Nietzsche and Socrates

Nietzsche and Socrates are two figures who have have exercised a magnetic influence on the minds of those who have encountered them.  Allan Bloom argued that Nietzsche and Socrates represent two basic alternatives in  approaches to ethics. For Socrates man is a rational being and the task of philosophy is to provide KNOWLEDGE of the good life. For Nietzsche such knowledge does not exist - ethics are fundamentally about VALUES - which are expressions of  commitment and creativity rather than questions of objective truth. In this course we will examine the ideas of two of the most fascinating and influential philosophers in the history of Western civilzation.

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