✳flâneur — a map of the web's best reading

The Boundaries of Rationality

moretothat.com · 1,293 words · saved by 1 readers

As it turns out, this quote is as misinterpreted as it is well-known. It’s often viewed as a declaration of atheism, that a world without God can stand tall on a moral foundation that has been liberated from religion. But that’s certainly not what Nietzsche meant, and the reason for this misinterpretation is simple: The quote has been taken out of context. The “God is dead” line is from Nietzsche’s The Gay Science, and contrary to popular belief, the line isn’t a direct statement from Nietzsche himself. Rather, it’s issued from one of the characters in the book, a madman that understands human nature so well that ironically, it makes him look mad in the minds of others. Of course, the belief is that the madman character is Nietszche (considering he did go mad later in his life), but what’s clear is that those words are spoken from a character that he created in the book. Once you know this, the next thing is to read the couple of paragraphs that follow it. In fact, we can start with th

The Boundaries of Rationality Archive ↓ Best Posts All Posts Recent Posts Newsletter Book Courses ↓ Thinking In Stories The Examined Writer Reflections The Boundaries of Rationality By Lawrence Yeo I’d like to start off today’s reflection with one of the most famous quotes in all of philosophy: God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. — Nietzsche As it turns out, this quote is as misinterpreted as it is well-known. It’s often viewed as a declaration of atheism, that a world without God can stand tall on a moral foundation that has been liberated from religion. But that’s certainl

Explore this link on the map →

related reading