Weltgeist

About Weltgeist

Philosophy, video essays. New videos every week.

Publisher

Weltgeist

Category

education · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

20 Sept 2026

Latest episode

23 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

93 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   23 Oct 2026

   Why You Can’t Make Friends | Schopenhauer

   SUPPORT US ON PATREON:▶ https://www.patreon.com/WeltgeistYTSchopenhauer on being alone and how to deal with society:▶ https://youtu.be/eSbaqqDfGxU▶ SCHOPENHAUER'S WORKS:Parerga and Paralipomena vol. 1: https://amzn.to/3pK6xCjParerga and Paralipomena vol. 2: https://amzn.to/3jJa2p0The World as Will and Representation vol. 1: https://amzn.to/3FPGkIjThe World as Will and Representation vol. 2: https://amzn.to/3FT0nFCThe hedgehog dilemma is a metaphor for the difficulty of human relationships.(Schopenhauer’s original is about porcupines, not hedgehogs; Freud seems to have popularised hedgehogs when paraphrasing Schopenhauer in his own works.)On a cold winter’s day, two hedgehogs cuddle close together for warm. But soon their spikes hurt the other. So they separate again. But then the cold forces them back together, and of course they end up hurting each other again.So the hedgehogs ultimately find an equilibrium: far enough to not be hurt by spikes, close enough to be somewhat warm. A compromise that leaves them unsatisfied, but it’s better than nothing.Schopenhauer argues that it’s better to be alone, to be your own source of warmth. While also realising that such is not possible for the vast majority of people: humans are social animals. So he advises us to ‘keep our distance’ (he even uses the English expression.) The video goes a step further by thinking about a possible Nietzschean perspective: seeking intimacy and friendship, knowing full well that hurt might result. We can view the hedgehog’s dilemma as something more than a simple metaphor for human relationships. It’s a litmus test on how a person views life: full of suffering yes, but does that mean we should run from it, or embrace it? In this way it lays bare the biggest difference between Nietzsche and Schopenhauer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2. 

   23 Oct 2026

   NIETZSCHE: Eternal Recurrence Is Real (in the Will to Power Notes)

   Eternalised's video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zb79IM0UcJMIf we read the book the Will to Power, which is really a compilation of notes, released after Nietzsche’s death, and compiled by his sister, a different picture of the Eternal Recurrence comes to light. We see an attempt by Nietzsche to offer a kind of materialist framework in which the Eternal Recurrence is not merely a thought-experiment, but an actual state of affairs. The problem is, that this compilation of notes is not generally viewed as a canonical work by Nietzsche. That is to say, scholars disagree on whether or not the ideas in this work truly represent Nietzsche’s own views. There is considerable debate as to the influence of his sister in the compilation of these notes. Did she make changes? Did she make things up? Did she add a word or sentence here and there? For the purposes of this video, we will not concern ourselves with these questions, but as we go on, it’s important to keep this in mind. The entire final chapter of The Will to Power is devoted to the Eternal Recurrence. 14 notes in total deal with the subject. They present a radically different picture of the Eternal Recurrence than we saw in Nietzsche’s earlier writings. We see how the concept of the Eternal Recurrence has become more than a thought experiment, as it was first formulated in The Joyful Science and Thus Spoke Zarathustra. If we take this conception of the universe as a fact, it follows that the universe was not created, but that it has always existed. It implies time is not linear, but cyclical. The cyclical nature of time is found in other systems of thought, notably in Eastern religion, but also in Norse mythology and Greek philosophy – notably with the Pythagoreans. In fact, the conception of time as linear has only really been found in one religion: the Judeo-Christian one which has since come to dominate Western thought.Because of this, Nietzsche finds with his new conception of the Eternal Recurrence another breaking point with Christian values. By asserting the cyclical nature of time as an actual reality instead of a thought experiment, he can deliver another blow to the Christian worldview, which fits into his greater project of bringing about a transvaluation of values.The point is that Nietzsche has found a physical basis, not just a theoretical or moral basis, to assign a positive value to the material world. If everything repeats itself and comes back again for all eternity, then this present moment, this material world of ours, becomes of great importance. Every moment is eternal. Every single experience of your life is now part of the absolute, part of a perpetual cycle. Our life is not just “a lightning flash between two eternities”, as Schopenhauer puts it, but an everlasting light. This is the most radical formulation of a life-affirming philosophy. By promoting the Eternal Recurrence from a theoretical thought-experiment to an actual, physical reality, Nietzsche seeks to affirm life in a very true and real sense. The Eternal Recurrence becomes a more serious matter. It’s the difference between living your life as if something was true, versus living your life knowing something is true. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

3. 

   22 Oct 2026

   Why We Don't Show Our True Face in Society | Nietzsche

   Support us on Patreon, get access to exclusive videos:▶ https://www.patreon.com/WeltgeistYTWATCH:▶ Why Nietzsche Hated Socrates: https://youtu.be/DM78nStythgOUR ANALYSES: ▶ Beyond Good and Evil: https://youtu.be/WIHXZUltfqk▶ The Antichrist: https://youtu.be/qej1Z8Qzq_c▶ Genealogy of Morals: https://youtu.be/6PUx4cOfFcI▶ Twilight of the Idols: https://youtu.be/YpVr_NEvWYA▶ The Will to Power: https://youtu.be/He6ZC7ZFBt8▶ Daybreak: https://youtu.be/cOL2z7nuXdA▶ The Joyful Science: https://youtu.be/U0fTBOJ-C_ITIMESTAMPS:00:00 Introduction01:20 You can't handle the truth03:24 Hiding from others08:05 Hiding from yourselfIn Beyond Good and Evil, the theme of the mask pops up now and again. Nietzsche considers it necessary for a philosopher (or free spirit) to conceal himself. Both from others, and himself. From others, because a true psychology would be shocking to society, laying bare the 'black and deep desires' of man. We must dilate the truths of our inner world, make it more palatable. Hence; a mask.We also hide from ourselves. Moral biases and prejudices, ingrained since birth, cause internal resistance when we dig too deep down into our soul. We may not like what we find. The mind creates defense mechanisms. Nietzsche here touches upon a psychological phenomenon that would in modern times be called cognitive dissonance or self-deception.He considered his philosophical work to be start of a psychology of the future in which "free spirits" (his dreamed-of new guard of philosophers) would boldly dare go beyond good and evil in their examination of the human psyche, setting sail over morality into new territory, heretofore unexplored. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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