The assertion that Nietzsche's diffuse and aphoristic writing style renders his ideas difficult to understand and that he intentionally sought to be inaccessible to most readers is not entirely supported by evidence.
Nietzsche's writing style was not unique to his time. Many other philosophers of his era, such as Kierkegaard and Schopenhauer, also wrote in a diffuse and aphoristic style. This suggests that Nietzsche was not trying to be deliberately obscure, but rather that he was following the conventions of his time. I would even extend this to Evola as similar accusations are thrown against his writings.
Nietzsche was given a professorship and had experience lecturing to people. Further, was a skilled communicator. He was able to explain complex philosophical ideas in a way that was both engaging and informative. This is evident in his public lectures and in his written works. Hardly a venture for somebody with intentions to make his work inaccessible to a certain audience.
Nietzsche wanted his ideas to be accessible to a wide audience. He was not content to write for a small circle of academics. He wanted his ideas to be read and understood by the general public. This is evident in his choice of writing style and in his frequent use of similes, metaphors, and other rhetorical devices to make his points more accessible. As I said he had a professorship and he could have been well in his rights to write within only a small academic circle but he did not.
I have seen the same said of Heidegger. He wasn't trying to gatekeep by being too hard to understand whatsoever, he was attempting to use exact terminology and writing that precisely describes the phenomenology that he was attempting to explain to the reader.
Anyway, didn't want to make this a defense of Nietzsche per se, just came here to point out that one issue that I keep seeing people make.
The assertion that Nietzsche's diffuse and aphoristic writing style renders his ideas difficult to understand and that he intentionally sought to be inaccessible to most readers is not entirely supported by evidence.
Nietzsche's writing style was not unique to his time. Many other philosophers of his era, such as Kierkegaard and Schopenhauer, also wrote in a diffuse and aphoristic style. This suggests that Nietzsche was not trying to be deliberately obscure, but rather that he was following the conventions of his time. I would even extend this to Evola as similar accusations are thrown against his writings.
Nietzsche was given a professorship and had experience lecturing to people. Further, was a skilled communicator. He was able to explain complex philosophical ideas in a way that was both engaging and informative. This is evident in his public lectures and in his written works. Hardly a venture for somebody with intentions to make his work inaccessible to a certain audience.
Nietzsche wanted his ideas to be accessible to a wide audience. He was not content to write for a small circle of academics. He wanted his ideas to be read and understood by the general public. This is evident in his choice of writing style and in his frequent use of similes, metaphors, and other rhetorical devices to make his points more accessible. As I said he had a professorship and he could have been well in his rights to write within only a small academic circle but he did not.
I have seen the same said of Heidegger. He wasn't trying to gatekeep by being too hard to understand whatsoever, he was attempting to use exact terminology and writing that precisely describes the phenomenology that he was attempting to explain to the reader.
Anyway, didn't want to make this a defense of Nietzsche per se, just came here to point out that one issue that I keep seeing people make.