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Nietzshe and Religion

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Nietzsche’s philosophy of religion: Julian Young
Review Essay
Nietzsche’s philosophy of religion: Julian Young
Review Essay

Dimitri Georgoudes
1961373
November 27th 2015
Poli 426
Prof. Hutter Dimitri Georgoudes
1961373
November 27th 2015
Poli 426
Prof. Hutter

The tension between Nietzsche’s work and religion has long been examined and interpreted by philosophers studying Nietzsche. Julian Young in his work “Nietzsche’s Philosophy of Religion” is a step by step analysis of this subject. Young examines Nietzsche’s most important work on the subject and offers some insight into Nietzsche’s position on religion and moreover the role religion plays in a community or in his words the “people”. Young’s contention is that Nietzsche, contrary to critics before him, doesn’t negate religion rather he is a reformer of religion as we know it. Furthermore he advances the argument that religion is part of a well-functioning community from Nietzsche’s perspective.
From Nietzsche’s first writings we learn that the Christian religion as we know it in Nietzsche’s time in Europe has become irrelevant. Even in his time globalisation is beginning to take shape and the old hierarchy of Christianity can longer be applied to a global world or to all humanity. In Nietzsche’s modern time, life is chaos, constant conflict between peoples and individuals. Young claims that this lends to the half barbarian conflit. Young interprets Nietzsche’s writing to say that humanity has developed civilisation but civilisation is nothing without a religion. Although we have organised ourselves in hierarchies of peoples, we lack the “where to?” or the “what for”. In other words religion, a common belief in the greater good, would serve as a purpose. This is ery relatable to modern times in the present, we have sophisticated democratic systems but we have elevated

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