Professor Kathleen M. Higgins and Professor Robert C. Solomon are a husband and wife team that give these lectures. They divide things up a bit, giving the others an aura of expertise in the lectures.
I did not know that "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger" came from Nietzsche. It seems like such a cliched phrase today. Nietzsche and Wagner also had a friendship. Alas, the 2001 theme, though it sounds very Wagnerian, was actually written by Richard Strauss. Thus spoke Zarathustra was structured as a novel. That sounds like something interesting to read. The lecturers stress that Nietzsche was not a Nazi (he died long before National Socialism was even started.) They also show that he had a great deal of sympathy towards Jews - and in fact was playing on the Antisemitism of others to help make his points. Other tidbits include the fact that he was insane for the last few years of his life, and that his father died when he was young, living him to grow up in a house full of females.
One theme that he mentioned was the difference between "Morality" and "morality". Nietzsche did not like the "M" version that a society forced upon others. However, he thought it important for individuals to have their own moral code.
The lectures made more more interested in Nietzsche. He seemed like the type of guy that would make strong, controversial ideas and over-sweeping ideas - even as he lived a much more conservative lifestyle.
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