M — Nietzsche Part 1: "God is Dead‪"‬ The Science of Philosophy

What does Friedrick Nietzsche's famous declaration that "God is dead" actually mean? Is his claim vindicated by science? Why should we even care? This episode explores these topics and others such as where Jordan Peterson and the New Atheists go wrong in interpreting Nietzsche, David Foster Wallace's claim that we all worship something whether we're aware of it or not, and my own cast of characters grappling with real-life problems related to these questions.

Some Sources/Further Reading:


The Portable Nietzsche translated by Walter Kaufmann
Basic Writings of Nietzsche translated by Walter Kaufmann
From Rationalism to Existentialism: The Existentialists and Their Nineteenth-century Backgrounds by Robert C. Solomon
Existentialism  by Robert C. Solomon
Nietzsche, A Very Short Introduction by Michael Tanner
This Is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life by David Foster Wallace
Is God Dead? No, but belief has declined slightly by David Masci and Gregory A. Smith
Religious Landscape Study: Belief in God by Pew Research Center
Religious Landscape Study: Views about human evolution by Pew Research Center
Few Americans turn to religious leaders for advice when making major life decisions by Pew Research Center
Religious Landscape Study: Importance of religion in one's life by Pew Research Center

Tarek Zaher is a PhD student studying political philosophy. You can find him on Twitter @Zaher_Tarek