‘God is dead’ says Nietzsche, ‘and we have killed him.’ Whether we believe in the mysteries of religion or not, we all find ourselves in the same predicament; the world itself will no longer accommodate the explanations we once had for our unhappiness, dissatisfaction, or guilt. We are no longer ‘at home’in the world.

From this pessimistic beginning, Christopher Hamilton takes a critical look at Christianity and Nietzsche alike to look at why we find ourselves in this predicament, returning to the ancient question of what gives us meaning, and ultimately arriving at a reading of Nietzsche’s philosophy that aims to affirm a godless life.

In this course, you will learn:

• Why Nietzsche believed all philosophy had previously been misguided.
• How Nietzsche was influenced by Wagner and Schopenhaeur.
• Why Nietzsche recognised suffering as the fundamental truth of existence.
• The story and meaning of the ‘slave revolt’ in morality’.
• Whether Christian doctrine truly aspires to the ‘Christ-like life’.
• How Christianity aims to provide a moral explanation for our lives.
• Why Nietzsche rejects this explanation for an aesthetic one.
• Why man is an ‘ontological misfit’
• How you can affirm your existence.

A selection of further readings has been suggested by Hamilton as part of this course.

Our editors have brought together a range of content from across IAI.tv which explore the ideas in this course.