The Twilight of the Idols

Twilight of the Idols, or, How to Philosophize with a Hammer (original German title Götzen-Dämmerung, oder, Wie man mit dem Hammer philosophirt) is a book by Friedrich Nietzsche, written in 1888, and published in 1889. Twilight of the Idols was written in just over a week, between 26 August and 3 September 1888, while Nietzsche was on holiday in Sils-Maria. As Nietzsche's fame and popularity was spreading both inside and outside Germany, Nietzsch... more

Twilight of the Idols, or, How to Philosophize with a Hammer (original German title Götzen-Dämmerung, oder, Wie man mit dem Hammer philosophirt) is a book by Friedrich Nietzsche, written in 1888, and published in 1889. Twilight of the Idols was written in just over a week, between 26 August and 3 September 1888, while Nietzsche was on holiday in Sils-Maria. As Nietzsche's fame and popularity was spreading both inside and outside Germany, Nietzsche felt that he needed a text that was a short introduction to his work; Twilight of the Idols is his attempt at this. Originally titled A Psychologist's Idleness, it was renamed Twilight of the Idols, or, How to Philosophize with a Hammer. The latter title, Götzen-Dämmerung in German, is a pun on the title of Richard Wagner's opera, Götterdämmerung, or 'Twilight of the Gods'. Götzen is a diminutive of götter; thus, götzen can be translated as either "idol" or "false god". Nietzsche criticizes German culture of the day as unsophisticated, and... less