"In The Birth of Tragedy (1872) Nietzsche explores the origins of Greek tragedy and its relevance to the German culture of his time. For Nietzsche, Greek tragedy is the expression of a culture that has achieved a 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 which modern societies have lost, Nietzsche attacks the complacent rationalism of late nineteenth-century German culture and makes an impassioned plea for the regenerative potential of the music of Wagner. In its wide-ranging discussion of the nature of art, science, and religion, his argument raises important questions about the problematic nature of cultural origins which still concern us today.