This is a revision and re-recording of Episode 04 of the podcast, "Love Never Faileth". I felt that it wasn't my best work in terms of execution, but one of the best episode concepts. As a New Year's special, enjoy this redux of a classic episode. Some parts have been added, some have been removed, and overall I think the lecture flows better and better gets across the ideas I'd originally hoped to convey. We return to regular episodes of the podcast next week.

Is this an anti-Christian screed? Far from it. Today we take a deep dive into one of Nietzsche's core concepts from the Antichrist: the reversal of our understanding of the terms "soul" and "spirit". While many Christians do not even give much thought to the difference between these terms, this was, historically, a key distinction. Nietzsche's great subversion is in critiquing the spirit as a false world, and redefining the soul as a chaotic multiplicity. This radical attack culminates in a suspicion of not only all theology, but all philosophy, all dialectic. Merry Christmas!

Finishing book 2 of TGS! This coming Tuesday, a Wandering Above a Sea of Fog episode, then a break for a week.

Continuing with The Gay Science readthrough! More sections on art, the eternal war between prose and poetry, the Apollinian and Dionysian, and more. Episode art: The Human Condition by Rene Magritte.

Patrons: "Have you ever said Yes to a single joy?"

Salts: "Yes"

"Many lies tell the poets" - Homer. Nietzschean exploration of art, of truth and appearance in the artistic world, the way that madness, art and ritual relate, and the translation of artistic expression into different cultural contexts. Join me for this continuation of our The Gay Science readthrough!

In this episode, Mynaa and I discuss The Repairer of Reputations, the first story in Robert Chambers' collection, The King in Yellow. Concepts in Chambers work contributed to the creation of the 'weird fiction' genre, and remain influential on media today - including the King in Yellow, the notion of a book that can drive you mad, and names such as Carcossa and the Hyades. We've delved into the topic of madness quite thoroughly on the podcast recently, so it only seemed fitting to continue the discussion through to the Halloween episode. Our topics include a broader discussion of madness and society, the unreliable narration of the protagonist, how his delusional fantasies reflect his political madness, the "lethal chamber" and its meaning, and much more. HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Samhain is fast approaching, and this week we're going to have two spooky episodes of the podcast. This episode will be a philosophical exploration of the significance of Arthur Machen's weird fiction/horror novella, "The Great God Pan". While I'd originally planned this for the second leg of the season, we're interrupting The Gay Science readthrough for the sake of the holiday, and because this story brings together many of the elements that we've discussed so far this season, namely: madness, the horror of science, the gulf between appearance and reality, and the Dionysian reaching out from ages past to disturb the modern world. Join me for a romp through the woods with our new friends Helen, and The Great God Pan!

Welcome back to The Gay Science! In this episode we commence with book II, which begins with an exploration of perspectivism and the pitfalls of scientific realism, and quickly moves into ruminations on women and relationships. It's no one's favorite part of Nietzsche, but in this talk we'll clean all of the philosophical meat off of the bone, because Nietzsche actually has some genuinely valuable insights in these sections. Cheers!

Donna Tartt's novel The Secret History is a loveletter to Greek tragedy, that begins with a dedication from Nietzsche and Plato. Central to the story is the concept of the Dionysian, and the attempt of the main characters to experience the Dionysian. Richard Papen's fatal flaw is his "morbid longing for the picturesque at all costs". His undying quest for a beautiful aesthetic life leads him to become part of an elite clique of students at Hampden College in Vermont. All six of them are under the sway of a charismatic and mysterious professor named Julian Morrow. After his friends accidentally kill someone while attempting a modern-day bacchanalia, Richard finds himself drawn into their crime, as he does everything he can to help them cover it up. This year becomes the defining event of Richard's life, and the story is his retelling of this 'secret history' of how he became what he is. We will examine the novel's use of truth and appearance, and how the Dionysian in this story serves as a "pure fire of being" which burns away the false appearances of the characters in order to unify their appearance and essence, and force each person's nature to draw its final consequences.