Nietzsche wrote Twilight of the Idols at the height of his powers in the summer of 1888. He described the work as capturing the essential character of his thought. It contains an assault on the prevailing “idols” of the day — among them morality, reason, and progress. We will wrestle with many of the core questions Nietzsche raises. Is Socratic rationality the cure for a disordered soul, or the symptom of one? Is there any ground outside of morality from which we can judge it? What is the purpose of education, if there are no longer any heights toward which to aim?
Our lead instructor will be Alex Priou. Alex is a Professor of Political Philosophy at the University of Austin, he is the current Roubos Sabbatical Scholar at CU’s Benson Center, and he has written three books on Plato, as well as numerous articles on Greek poetry, philosophy, and related themes. He is a teacher of the highest caliber, and will be an exceptional guide.
Texts
Alex has provided the following translation and commentary:
If you would prefer to read a hard copy of the text, we recommend the Richard Polt translation by Hackett, which you can find on Amazon.
Schedule
The seminar series will span seven sessions, running Tuesdays 3:30pm - 4:30pm at Highland City Club on the following dates:
Week 1: October 6
The title, “Twilight of the Idols” (read the Commentary, pp. 2)
Foreword (Twilight of the Idols, pp. 3)
Epigrams and Arrows (Twilight of the Idols, pp. 4-8)
Week 2: October 13
—NO SESSION October 20th—
Week 3: October 27
Week 4: November 3
—NO SESSION November 10th—
Week 5: November 17
—NO SESSION November 24th—
Week 6: December 1
Week 7: December 8
Location
Highland City Club
885 Arapahoe Ave
Boulder, CO 80302