3 Answers

  1. I advise you to go simply in chronological order. Start with the earliest works and move up to the “Will to Power”, when you get to which, make a reservation that there are only drafts and sketches left of Nietzsche.

    The fact is that any philosopher, including Nietzsche, develops from simple to complex in his works. Reading works in chronological order will give you the opportunity to “keep up” with the author's internal search, discover his truths in the same order and sequence in which he did it himself.�

    In this case, you retain the ability to polemicize with the author, to creatively master and interpret his thoughts on your own. An attempt to immediately load the “most important book” will only lead to uncritical assimilation of dogmas and memorization of quotations. For salon conversations, this option is quite suitable, but for a real expansion of your own horizon-no.

  2. First, I must say that in most cases any philosopher should be perceived in the context of the history of philosophy, otherwise the ideas that the philosopher criticizes or rethinks will not be clear. In my opinion, reading the primary sources in this case is optional, but I would still advise you to first get acquainted with the texts of Arthur Schopenhauer, with the acquaintance with whose works Friedrich Nietzsche's path in philosophy began. From secondary sources, pay attention to Jostein Gorder's novel “The World of Sofia” (a work of fiction that is very easy to read) and chapters from the books of Vasiliev, Krotov, Bugai (textbook) or Reale and Antiseri by Plato, Kant, Hegel and Fichte. You can use the textbook “History of Philosophy: West-Russia-East”.

    Secondly, the philosopher does not exist outside of the development of his thought, so we must begin in order. This is not fiction (although Nietzsche's works are close to it), where there is a key work, acquaintance with which is mandatory. Therefore, I suggest this order, skipping some not so important ones:

    1. The Birth of Tragedy, or Hellenism and Pessimism

    2. Human, too human

    3. Thus spake Zarathustra

    4. Beyond good and evil

    5. The will to power

  3. It is better to start your acquaintance with Nietzsche not with Nietzsche, but with Plato. Following Plato, it is worth studying the entire history of Western philosophy before Nietzsche. If this is not done, then Nietzsche's rhetoric will be not so much incomprehensible as harmful (especially to a person who has not yet developed critical thinking).

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