Walking the Tightrope

Nothing says “Christmas” quite like a quality book on the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche .  What better proclaims the miraculous birth of salvation than “god is dead,” right?   The Challenge of Nietzsche by Jeremy Fortier was published in 2020 but it sat in my Amazon wish list until I received a copy as a gift this past holiday.  The book's subtitle, “How to Approach His Thought,” might indicate that it is an introductory level book.  True enough, Fortier offers a sweeping narrative through the span of Nietzsche's early, middle and late period thinking.  With stronger interest in the latter two periods of his life. But, the aim of this book is more specific than a general introduction of all facets of Nietzsche's philosophy would necessarily entail.  Rather, this “approach to his thought” is an attempt to uncover a particular, fundamental thread that serves as an underpinning f