Thus Spoke Zarathustra is an extremely confusing text for a beginner to read. It has nothing but Biblical language and references to the Bible, but it is presenting a naturalistic approach to religion and morality. Many of the philosophical conclusions are extremely negative or satirical. The literary style and the pessimism make it very hard to grasp.
“One does not only wish to be understood when one writes; one wishes just as surely not to be understood. It is not by any means necessarily an objection to a book when anyone finds it impossible to understand: perhaps that was part of the author’s intention — he did not want to be understood by just ‘anybody.’ (Nietzsche, GS 381)
People may have different reasons for making their writing complex. In the case of Descartes, it has been suggested that he wanted to throw the religious guys off his trail by using words in slightly misleading or convoluted way. Nietzsche’s motivations were only slightly different, in that he wanted to make a substantial critique of the ideologies of his time, without being denied a voice or labeled as crazy (the usual silencing tactics).
“One does not only wish to be understood when one writes; one wishes just as surely not to be understood. It is not by any means necessarily an objection to a book when anyone finds it impossible to understand: perhaps that was part of the author’s intention — he did not want to be understood by just ‘anybody.’ (Nietzsche, GS 381)
People may have different reasons for making their writing complex. In the case of Descartes, it has been suggested that he wanted to throw the religious guys off his trail by using words in slightly misleading or convoluted way. Nietzsche’s motivations were only slightly different, in that he wanted to make a substantial critique of the ideologies of his time, without being denied a voice or labeled as crazy (the usual silencing tactics).
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