In The Birth of Tragedy Nietzsche expounds on the origins of Greek tragedy and its relevance to the German culture
of its time. He declares it to be the expression of a culture which has achieved a delicate but powerful balance
between Dionysian insight into the chaos and suffering which underlies all existence and the discipline and clarity
of rational Apollonian form. In order to promote a return to these values, Nietzsche critiques complacent rationalism
of late nineteenth-century German culture and makes an impassioned plea for the regenerative potential of the music
of Wagner. A wide ranging discussion of the nature of art, science, and religion, The Birth of Tragedy's argument
raises important questions about the problematic nature of cultural origins which are still valid today.