A Momentary Breathlessness in the Sadness of Time

“I have always wondered why there are philosophers, and what it is we might think to accomplish in pursuing philosophy. I wonder in particular if the essential indefiniteness in the choice to pursue what matters most – philosophy – is the secret that we must each hide within ourselves and not expose to the light of day for fear that its trembling might suddenly cease.”

Nicolas de Warren’s A Momentary Breathlessnes in the Sadness of Time: On Krzysztof Michalski's Nietzsche presents an intimate exploration of this question in Nietzsche’s thinking and its singular interpretation in the Polish philosopher Krzysztof Michalski's The Flame of Eternity. In both of these thinkers, philosophical thought is born from the sadness of time in its pursuit of eternity. Through a searching discussion of major themes in Nietzsche’s writings, de Warren tracks and elaborates Michalski’s interpretation of Zarathustra, the death of God, the thought of the eternal recurrence, metaphors in thinking, the Will to Power, and the challenge of nihilism. As a contribution to an understanding of Nietzsche’s thinking as reflected in the prism of Michalski’s work as well as an understanding of Michalski’s thinking as reflected in the prism of Nietzsche works, A Momentary Breathlessness in the Sadness of Time is equally a philosophical testament to a life in thinking and its gratitude towards a teacher, whose generosity can only be repaid in discovering for oneself a breathless moment of parting.