I was drinking coffee recently as I finished up a bit of "Thus Spoke Zarathustra". Coming up for air, I asked a philisophically minded friend his opinion of the work. His response was something along the lines of "You believe in God, so you will find it depressing and not worth your time, so don't read it."

I disagree with his analysis. While it's true that I'm not going to turn out to be a big Nietzsche fan anytime soon, I think it's important to engage the great thinkers of the world, especially when they disagree with you. It breeds a better understanding of others and hopefully a better understanding of self. Hopefully. It is not unknown for someone to read a book and go a bit crazy with their newfound knowledge. I am happy to report that I was able to negotiate the novel with no loss of life.

Labels: philosophy, religion