Swayed by Nietzsche

While writing Mortal Death I was swayed by my fondness with Frederich Nietzsche’s works.  There are various themes and even direct quotations used within the story.

For those not familiar with Nietzsche, here is a quick history that I have lifted from his Wikipedia Entry:

Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (October 15, 1844 – August 25, 1900) (German pronunciation: [ˈfʁiːdʁɪç ˈvɪlhəlm ˈniːtʃə]) was a 19th century German philosopher and classical philologist. He wrote critical texts on religion, morality, contemporary culture, philosophy and science, using a distinctive German language style and displaying a fondness for metaphor and aphorism. Nietzsche’s influence remains substantial within and beyond philosophy, notably in existentialism and postmodernism. His style and radical questioning of the value and objectivity of truth have resulted in much commentary and interpretation, mostly in the continentaltradition, and to a lesser extent in analytic philosophy. His key ideas include the interpretation of tragedy as an affirmation of life, an eternal recurrence (which numerous commentators have re-interpreted), a rejection of Platonism and a repudiation of bothChristianity and egalitarianism (especially in the form of democracy and socialism).

He is probably known most famously for his quote of “God is dead”. And with a story of immortality I needed to take that into account.  How would religions fare when there is no longer an afterlife?

Of course his quote has always been taken literally, so many claim he was an atheist. But again, referring to Wikipedia:

Nietzsche claimed the ‘death’ of God would eventually lead to the loss of any universal perspective on things, and along with it any coherent sense of objective truth. Instead we would retain only our own multiple, diverse, and fluid perspectives. This view has acquired the name “perspectivism”.

And in Mortal Death, there are many perspectives indeed.  Along with that, as the story continues, you will find the themes of Nietzsche’s Ubermensch, and Will to Power.  And if I ever continue the series, it will show aspects of Utilitarianism.  If ever,..

I will end with a few of my favorite Nietzsche quotes:

“A thought, even a possibility, can shatter and transform us”

“He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.”

“One has to pay dearly for immortality; one has to die several times while one is still alive”