Essays on German Philosophy and the German Philosophers

By Dr Neel Burton — Psychiatrist, philosopher, and wine writer; Fellow of Green Templeton College, University of Oxford; author of over twenty books.

Where is the lightning to lick you with its tongue? Where is the madness by which you might be cleansed? Behold, I show you the Superman. He is this lightning, he is this madness. —Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra

German philosophy is one of the grand adventures of the human mind. Deeply steeped in the Greeks, its leading thinkers took up many of the same questions and recast them for the modern world.

Kant is arguably the greatest thinker since Aristotle, while Nietzsche has captured the popular imagination. Between and around them stand fascinating figures such as Leibniz and Schopenhauer. Like me, you could fall in love with them all.

Leibniz

God’s Own Lawyer — Gottfried Leibniz and the Problem of Evil

Why Does the World Exist? — Why Is There Something Rather Than Nothing?

Kant

How Friendship Transformed Kant’s Life — Getting to the Real Immanuel Kant

Kant’s Biggest Idea: The Critique of Pure Reason — 800 Pages in One Simple Essay

Kant’s Categorical Imperative Explained — Would You Lie to Save an Innocent Life?

The Beautiful vs the Sublime — What’s the Difference Between a Painting and a Sunset?

Why Computers Could Never Experience Beauty — What Kantian Aesthetics Reveals About Human Nature

Schopenhauer

Schopenhauer: The Funniest Philosopher? — You Will Laugh and Cry

Can Reading Make You Stupid? — Schopenhauer on the Benefits of Skipping School

Schopenhauer’s Hedgehog Dilemma — Finding the Right Distance Between Self and Others

Is National Pride the Cheapest Form of Pride? — Schopenhauer on Nationalism, Politics, and Rising Above the Times

Why Intelligent People Crave Silence — Hate Noise? You Might Be a Genius

The World as Will: Schopenhauer’s Philosophy in Outline — Schopenhauer’s Entire System in One Readable Essay

Nietzsche

Nietzsche’s Threesome — The Love Triangle That Ended in Thus Spoke Zarathustra

Sex, Drugs, and Religion — A History of the Orgy

God Is Dead. Now What? — How Would You Respond to Nietzsche’s Madman?

Nietzsche’s Prophetic Vision of the Last Man — And His Challenge to Us: The Übermensch

Are You Ancient or Christian? — Nietzsche on Master and Slave Morality—and Why You May Be Both

Nietzsche, the Stoics, and Eternal Return — What If You Had to Live Your Life Again?

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Explore more subjects in the Index Scriptorum.

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