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> He devised [eternal recurrence] in 1881, at a time of personal crisis and romantic rejection, and one must conclude that it was a consolatory comfort blanket.
by dmm 4y ago
> He devised [eternal recurrence] in 1881, at a time of personal crisis and romantic rejection, and one must conclude that it was a consolatory comfort blanket.
That doesn't sound comforting to me. Wow my life sucks right now but at least I'll be able to relive it exactly as it is again-and-again forever.
- whateveracct 4y agoIt's meant to be a rejection of the inherent nihilism he found in Christianity.
- drewcape 4y agoThis was not meant to be salvation, rather a reason to love one's own fate "Amor fati."
- Veen 4y agoI always read 'eternal return' as a sort of decision making procedure. Is the thing you are about to do such that you wouldn't mind doing it forever as time repeats?
- bheadmaster 4y agoIn contrast with Christianity, where this life is to be "endured" for the promise of afterlife, "eternal return" is exactly the opposite - "enduring" this life is the worst possible decision, as you'll just have to "endure" it again and again for eternity. In context of "eternal return", good decisions are those that make life worth living for the sake of itself - embracing life completely and doing whatever you can to enhance your will to power (which Nietzsche sees as the source of all that which is good).