision and the Riddle' envisions the cosmology; 8. 'The Convalescent' has animals proclaiming recurrence; 9. 'The Other Dancing Song' expresses love of life; 10. 'Once More' and 'The Drunken Song' sing of infinities; 11. 'The Seven Seals' proposes marriage to Eternity; 12. Part IV pits Zarathustra against the soothsayer; 13. 'The Ass Festival' celebrates worldly value; Notes on Texts, Translations, and Abbreviations; Works Cited.

Summary

The idea of the eternal recurrence is that we will live the exact same lives again an infinite number of times. Nietzsche appreciates that this would multiply the value of a single life by infinity, justifying intense emotional responses.

Product details

• Authors: Neil Sinhababu, Neil (National University of Singapore) Sinhababu, Sinhababu Neil
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.01.2025
• EAN: 9781009443210
• ISBN: 978-1-0-0944321-0
• No. of pages: 76
• Series: Elements in the Philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Philosophy; Non-fiction book > Philosophy, religion > Philosophy: antiquity to present day; History of Ideas, PHILOSOPHY / History & Surveys / Modern, SCIENCE / Physics / General, Philosophy, LITERARY COLLECTIONS / General, Literature & literary studies, Physics, Western philosophy from c 1800, Biography, Literature and Literary studies