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Socrates more or less believed that progress towards the truth would come from discussions and cooperation between people, as long as they are earnestly seeking the truth. Nietzsche focused more on how individuals must be able to break free from the culture around him. In reality of course, scientific and cultural progress is made in the much more Socratic way. If you were able to simply seek the truth by sitting in a mountain for 10 years in solitude, then a genius from a hunter gatherer society would have come up with the Theory of Relativity long ago. In reality, it took thousands and thousands of scientists in discussions with each other to set up Einstein to even able to have those thoughts.

Of course, Nietzsche knew this I'm sure, and stories like Zarathustra aren't about making small contributions to mankind's cumulative knowledge, but re-writing values in society. I'm still not sure why you have to be in the mountains for so long, but each to his own I suppose.

Socrates more or less believed that progress towards the truth would come from discussions and cooperation between people, as long as they are earnestly seeking the truth. Nietzsche focused more on how individuals must be able to break free from the culture around him. In reality of course, scientific and cultural progress is made in the much more Socratic way. If you were able to simply seek the truth by sitting in a mountain for 10 years in solitude, then a genius from a hunter gatherer society would have come up with the Theory of Relativity long ago. In reality, it took thousands and thousands of scientists in discussions with each other to set up Einstein to even able to have those thoughts.

Of course, Nietzsche knew this I'm sure, and stories like Zarathustra aren't about making small contributions to mankind's cumulative knowledge, but re-writing values in society. I'm still not sure why you have to be in the mountains for so long, but each to his own I suppose.