Revolutions in Worldview Reading notes for chapter 9, part 3 Nietzsche 1. Evaluate the shift in intellectual confidence that resulted from Nietzsche’s (NZ) criticisms of Enlightenment philosophy: After NZ, easy belief and easy unbelief proved impossible. As the culminating voice of the nineteenth century, NZ foreshadowed the postmodern tradition that effectively eradicated the easy confidence in human nature and in rationality that was trumpeted by his Enlightenment predecessors. (p.301) Do you think contemporary naturalists have caught up with the implications of their worldview that NZ pointed out well over a hundred years ago? 2. NZ’s fundamental critique of Christianity is that it limits radical freedom; how would an Arminian respond to NZ’s criticism of Christianity? (p.302) 3. NZ argued that if there is a God, human beings cannot be free. If human beings are free, there cannot be a God. How should a Calvinist respond NZ? (p.302) 4. Explain NZ’s “logic of life” vs. “logic of reason” dialectic. How does it contribute to the perspective that epistemology and truth are arbitrary? (p.302-303) 5. NZ rejected Enlightenment philosophy because it was as dogmatic as Christianity. What does NZ mean by that? (p.303) 6. NZ argues that rationality is a function of choice; it is subjective not an objective dimension of reality. Where does such logic prevail in contemporary culture? (p.303) 7. What does NZ mean by “will to power?” (p.303) 8. Does free will require the loss of all meaning as NZ argues? (p.304) 9. Describe the “courage” that NZ argues humans need in the face of the radical meaninglessness of reality. (p.304) Is NZ consistent with his own principles to summon this courage forth from humans? 10. Who is NZ’s “Ubermensch?” (p.304) 11. What is the so-called “slave ethic” according to NZ? (p.304) 12. Is NZ correct in his assessment that the slave ethic is located in Christianity’s view of human origins? (p.304) 13. Evaluate NZ’s take on atheism: it demands a passionate embrace of strength, it affirms primal instincts and desires, celebrates the chaos of life, rejects slave morality, and teaches every individual to claim mastery over themselves rather than ceding it to another. (p.305) 14. Does NZ’s analysis provide Christians with a useful apologetic tool for confronting unbelievers with the implications of naturalism and humanism? 15. Do you think most self-identified naturalists and atheists want to live consistently with the full implications of their worldview?
Posted on: Tue, 06 May 2014 22:44:22 +0000
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