Marking the end of his efforts “to set up a new picture and ideal of the free spirit”, Nietzsche’s *Die fröhliche Wissenschaft* suddenly presents all the images and formulations for which he has become infamous: nihilism, the overman (Übermensch), and the death of God at our own hands. At once an effort to shame and spite us, everywhere at issue throughout the work is the question of truth, “this youthful madness in the love of truth”—if truth is all we have come to stand by, all that matters to us, what remains when all the veils are pulled aside? What, from the perspective of life, can love of truth sustain? Whether you're new to discussing philosophical texts or can synthesize disparate aphorisms across Nietzsche's corpus, we'd be happy to have you! **Please read ahead** and be prepared to discuss Nietzsche's text in detail. **\*\*Reading schedule by week:** 1. Preface, “Joke, Cunning & Revenge”, Book One §§1–57 2. Book Two, §§58–107 3. Book Three, §§108–275 4. Book Four, §§276–342 5. Book Five, §§343–383, & Songs of Prince Vogelfrei For a translation, we're recommending [Kaufman's](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/121942/the-gay-science-by-friedrich-nietzsche-translated-with-commentary-by-walter-kaufmann/).
