In this episode, I got to speak with Daniel Tutt. He’s the author of a rather profound book on Nietzsche that I think is worth the attention of anyone interested in the subject. It’s called How To Read Like a Parasite: Why the Left Got High On Neitzsche.
Daniel’s a deeply erudite man, and if you’ve ever seen Slavoj Žižek talk, you might excuse me for feeling that they’re somehow related. Also, his book has the same revelatory feel as many of Žižek’s works, a point I mention in our conversation.
The core premise of How to Read Like a Parasite is that Nietzsche cannot be understood truly without the context of his reactionary politics, especially the threads of anti-egalitarian thought which runs throughout everything he writes. That being said, Daniel Tutt in no way suggests that Nietzsche should be “cancelled.” In fact, he insists the best way to read him is as a parasite of his works, thus the title of the book.
Our conversation was great fun. Those who’ve already read my book, Here Be Monsters, will be interested in our discussion about our slight disagreement (though mostly just on framing) on the matter of ressentiment’s usefulness in political discourse.
I absolutely recommend his book, even if you’re hesitant about reading philosophy. It’s especially useful if you’d like a grasp on why Nietzsche still matters to people, and how his ideas relate to religion and politics.
You can listen to this episode above (or on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all the other usual places) or watch our conversation below. I’ve opted for no paywall on this episode, but if you’d like to support me, you can either join as a paid subscriber or even leave me a tip.
You can get Daniel Tutt’s book at this link.
Also, you can find out more about him here.
The Re/al/ign, Episode 12: with Daniel Tutt