Friedrich Nietzsche was a German philosopher, cultural critic, and composer whose work has had a profound impact on contemporary philosophy.
He lived during a time of great change and upheaval in Europe, with the rise of secularism and the decline of traditional religion. Nietzsche’s ideas on truth, morality, and the meaning of existence challenged the status quo and continue to influence thinkers today.
In this article, we will explore the life and legacy of Nietzsche, examining the historical context in which he lived and the ideas that shaped his philosophy.
Join us as we delve into the world of one of the most influential philosophers of the modern era.
When Did Nietzsche Live
Friedrich Nietzsche was born on October 15, 1844, in Röcken, Saxony, Prussia, which is now part of Germany. He lived during the latter half of the 19th century, a time of great social and political change in Europe.
Nietzsche began his career as a classical philologist before turning to philosophy. He became the youngest person ever to hold the Chair of Classical Philology at the University of Basel in 1869 at the age of 24. Nietzsche resigned in 1879 due to health problems that plagued him most of his life.
After resigning from his position at the university, Nietzsche completed much of his core writing in the following decade. In 1889, at age 44, he suffered a collapse and afterward a complete loss of his mental faculties, with paralysis and probably vascular dementia. He lived his remaining years in the care of his mother until her death in 1897 and then with his sister Elisabeth Förster-Nietzsche. Nietzsche died in 1900, after experiencing pneumonia and multiple strokes.
Early Life And Education
Nietzsche was born into a family of Lutheran piety on October 15, 1844, in Röcken, Saxony, Prussia. His father was a Lutheran minister who died when Nietzsche was just five years old. He grew up in a household of five women, including his mother, younger sister, maternal grandmother, and two aunts. In 1850, the family moved to Naumburg on the Saale River, where Nietzsche attended a private preparatory school called the Domgymnasium.
In 1858, Nietzsche was admitted to Schulpforta, Germany’s leading Protestant boarding school. He excelled academically and received an outstanding classical education there. Having graduated in 1864, he went to the University of Bonn to study theology and classical philology. However, his time at Bonn was a failure due to acrimonious quarrels between his two leading classics professors.
Nietzsche sought refuge in music during this time and wrote a number of compositions strongly influenced by Robert Schumann, the German Romantic composer. In 1865 he transferred to the University of Leipzig, joining Friedrich Wilhelm Ritschl, who had accepted an appointment there. Nietzsche prospered under Ritschl’s tutelage in Leipzig. He became the only student ever to publish in Ritschl’s journal, Rheinisches Museum (“Rhenish Museum”).
During his military service in October 1867 in the cavalry company of an artillery regiment, Nietzsche sustained a serious chest injury while mounting a horse in March 1868. He resumed his studies in Leipzig in October 1868 while on extended sick leave from the military. It was during this time that Nietzsche discovered Arthur Schopenhauer’s philosophy, met the great operatic composer Richard Wagner and began his lifelong friendship with fellow classicist Erwin Rohde (author of Psyche).
Nietzsche’s Career As A Philosopher
Nietzsche’s career as a philosopher spanned over two decades, during which he published extensively and challenged the foundations of Christianity and traditional morality. He was interested in the enhancement of individual and cultural health, and believed in life, creativity, power, and down-to-earth realities, rather than those situated in a world beyond.
Nietzsche’s philosophy was centered around the idea of “life-affirmation,” which involved an honest questioning of all doctrines that drain life’s expansive energies, however socially prevalent and morally entrenched those views might be. He is often referred to as one of the first existentialist philosophers along with Søren Kierkegaard.
Nietzsche’s writing spans philosophical polemics, poetry, cultural criticism, and fiction while displaying a fondness for aphorism and irony. His body of work touched a wide range of topics, including art, philology, history, music, religion, tragedy, culture, and science. He drew inspiration from Greek tragedy as well as figures such as Zoroaster, Arthur Schopenhauer, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Richard Wagner and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
Prominent elements of Nietzsche’s philosophy include his radical critique of truth in favor of perspectivism; a genealogical critique of religion and Christian morality and a related theory of master–slave morality; the aesthetic affirmation of life in response to both the “death of God” and the profound crisis of nihilism; the notion of Apollonian and Dionysian forces; and a characterization of the human subject as the expression of competing wills, collectively understood as the will to power.
In his later work, Nietzsche became increasingly preoccupied with the creative powers of the individual to overcome cultural and moral mores in pursuit of new values and aesthetic health. His thought enjoyed renewed popularity in the 1960s and his ideas have since had a profound impact on 20th- and early 21st-century thinkers across philosophy, especially in schools of continental philosophy such as existentialism, postmodernism, and post-structuralism, as well as art, literature, poetry, politics, and popular culture.
The Historical Context Of Nietzsche’s Time
Nietzsche lived during a time of significant social and political change in Europe. After the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1, Germany was united for the first time as a single empire. This period saw the rise of German nationalism, which Nietzsche criticized heavily in his writings. The brutish nationalism and anti-Semitism that Nietzsche derides in his writings are precisely the sentiments that led Germany into two world wars.
Nietzsche’s time was also marked by the emergence of new philosophical and intellectual movements. He was part of a group of late modern thinkers who advanced a “hermeneutics of suspicion” against traditional values, including Marx and Freud. Nietzsche’s psychological analyses exposed false consciousness infecting people’s received ideas, and he used this to support original theories about the nature of the self and provocative proposals suggesting new values that he thought would promote cultural renewal and improve social and psychological life by comparison to life under the traditional values.
Nietzsche also spoke of “the death of God,” and foresaw the dissolution of traditional religion and metaphysics. Some interpreters of Nietzsche believe he embraced nihilism, rejected philosophical reasoning, and promoted a literary exploration of the human condition, while not being concerned with gaining truth and knowledge in the traditional sense of those terms. However, other interpreters of Nietzsche say that in attempting to counteract the predicted rise of nihilism, he was engaged in a positive program to reaffirm life, and so he called for a radical, naturalistic rethinking of the nature of human existence, knowledge, and morality.
Nietzsche’s Philosophy And Major Works
Nietzsche’s philosophy challenged the foundations of Christianity and traditional morality. He believed in the enhancement of individual and cultural health, and championed life, creativity, power, and down-to-earth realities. Central to his philosophy was the idea of “life-affirmation,” which involved an honest questioning of all doctrines that drain life’s expansive energies, however socially prevalent and morally entrenched those views might be.
One of Nietzsche’s most famous works was Thus Spake Zarathustra, which he wrote between 1883 and 1885. It was the first thorough statement of his mature philosophy and the masterpiece of his career. Although it received little attention during his lifetime, its influence since his death has been considerable in the arts as well as philosophy.
Another notable work by Nietzsche was Twilight of the Idols, which he wrote in 1888. In this work, he criticized contemporary culture and attacked traditional values. He argued that much of what passes for morality is actually harmful to human flourishing.
Nietzsche also wrote The Antichrist in 1895, in which he criticized Christianity and its influence on Western culture. He argued that Christianity was a slave morality that had been imposed on the world by weak people who resented those who were strong.
Finally, Nietzsche wrote Ecce Homo in 1888, which is a kind of autobiography. In this work, he reflects on his own life and career as a philosopher. He discusses his major works and their themes, as well as his personal struggles and triumphs.
Nietzsche’s Influence On Contemporary Thought
Nietzsche’s influence on contemporary thought is undeniable, as his ideas have shaped the fields of philosophy, literature, psychology, and cultural studies. His writings on truth, morality, language, aesthetics, and power continue to be studied and debated by scholars and thinkers around the world.
One of Nietzsche’s most significant contributions to contemporary thought is his critique of traditional morality and religion. He argued that these institutions were based on outdated values that hindered individual growth and creativity. Instead, Nietzsche advocated for a new type of morality that was grounded in life-affirmation and self-realization.
Nietzsche’s ideas also had a significant impact on existentialism and deconstruction, two movements in philosophy and literary criticism that emerged in the 20th century. These movements shared Nietzsche’s rejection of traditional values and sought to explore the human condition through a radical rethinking of language, culture, and identity.
In addition to philosophy and literature, Nietzsche’s influence can be seen in the fields of psychology and cultural studies. His ideas about the importance of individualism, self-realization, and the will to power have been influential in the development of modern psychology. His critique of mass culture and his emphasis on the importance of individual creativity have also been important in cultural studies.
Controversies And Criticisms Of Nietzsche’s Ideas
Despite Nietzsche’s significant influence on Western philosophy and intellectual history, his ideas have also been met with controversy and criticism. One of the main criticisms of Nietzsche’s philosophy is that it is often seen as promoting nihilism, the rejection of all religious and moral principles. Some interpret Nietzsche’s rejection of traditional values as advocating for a world without any moral or ethical standards, which could lead to chaos and anarchy.
Another criticism of Nietzsche’s ideas is that they are often difficult to understand and interpret. His writing style is often evocative and poetic, which can make it challenging for readers to discern his intended meaning. Additionally, Nietzsche did not develop his ideas into a systematic philosophy, which has led to disagreements among scholars about the coherence and consistency of his views.
Furthermore, Nietzsche’s views on race and nationalism have also been criticized as promoting dangerous and harmful ideas. Some of his writings have been used by fascist and far-right groups to justify their beliefs, despite Nietzsche’s own rejection of anti-Semitism and nationalism.
Despite these criticisms, Nietzsche’s ideas continue to be studied and debated by scholars around the world. His emphasis on self-realization, the cultivation of instincts, and the rejection of traditional values remains relevant in contemporary discussions about personal identity, ethics, and social change.
