Does anybody have any Nietzsche recommendations ?

[gymcel64]

Has anybody read any of his works and would care to guide me on what I should read ?

 

[lowiqmanlet]

depends on what you want to get out of reading his work

 

[gymcel64]

depends on what you want to get out of reading his work

knowledge, kind of linked to doomerism, determinism and “blackpill”.

 

[lowiqmanlet]

knowledge, kind of linked to doomerism, determinism and “blackpill”.

I only read Human, All Too Human from him, so I asked deepseek, it took the general meaning of blackpill tho

1. On the Genealogy of Morality (Zur Genealogie der Moral) - 1887​

This is arguably the most important book for your query.

• Link to Knowledge/Blackpill: It's a "genealogy"—a historical, psychological deconstruction of our most cherished values (good, evil, guilt, conscience). Nietzsche doesn't just question knowledge; he attacks the very value of our moral truths, showing them not as divine or rational, but as born from resentment, weakness, and a will to power. This is the ultimate "blackpill" about morality itself: it's a tool of social control, not a reflection of truth.
• Link to Determinism/Doomerism: He traces how the "ascetic ideal" (denying life, the body, and power) became the dominant meaning-giving force. This leads to a nihilistic, life-denying worldview—a kind of historical and psychological determinism where humanity is trapped by its own moral inventions. The "doomer" outcome is the "last man," who is comfortable but devoid of any greatness or aspiration.

2. The Gay Science (Die fröhliche Wissenschaft) - 1882 (especially Book V and the Appendix added in 1887)​

• Link to Knowledge/Blackpill: Contains the famous "God is dead" passage (Aphorism 125). This isn't a celebration, but a terrifying diagnosis: the foundational "truth" (Christian morality) that gave Western civilization its meaning and structure has collapsed. The knowledge of this death creates a crisis of meaning—a fundamental "blackpill" about the universe's indifference.
• Link to Doomerism: It explores the psychological consequences of this event: the "madness" it induces, the threat of nihilism, and the "great weight" of this new, responsibility-laden freedom. It directly grapples with the despair that comes with this new knowledge.

3. Beyond Good and Evil (Jenseits von Gut und Böse) - 1886​

• Link to Knowledge/Blackpill: The entire book is an assault on the "prejudices of philosophers" who believe in absolute truths, free will, and an unchanging soul. Nietzsche argues that what we call "truth" is often a "mobile army of metaphors" serving a will to power. This perspectivist approach is a "blackpill" on the possibility of objective knowledge itself.
• Link to Determinism: He mocks the concept of "free will" as a theological construct but also rejects mechanistic determinism. Instead, he posits that life is the "will to power"—a dynamic, driving force that is neither random nor mechanistically determined. It's an alternative to both libertarian free will and passive determinism.

4. Twilight of the Idols (Götzen-Dämmerung) - 1889​

• Link to Knowledge/Blackpill: A condensed, polemical "summary" of his attacks. He "sounds out idols" (eternal truths, morality, reason, God) with a hammer, revealing them to be hollow. The chapter "The 'Improvers' of Mankind" is a brutal "blackpill" on religion and morality as forms of tyranny against human instincts.
• Link to Determinism/Doomerism: His critique of Socrates and Plato as life-denying rationalists who planted the seed of decadence. The famous line "Formula for my happiness: a Yes, a No, a straight line, a goal..." is a direct rebuttal to the passive, reactive, and deterministic mindset.

Important Caveat: Nietzsche is NOT a Doomer or a Blackpiller​

This is the crucial point. While he diagnoses the conditions that lead to nihilism and doomerism with terrifying clarity, his entire philosophy is an attempt to provide an antidote.

• Against Determinism: His concept of "Amor Fati" (love of fate) is not passive acceptance, but an active choosing of one's life and circumstances, to will the eternal recurrence of even the hardest moments. This is the opposite of deterministic despair.
• Against Doomerism: The goal is the "Übermensch" (Overman)—the one who can create their own values after the death of God, who can say "Yes" to life in its full totality, suffering included. Doomerism is a modern form of what he called passive nihilism. He advocates for an active nihilism—destroying old values to create new ones.

In summary:
Start with On the Genealogy of Morality for the deepest dive into how our "truths" are constructed and lead to a nihilistic cage. Then read The Gay Science for the emotional and psychological impact of that knowledge. Nietzsche provides the ultimate "blackpill" about knowledge, morality, and God, only to forcefully argue that swallowing that pill is just the first, painful step toward a more powerful, life-affirming existence. The doomer gets stuck on the pill; Nietzsche's hero learns to digest it and become stronger.