# Nietzsche's Study Habits: This will humble you!



## RamistThomist (Jul 24, 2007)

This is from Douglas Groothuis's _Truth Decay_, p. 267. Some of us will take issue with the last sentence, but that's not the point of the post.



> What is the devil's due that Evangelicals can glean from Nietzsche? It is the willingness to be driven like Nietzsche. It is the willingness to spare no pains in the search for truth. It is the willingness...to work into the late hours of the night, or to start in the earliest hours of the day; to pick up a new project as soon as we have finished an older one; to grow earey and exhausted in our quest for truth; to have...our eyes watery from too much reading, and our bodies bent over from long, weary hours at the study desk.
> 
> No evangelical whose reading habits are a disgrace to the seriousness of Christian ministry, or who spends more time before a television set than he does in serious reading in his study has the right to damn Nietzsche from the pulpit to some gruesome place in the Inferno.



I am going to play video games.


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## Semper Fidelis (Jul 24, 2007)

And no evangelical who spends more time than Nietzche did reading and searching for real Truth has the right to damn him either. God, of course, has every right to damn every man.

Also, Nietzche might have been tireless in his study but he was not pursuing truth.. He was refining his folly.

On a certain level I can respect the dedication but, I agree with Paul that the smart thing to do in a world without Christ is to eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow you die. Not only did Nietzche's life pursue nothing meaningful but he has found out how worthless all those exhausted hours really were.


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## RamistThomist (Jul 24, 2007)

You are reading way more into the quote than I intended. I just thought it was a challenging quote and I am always interested in people's study habits.


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## Semper Fidelis (Jul 24, 2007)

I think it's interesting Jacob. I heard that Immanuel Kant had a pretty rigorous schedule of study as well.

It just strikes me as such a waste because I've known so many people that put a tremendous amount of energy into certain things but it's all mis-directed.

I think to exhaust yourself for Truth's sake would be great but to work yourself to exhaustion and misery in the pursuit of folly is a great folloy in itself.

I don't meant to hijack your thread but it's the first thing the came to mind: What's the point if you're pursuing folly?


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## RamistThomist (Jul 24, 2007)

I don't dispute that. Look at it another way: if folly could do so much, why shouldn't we do more?


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## Semper Fidelis (Jul 24, 2007)

I'm not certain that we are all called to that kind of rigor in study, per se, but I do respect a man who works hard. and tries to be excellent in what he does to the glory of God.


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## Peter (Jul 24, 2007)

Draught Horse said:


> This is from Douglas Groothuis's _Truth Decay_, p. 267. Some of us will take issue with the last sentence, but that's not the point of the post.
> 
> 
> 
> I am going to play video games.



I was also taken by young Nietzche's gregariousness as well as his piety at Pforta. There's something noble about Protestant Prussian Spartanism.


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## Cheshire Cat (Jul 24, 2007)

My prof. said that among other ills, he had constant headaches. These would keep him up at night, so he figured he might as well put his time to good use. From what I heard, he would shove his feet into buckets of ice water at night (while studying/writing) to keep himself awake.


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## Pilgrim (Jul 24, 2007)

If I recall correctly Luther averaged 4 hours of sleep per night but later in life said his regimen was excessive, but I can't remember where I saw this.


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## Anton Bruckner (Jul 24, 2007)

Draught Horse said:


> I am going to play video games.


dragon ball z tenkaichi 2 by any chance


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## 3John2 (Jul 24, 2007)

I always wonder about that, the study habits of driven people. Finis J. Dake the heretical WOF teacher studied on upwards of 16+ hours a day. His wife even told his son to not do the same & enjoy life a bit. Then I sit & read his works (well used to) & I wonder HOW could someone be in the WOrd so much & yet be SO wrong?!I always think what could this man have done had he been Reformed in his thinking? If he'd gone to Westminster or whatever you know?


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## bookslover (Jul 24, 2007)

Who cares how long Nietzsche studied? (1) He was certifiably nuts when he wrote most of his stuff; and (2) he was dead wrong.

So, why waste breath over the guy?


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## RamistThomist (Jul 24, 2007)

bookslover said:


> Who cares how long Nietzsche studied? (1) He was certifiably nuts when he wrote most of his stuff; and (2) he was dead wrong.
> 
> So, why waste breath over the guy?



Let's see--among unbelievers he was the best; postmodernism/nihilism is the reigning philosophy of the day. Familiarity with Nietzsche helps in debunking it. 

And I don't think he was dead wrong. In fact, among unbelievers he came the closest to being right.


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## Cheshire Cat (Jul 25, 2007)




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## Semper Fidelis (Jul 25, 2007)

I do agree that Nietzche had some philosophical insights but, as I said, it's always terribly sad to see such a waste of an intellect.

Both he and Sartre were self-critical enough to realize that their belief in grammar still proved that they still believed in God. I find it fascinating that, as much as they tried, they couldn't escape it.


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## ServantOfKing (Jul 31, 2007)

It just goes to show that no amount of study results in redeeming faith. 
It is to God's glory that our salvation is not of ourselves, our study habits, or how great our intellect it. 

It also goes to show that the Christian life spent all studying without meaningful relationships is probably not ideal either.


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## RamistThomist (Jul 31, 2007)

I was never trying to imply that unbelieving study habits of themselves are good and redemptive. I was merely trying to spur many of us away from the TV.


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## ServantOfKing (Jul 31, 2007)

That is definitely a great way of looking at it - a motivator for us as Christians to not be so lazy with our time.
You know us all here though - always looking for the deeper spiritual principle. 
;-) hehe


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