Gilles Deleuze: Nietzsche

A fundamental piece of literature for those who are interested in understanding one of the greatest philosophers the world has ever given birth to.

It’s a very short book, just a bit more than 100 pages, most of which consisting in excerpta from Nietzsche’s works.

Deleuze’s contribution is small but very important, he clears the horizon of the reader from four big mistakes people might make when attempting to study Nietzsche.

These four mistakes are:

1.

considering the “will to power” as a desire to dominate, or a desire for power.

2.

confusing the strong and the weak, by identifying those who have the power in a social regime as those who are strong.

3.

thinking the principle of eternal return is a concept already thought by the antiques an by some oriental philosophies, it is instead a totally new concept.

4.

underestimating Nietzsche’s last productions by considering them excessive or influenced by his collapsing mental health.

Deleuze explains, in a very brief and direct way, why these common thoughts are actually misconceptions that can potentially disorient the reader, and how correcting a wrong point of view on this author makes his ideas extremely coherent and strong.

A part from this section of the book, and a short biography of the philosopher, the rest is a collection of writings from many of Nietzsche’s works, a series of chapters on some of his main concepts.

I found this to be one of the most enlightening books on Nietzsche, a helpful map to find your way in an often disorienting and complex world.