Sunday, July 8, 2012

Fr Frederick Coppleston, S.J. On Nietzsche

Nietzsche tends to make the choice between theism, especially Christian theism, and atheism a matter of taste or instinct…Belief is a sign of weakness, cowardice, decadence, a no-saying attitude to life. True, Nietzsche attempts a sketch of the origins of the idea of God. And he cheerfully commits the genetic fallacy, maintaining that when it has been shown how the idea of God could have originated, any disproof of God’s existence becomes superfluous. He also occasionally alludes to theoretical objections against belief in God. But, generally speaking, the illusory character of this belief is assumed. And the decisive motive for its rejection is that man (or Nietzsche himself) may take the place of God as legislator and creator of values. Considered as a purely theoretical attack, Nietzsche’s condemnation of theism in general and of Christianity in particular is worth very little.”
Link (here) to Ignitum Today
Fr Frederick Coppleston, S.J. (here) and (here)

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