Twilight of the Idols, On Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral Sense

How to Philosophise with a Hammer

By: Friedrich Nietzsche

Narrated by: Michael Lunts

Length: 4 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

Though Twilight of the Idols (written in a week in 1888 and subtitled How to Philosophise with a Hammer) came near the end of Nietzsche’s creative life, he actually recommended it as a starting point for the study of his work. This was because from the beginning he viewed it as an introduction to his wide-ranging views.

After an opening chapter of aphorisms - ‘Maxims and Arrows’ – he takes a challenging look at ‘The Problem of Socrates’, continues to buck the trend with ‘Morality as Anti-Nature’, and ‘The Four Great Errors’ (starting with ‘The Error of Confusing Cause and Effect’). He makes a scathing attack on conventional morality in ‘The Improvers of Mankind’ and finishes with a critical look at his own nation in ‘What Germans Lack’.

He roams freely over icons of European culture, dispensing judgment without favour on writers, philosophers, composers and the like in a lively and characteristically Nietzschean torrent: Caryle, Emerson, Rousseau, George Eliot, Dante, Sainte Beuve, The Imitation of Christ, psychology, all fall under his pen; while he gives time to those he continues to admire, such as Schopenhauer, ‘the last German worthy of consideration’, and Dostoyevsky, ‘the only psychologist from whom I had something to learn’. He also looks back to where he began in ‘What I Owe to the Ancients’.

Vigorous and intensely human, Twilight of the Idols (a nod to Wagner’s Götterdämmerung) is certainly instructive, argumentative and good fun! The shorter essay ‘On Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral Sense’ comes from an earlier stage in Nietzsche’s career (1873), though it was not published until two decades later. It has significantly influenced postmodernists of the 20th century. Twilight of the Idols is translated by Thomas Cannon. ‘On Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral Sense’ is translated by W. A. Haussman.

Public Domain (P)2019 Ukemi Productions Ltd

Concept king

Awesome as always. Nietzsche always gives us things to think about in depth. Truly the greatest philosopher!

love nietzsche

I appreciate the quality vocabulary forcing me to listen closely. daily conversation should be so rich.

perfect

Michael Lunts is like a ringmaster of Nietzsche's aphorisms in English. He's not merely acting. He's an English Nietzsche who doesn't need to pretend to actually be him to be in character. Behold.

Obviously Nietzsche delivers the goods although I'm not sure whether the translations were very good. Both works cover a LOT of ground in few words.

become who you are

very Well done narration. with the normal caveats in place for nietzsche where sometimes he is being proscriptive and others descriptive aswell as being nuanced, etc.

Overall great

Decent enough translation and performance of one of Nietzsche's best. I'd recommended seeking out the Hollingdale or Kauffman translation and reading it as a way to further cement these important ideas. Great listen as a premier to reading the book oneself or to recap the ideas for a veteran Nietzschean.

A pedantic exploration of antitheism.

An impressive display of an intelligent mind losing its way. Nietzsche once again proves that his ultimate goal in life was to be the ultimate disappointment to his father. It is likely that had he lived in our time, he would have been a transgender stripper with an onlyfans who spent his free time peacefully rioting.