On the Genealogy of Morals (Penguin Classics)

This was a great book and it was worth the money I spent to buy it.

Great book

Pretty cool book makes you think

Have yet to dive into the book yet but the quality was as promised.

Fast Shipping. Good study Book.

I’m happy to agree with B’s rating and comments! Before my Amazon order was delivered, I happened to run into a used copy of the Douglas Smith translation, Oxford Univ. Press, 1997. Though Nietzsche is not a primary interest of mine, I thought it might be a worthwhile project to read the new Penguin edition, then compare it sentence by sentence to the Oxford. First off, the Penguin/Scarpitti edition was entirely satisfying, and no chore for me as a lay reader. I had re-read “Zarathustra” and ‘Beyond Good and Evil” in the Walter Kaufmann translations recently, to have the earlier material in mind, but I still want to give particular credit to the Scarpitti translation for clarity and straightforward expression of the content. I was so pleased and motivated by the experience that I didn’t hesitate before starting my comparison to the Oxford edition. Smith proved to be far slower going for me! In comparing passages, I noted more winding complexity in Smith, and some repetitions that seemed to be effortful attempts to keep pronoun references sorted out. Very soon I began pausing (in Smith) to struggle with vague passages. We non-academic readers linger over phrases like “in itself” and “as such,” sensing that we are missing something crucial. I reliably had an “Ah ha!” moment as soon as I turned to the corresponding passages in the Scarpitti translation. Predictably, I fought two impulses: First, to continue reading the Penguin edition only, instead of resuming the comparison to Douglas Smith, because it was the Penguin edition that held my interest. Second, to rely on Scarpitti as a translator of Smith as well as Nietzsche! I did complete the comparison of the two translations and finished with an appreciation of the “Genealogy” as a text that does reward two readings. Because the two translations were in agreement regarding fundamental content, I felt assured they are reliable for non-specialist readers. The Penguin Classics edition has helpful paragraph breaks, appealing typeface and page layout, and excellent supplementary material.

These three essays are humorous, thought provoking, and thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable. I view them more as short stories rather than serious philosophy, and I actually feel bad for readers who take Nietzche and his hilarious screeds seriously. Nietzche is, to be sure, an energetic and witty writer, whose bile and neurosis jump off the page. However, as a philosopher that contributes to the understanding and elevation of life in that tradition of Plato and Epictetus, he falls far short. If you like Dostoevsky (a truly remarkable and valuable writer and philosopher) and his humor in Notes From Underground, you will enjoy this book.

Study 📚 hard.