Nietzsche does not appear to present this notion, that of the eternal return or eternal recurrence, as an actual physical reality, whereby everything will happen again and again. Rather, it appears to be a rhetorical ploy designed to elicit an existential reaction: If this were true, how would you live? Would it make a difference to you? Nietzsche is challenging individuals to affirm the life they have and to live every moment as if it possessed eternal significance. This is an important point for this study for two reasons. First, it is a useful reminder that popular characterizations of
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