ABSTRACT
The Birth of Tragedy not only serves to introduce pivotal themes for our discussion; historically it prepared and influenced Nietzsche's entire philosophical journey, culminating in eternal recurrence. No work is more crucial for a proper understanding ofNietzsche than The Birth ofTragedy.1 If one does not begin here, there is little chance of perceiving the cohesive (though unsystematic) whole that Nietzsche's writings offer. Far from being merely a philological thesis, this book planted the seeds for every issue that Nietzsche subsequently undertook, from the critiques of Christianity, morality, science, and philosophy to the notions of Obermensch, rank, the death of God, will to power, and eternal recurrence. All are either a variation or direct culmination of themes established in Nietzsche's first published book, themes revolving around the central issue of the affirmation of becoming. Nietzsche calls The Birth of Tragedy "my first revaluation of all values:' and the "soil" for his intention to be the "disciple for the philosopher Dionysus" and "the teacher of eternal recurrence" ( TI 10, 5). This book sets up the historical character of Nietzsche's engagement with the Western tradition, in the way he calls for a retrieval of something at the heart of culture that has been lost or suppressed.
