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2 of 2 people found the
following review helpful:
The
Best Book I ever read in Years !!, December 6, 2000
Reviewer:
Asfawossen Asrat from Nancy, France
I like to read
philosophical works including that of Nietzsche. Although I was completely
"contre" his ideas, I never considered him to be so evil until I read
"Gorfu Contra Nietzsche".
I was mesmerized by the rigor and clarity of Mr. Gorfu in presenting
his ideas. If you want to know who Nietzsche and what his hidden agenda
were, read this book. You do not have to be an intellectual in the matter
to understand this book. What is required is that you are able to identify
the alphabets... Gorfu did the difficult work for you !!!
4 of 4 people found the
following review helpful:
Singularly original work!!, November 17, 2000
Reviewer: M
Roncevich from Baltimore,MD USA
It has been a while since I
have had the priviledge of coming in contact with a book that left me
exhilarated and wanting for more.
Gorfu, with his uncommon insight and originality delved deep into the
recesses of Neitzsce's ailing soul and exposed the person of Neitzche for
what he is, at best a charlatan and anti-philosopher or at worst the
ravings of an egotistic masked egomaniac.
I believe Neitzsche and his world has been irrepairably damaged and
debunked by this essay, any contemporary "philosopher" worth his/her salt
would be best served to seriously analyze and interpret what Gorfu is
offering-an original dialectical scalpel-in the process of human reasoning
and inquiry in the current 21st century.
What did it for me was Gorfu's analysis of Lutheranism and that "odd"
impotence of action, I found that part to be truly exceptional, those kind
of insights could only have come from a non "western" thinker, many thanks
is due the author even for that specific information. I strongly urge
academia to take heed.
I only have a minor issue about the author's rendering of the Exodus of
the biblical Israelites, especially his view of Moses to have been a power
hungry demagogue-in fact according to the bible- Moses was a very
reluctant hero even if we call him that. But that is only a minor detail
which the author might address in future publications,other than that it
was simply a book one can hardly put down. Thanks for the awakening, Mr
Gorfu.
0 of 2 people found the
following review helpful:
Christian cancer spreading, July 17, 2000
Reviewer: Yury
Arkadin (see more about me)
Looks like "Doctor" Azmanov
is yet another case of a jealous and petulant Christian. Keep up your
whining, prof... the more I read words from people like you, the more I
grow to appreciate Nietzsche. God is dead. Let's rejoice by spitting on
his grave once and for all.
3 of 3 people found the
following review helpful:
A
Step in the Right Direction, July 13, 2000
Reviewer: catoblepas
(see more about me) from Bronx, NY United States
As
someone who has despised Nietzsche's thought since I first read him, and
who finds in his notion of the Will to Power an expression of human
mediocrity at its weakest and most pathetic, I expected to enjoy this book
a great deal. And yet, despite agreeing with almost everything Gorfu says,
I didn't enjoy it because I wasn't impressed by his writing. He claims in
the introduction that he set out to critique Nietzsche's ideas as
viciously as Nietzsche critiqued the ideas of others; this is perfectly
valid, but my concern is that people who are eager to attack Gorfu's
conclusions will find ammunition in the often sloppy, sometimes almost
hysterical prose that results. For me, a calmer, more straightforward
style would've suited the subject better and been more unanswerable. (In
her excellent book "The Death of Adam," Marilynne Robinson attacks
Nietzsche calmly and with devastating accuracy.)
That said, I have nothing but respect for Gorfu's good intentions, his
compassion, and his sympathies with the victims of oppression, all of
which are in evidence on every page of this book. I especially liked his
comments on the role of the aristocracy in human history.
Speaking of which, an earlier reviewer says Gorfu is "out of line" with
academia for claiming that Nietzsche's philosophy is destructive and
militaristic. It's instructive to see how the platitudes of one era become
the heresies of another. In Nietzsche's time, it was commonly
understood--by Nietzsche's detractors and adherents alike--that he was an
ardent militarist whose writings inspired German nationalist aggression.
One can argue that Nietzsche claimed (on some occasions) to despise German
nationalism; considering his self-confessed penchant for contradiction and
lying, it's hard to know what to make of this. Nonetheless, it is an
established fact that German nationalists from his own day to Hitler's
found Nietzsche's writings congenial and said as much--I see no reason not
to take their testimony at face value, especially since they speak German
as their first language. (In case my use of the word "platitudes" seems
out of line as well, I must point out that in 1914, a commentator in the
"Nation" noted that "The name of Nietzsche is beginning by the aid of the
daily press to take on a sinister meaning for the man in the street." It
was widely accepted, then, that Nietzsche and a few other German
philosophers were responsible for WWI. Nowadays, of course, we're more
concerned with WWII.)
How could academia conspire to white-wash Nietzsche? No conspiracy is
necessary. The ideas of Heidigger, who was an avowed Nazi, are routinely
discussed by academics who pay little or no attention to the ramifications
of his political beliefs. Philosophers must be above such petty squabbles.
Concern about how the academic community will respond strikes me as
silly; it is not their job to be the care-takers of Nietzsche's memory,
nor would he have wanted them to be. And the idea that Nietzsche's thought
is too complex to be judged by anyone but professionals is absurd; again,
Nietzsche himself would've rejected it. To him the man of learning was
decadence personified. Even the most slavish admirer of Nietzsche might at
least concede that in Gorfu's work, he is portrayed as a man whose ideas
have consequences; he is alive, whereas in most modern scholarship he's
nothing more than a corpse dissected into vanishingly small particles.
I'm not naive enough to think that I'll see Nietzsche's ravings
discredited in my lifetime, but I hope very much that Gorfu's work will
inspire others to more and greater attacks.
2 of 2 people found the
following review helpful:
The
Uderbelley of Nietzsche's Thought Process Exposed, April 3, 2000
Reviewer: Barry Kibrick, Host of the Public Television series,
"Between the Lines" from Los Angels, California.
Gorfu
Contra Nietzsche is an approach to the life and teachings of the German
Philosopher that you will not find in any textbook. Gorfu does not just
dissect, or merely criticize Nietzsche. He seems to have a kinship with
the philosopher that allows him to look deeply into the soul of Nietzsche.
Gorfu is able to bring out Nietzsche's genius while still criticizing his
dangerous philosophical underpinnings.
For far too long Nietzsche's well spoken philosophical thoughts have
mesmerized many scholars, but it took someone as courageous and
spiritually insightful as Mr. Gorfu to bring out the underbelley of the
German philosopher's thought process. Gorfu, although admittedly taken by
the beauty of Nietzsche's way with words, goes beyond the words and truely
gives us the essence that lies "Between the Lines".
This is the perfect book for anyone who ever questioned the greatness
of Nietzsche and wondered why he's held in such high esteem. Gorfu
appreciates the master's words and insights, but takes us further into the
soul of a philosopher.
7 of 9 people found the
following review helpful:
WITH
THIS BOOK NIETZSCHE'S OBITUARY IS COMPLETE, January 25, 2000
Reviewer: Dr. Iskren Azmanov, Ph. D., Specialist in Philosophy of
Ancient History and Philosophy of Science, with Reaserch in Philosophy and
Biology. Member of AAAS. Visiting Reasercher in UCSB from Bakersfield,
CA.
I am originally from Bulgaria, and when I met G. E. Gorfu
in the early 70's in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, he had already published two
books of poetry in English. My Communist background gives me an excellent
understanding of the monumental task Gorfu has accomplished in this book.
Much has been written in Communist countries rejecting Fascism and Nazism.
My friend, Zhelio Zhelev's book, "The Fascism" (Published in English), is
one of them. The book was banned for almost a decade until, in the
'glasnost', its author was proppeled into the presidency of Bulgaria. But
not one of these books even mentions Nietzsche by name, or deals with any
part of his philosophical arguments. They are simply an outright rejection
of the basic ideas of Fascism and Nazism. Gorfu's rejection is very
original in its approach and fascinating in its depth of analysis. The
subject matter is presented in three sections: part one with 48 levels of
arguments, part two with 83, and the fianl conclusion with 21. With these
152 sets of arguments, each shooting out like the deadly bullet that it is
meant to be, Gorfu totaly destroys Nietzsche, the man, and his philosophy.
Each bullet finds its perfect target and works it way through to show a
hole in Nietzsche's stand. In the end we see Nietzsche, the misanthrope,
the empty and hollow shell of a man that he was. The Nietzsche, "...who
never worked with his hands, never planted nor harvested, never painted
nor carved, never married nor fathered any children, legitimate of
illegitimate, and probably never experienced a normal sexual intercourse
with a human being." Gorfu Contra Nietzsche is a rare book, a very
original work that deserves a Nobel Prize. This kind of work has never
been executed in the West or Eastern Block countries. The book is a
victory to the US philosophical vista. Such a book can be published only
here, only in an open society like the USA. But now that it is out in
print, the rest of the world will soon follow. I predict it will be
translated into many languages and become a best seller. I look forward to
read many books by this author, but even if he does not write a single
more line, this book has established his name in the philosophical annals
of history forever. Of that I am absolutely certain! With great respect, I
take my hat off to G. E. Gorfu.
1 of 2 people found the
following review helpful:
Partial Dissent, January 25, 2000
Reviewer: identityless
from Skεne, Sweden
I agree with many of Gorfu's views and
ideas but I also think that he has gotten himself into a serious
notwithstanding rectifiable spiritual mess. He claims that Nietzsche's
crimes are of a spiritual caliber and he has used the Bible to try and
demolish Nietzsche's destructive ideology. In my opinion, that was too
ambitious on Gorfu's part because he has ignored, misunderstood and/or
misapplied the imperative spiritual laws and principles in question,
thereby inevitably causing the boomerang effect! He has done an impeccable
job at pulverizing Nietzsche and his anti-philosophy on a purely
philosophical level and he should have been content with just that! The
problem lies in the fact that Gorfu's contention regarding the Antichrist
nature of Nietzsche does not hold any biblical water. He is charging
Nietzsche with being the Antichrist on the grounds of his own claims to
being the Antichrist. This may be in keeping with the Christian dogma but
it certainly is not in keeping with the teaching of Jesus as portrayed in
John 18 & 19, these chapters constituting the written account in which
the works of Jesus on the cross have been documented calmly and completely
by a firsthand witness named John the Evangelist, thereby constituting the
pre-conditions for an intellectual conviction followed by a conclusive
confirmation regarding the divinity of Jesus. According to the Gospel, any
and every other kind of faith is spurious. In other words, the Gospel
implicitly but compellingly defines the Antichrist not as a mortal being
who claims to be against God but as the driving force behind the organized
church, specifically as the embodiment of the "Second Person" of the
so-called Trinity; dead and buried on Friday and allegedly resurrected on
that infamous Sunday morning; as the christ of the organized church who
masquerades as the true Christ; a spirit that comes not in its own name
claiming to be the actual Antichrist but as a wooing, seemingly gentle and
loving spirit that comes in the name and the stunningly close likeness of
Jesus Christ himself (See Mathew 24:4,5,23,24 & 2 Corinthians 11:14).
Moreover, Jesus went so far as to discredit all claims made by others
about him including his own claims about himself, because claims are in
fact the breeding ground for unbelief (John 5:31,34). This he did in order
to clear the path that leads to the truth about him free from all
preconceptions. And the only thing such a path entails is an in-depth,
critical and objective study of his works on the cross, after which faith
comes automatically when we have solved the question of his hidden
identity. The serious and discerning student of the Gospel will know that
charging Nietzsche with being the father of all lies and deceptions, and
charging him with the unforgivable crime against the Holy Spirit does not
correspond with the teaching of Jesus either, not even by a long shot! I
repeat, according to the Gospel, the Antichrist is the force that drives
those who come in the name of Jesus, claiming that "Jesus is the Christ."
Yes, this type of deception is highly sophisticated and the reason is
because the properly substantiated claim of who Jesus is saves, whereas a
naiv and gullible acceptance of that same claim in the case where it is
not properly substantiated damns! All one needs to do to verify this
contention is to go through John 18 & 19 with a fine comb. Only then
can one conclusively discern which Christ is the real One, and which are
the false ones. It takes much more than just Scriptural language and even
murderous behavior (in the strict clinical sense of the word) to commit a
spiritual crime. Nietzsche must have found it quite flattering to think of
himself as the Antichrist but as most of us know (or should know) reality
does not sustain fantasy. Moreover, it is quite unacceptable that Mr.
Gorfu uses the Bible mostly insofar as it allows him to discredit the
person who he admittedly loves to hate, which in turn undermines his own
spiritual credibility. If the Bible can be used (or misused) for such
self-serving purposes, this does not bode well for us because there are
some fundamental Gospel principles involved, which we have no
justification for violating as they have been well-preserved despite
centuries of heavy editing of the Bible and despite centuries of
misrepresentations by the organized church. If we do violate those
principles, as the church has so subtly and eloquently done for so long,
it will be much to our own consternation! I have no business defending
Nietzsche and that's not what I am doing; but I am remonstrating with
Gorfu about the spiritual injustice that he has brought about in his
misguided attempts to label the German "Philosopher" with being the
Antichrist. From a strictly spiritual standpoint, such a position is
completely aberrant and almost blasphemous, because a mere mortal being
and/or his ideology, no matter how destructive, do not come even close to
constituting the basis for being the Antichrist. Gorfu has taken a
humanitarian albeit secular case to a spiritual court; the final verdict
of the "spiritual" trial: Nietzsche, innocent! Gorfu, badly injured by
virtue of backlash! But there is room for rectification and I think he
knows it, including the reasons for such a need. Otherwise, where are the
ascetic values that he explicitly claims to be applying? Despite Gorfu's
misguided spiritual attempts to expose and punish Nietzsche's "spiritual"
crimes, something that ought to be taken with a grain of salt at best,
nevertheless, his book is very interesting and it certainly deserves wide
recognition. His philosophical notwithstanding secular arguments are
compelling enough to dispel once and for all the antiquated but still
prevalent notion of white supremacy, thereby hopefully diffusing the
neo-Nazi movement before it turns into a state of pandemonium. For that,
no doubt, hat's off to the man, he deserves nothing less than a standing
ovation and even a medal of honor!
9 of 12 people found the
following review helpful:
I
LIKE THIS BOOK... A LOT!, November 30, 1999
Reviewer: F.
Tolossa, Ph. D. from Vallejo, California
As a compatriot of
the author, (we are both originally from Ethiopia), I am very proud of his
work in producing this book of philosophy. I have written an extensive
review on the book, which I had release on many Ethiopian web sites. That
is what I will try to summerize below. According to Mr. Gorfu Nietzsche is
not even close to being a philosopher as western scholars contend, since
he condemns and nagates intellect and reason, in favor of instinct and
emotions, contrary to the nature of philosophy. Challenging Nietzsche's
main theory of "Will to Power", Gorfu writes that it is the very thing
Nietzsche called weakness which has proved to be the strength of, for
example, the Israelites. "Their belief in their God, Yahweh, their ascetic
ideals and moral values, their recorded history books, these alone kept
them going. Indeed, isn't the Old Testament a book of cries and agonies?
... The strength of that small people lay not in the power of their
individual heroes, rather in their cries of despair, collected in the form
of a book. These cries and tears were the actual means of their
salvation." On his way of demolishing the philosophy of Nietzsche, Gorfu
also lashes out at, and reveals the hypocracy of the Protestant, Martin
Luther, Rousseau, Karl Marx, and Lenin from a high moral position which
many Western intellectuals may find hard to comprehend. By direct quotes
from the writngs of Hitler and Dr. Joseph Goebbels, the Minister of
Propaganda of the Third Reich, and contrasting them with those of
Nietzsche, Mr. Gorfu proves that the principal mentor of the two Nazis, is
non other than Nietzsche, a lunatic who masked his Satanic thoughts in
religious aphorisms and literary allegories. I strongly recommend this
book. I would even go so far as to suggest to the publishers to have it
translated into as many European languages as possible, including, of
course, German. Gorfu Contra Nietzsche is a rare book which all good
libraries should have on their shelves, and all major universities should
use as text book.
4 of 5 people found the
following review helpful:
G.
E. GORFU IS OUT OF LINE, November 28, 1999
Reviewer: Darrel W.
Beni from Seattle, Washington
In this book, G.E. Gorfu has
attempted the impossible; attacking not only Nietzsche, but the entire
philosophical academia. This is entirely out of line. The writer accuses
the academia of white-washing and covering up for Nietzsche, and showing
him only in a favorable light. I don't now if this is true, but the writer
thinks he has made an open and shut case. My question is, what does the
academia have to gain by such white-washing of Nietzsche? This is a very
curious indictment. I am not an academic, but now, it appears, the ball is
squarely placed at the court of the academia. And they must respond. I
look forward to read what kind of reviews will come from the philosophical
journals of universities.
3 of 3 people found the
following review helpful:
Nothing short of the emasculation of Nietzsche, November 16, 1999
Reviewer: Karl G. Potter from Houston, Texas
I have
always considered myself a Nietzsche scholar, but had always overlooked,
or glossed over the salient points Gorfu brings forth in his book. Of
course I have known all the evil streaks in Nietzsche's philosophy, but
had somehow, ignored them, or not been aware of the fundamental evil the
way Gorfu forced me to see. I read Gorfu Contra Nietzsche, and have now
mulled over it for a good three months before I decided to write this
review. Gorfu has a valid point. Nietzsche's work needs to be re-examined,
if for nothing else, just to set the record straight. This book is nothing
short of an attempt of the emasculation of Nietzsche.
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