Friedrich Nietzsche “Nietzsche” redirects here. For other uses, see Nietzsche these published editions, Nietzsche’s name became as- (disambiguation). sociated with fascism and Nazism,[12] although 20th- century scholars have contested this interpretation of his work. His thought enjoyed renewed popularity in the Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (/ˈniːtʃə/[1] German: 1960s, and his ideas have since had a profound im- [ˈfʁiːdʁɪç ˈvɪlhɛlm ˈniːtsʃə]͡ ; 15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher, cultural critic, pact on twentieth and early-twenty-first century thinkers across philosophy—especially in schools of continental poet, and Latin and Greek scholar whose work has exerted a profound influence on Western philosophy philosophy such as existentialism, postmodernism, and [2][3][4][5] post-structuralism—as well as art, literature, psychology, and modern intellectual history. Beginning [3][4][5][13][14] his career as a classical philologist before turning to politics, and popular culture. philosophy, he became the youngest-ever occupant of the Chair of Classical Philology at the University of Basel in 1869, at age 24. He resigned in 1879 due to 1 Life health problems that plagued him most of his life, and he completed much of his core writing in the following 1.1 Youth (1844–69) decade.[6] In 1889, at age 44, he suffered a collapse and [7] a complete loss of his mental faculties. He lived his Born on 15 October 1844, Nietzsche grew up in the small remaining years in the care of his mother (until her death town of Röcken, near Leipzig, in the Prussian Province in 1897) and then his sister Elisabeth Förster-Nietzsche, of Saxony. He was named after King Frederick William [8] and died in 1900. IV of Prussia, who turned forty-nine on the day of Niet- Nietzsche’s body of writing spanned philosophical zsche’s birth. (Nietzsche later dropped his middle name polemics, poetry, cultural criticism, aphorism, and fiction “Wilhelm”.[15]) Nietzsche’s parents, Carl Ludwig Niet- while displaying a fondness for metaphor and irony.[9] zsche (1813–49), a Lutheran pastor and former teacher, His thought drew variously on philosophy, art, history, and Franziska Oehler (1826–97), married in 1843, the religion, and science, and engaged with a wide range year before their son’s birth. They had two other children: of subjects including morality, metaphysics, language, a daughter, Elisabeth Förster-Nietzsche, born in 1846, epistemology, value, aesthetics, and consciousness. and a second son, Ludwig Joseph, born in 1848. Niet- Among the chief elements of his philosophy are his radi- zsche’s father died from a brain ailment in 1849; Ludwig cal rejection of the existence and value of objective truth; Joseph died the next year, at age two. The family then his atheistic critique of religion and morality, and of moved to Naumburg, where they lived with Nietzsche’s Christianity in particular, which he characterized as prop- maternal grandmother and his father’s two unmarried sis- agating a slave morality in the service of cultural decline ters. After the death of Nietzsche’s grandmother in 1856, and the denial of life;[2][10] his characterization of the hu- the family moved into their own house, now Nietzsche- man subject as the expression of competing wills, collec- Haus, a museum and Nietzsche study center. [11] tively understood as the will to power; and the aesthetic Nietzsche attended a boys’ school and then, later, a pri- affirmation of existence in response to the "death of God" vate school, where he became friends with Gustav Krug, [2] and the profound challenge of nihilism. His later work, Rudolf Wagner, and Wilhelm Pinder, all of whom came which saw him develop influential (and frequently misun- from highly respected families. derstood) concepts such as the Übermensch and the doc- trine of eternal recurrence, became increasingly preoc- In 1854, he began to attend Domgymnasium in Naum- cupied with the creative powers of the individual to over- burg but since he showed particular talents in music and come social, cultural, and moral contexts toward a state language, the internationally recognized Schulpforta ad- of aesthetic health.[5] mitted him as a pupil. He transferred and studied there from 1858 to 1864, becoming friends with Paul Deussen After his death, Elizabeth Forster-Nietzsche became and Carl von Gersdorff. He also found time to work on the curator and editor of her brother’s manuscripts, re- poems and musical compositions. At Schulpforta, Ni- working Nietzsche’s unpublished writings to fit her own etzsche received an important grounding in languages— German nationalist ideology while often contradicting Greek, Latin, Hebrew, and French—so as to be able to or obfuscating his stated opinions, which were explic- read important primary sources;[16] he also experienced itly opposed to antisemitism and nationalism. Through for the first time being away from his family life in a small- 1 2 1 LIFE Nietzsche in his younger days in theology and classical philology at the University of Bonn. For a short time he and Deussen became members of the Burschenschaft Frankonia. After one semester Nietzsche in 1861 (and to the anger of his mother), he stopped his theo- logical studies and lost his faith.[21] As early as his 1862 essay “Fate and History”, Nietzsche had argued that his- town conservative environment. His end-of-semester ex- torical research had discredited the central teachings of ams in March 1864 showed a 1 in Religion and Ger- Christianity,[22] but David Strauss's Life of Jesus also man; a 2a in Greek and Latin; a 2b in French, His- seems to have had a profound effect on the young man.[21] tory, and Physics; and a “lackluster” 3 in Hebrew and In 1865, at the age of 20, Nietzsche wrote to his sister [17] Mathematics. Elisabeth, who was deeply religious, a letter regarding his While at Pforta, Nietzsche had a penchant for pursu- loss of faith. This letter ended with the following sen- ing subjects that were considered unbecoming. He be- tence: came acquainted with the work of the then almost- unknown poet Friedrich Hölderlin, calling him “my fa- “Hence the ways of men part: if you wish vorite poet” and composing an essay in which he said that to strive for peace of soul and pleasure, then the mad poet raised consciousness to “the most sublime believe; if you wish to be a devotee of truth, ideality”.[18] The teacher who corrected the essay gave it then inquire...”[23] a good mark but commented that Nietzsche should con- cern himself in the future with healthier, more lucid, and Nietzsche subsequently concentrated on studying philol- more “German” writers. Additionally, he became ac- ogy under Professor Friedrich Wilhelm Ritschl, whom he quainted with Ernst Ortlepp, an eccentric, blasphemous, followed to the University of Leipzig in 1865.[24] There, and often drunken poet who was found dead in a ditch he became close friends with his fellow student Erwin Ro- weeks after meeting the young Nietzsche but who may hde. Nietzsche’s first philological publications appeared have introduced Nietzsche to the music and writing of soon after. [19] Richard Wagner. Perhaps under Ortlepp’s influence, In 1865, Nietzsche thoroughly studied the works of he and a student named Richter returned to school drunk Arthur Schopenhauer. He owed the awakening of his and encountered a teacher, resulting in Nietzsche’s demo- philosophical interest to reading Schopenhauer’s The tion from first in his class and the end of his status as a [20] World as Will and Representation and later admitted that prefect. Schopenhauer was one of the few thinkers whom he re- After graduation in 1864, Nietzsche commenced studies spected, dedicating to him the essay "Schopenhauer as 1.2 Professor at Basel (1869–78) 3 Schopenhauer's philosophy strongly influenced Nietzsche’s earli- est philosophical thought. Educator" in the Untimely Meditations. In 1866, he read Friedrich Albert Lange's History of Materialism. Lange’s descriptions of Kant’s anti-materialistic philosophy, the rise of European Mid-October 1871. From left: Erwin Rohde, Karl von Gersdorff, Materialism, Europe’s increased concern with science, Nietzsche. Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, and the general rebellion against tradition and authority intrigued Niet- zsche greatly. The cultural environment encouraged him ogy at the University of Basel in Switzerland. He was only to expand his horizons beyond philology and continue 24 years old and had neither completed his doctorate nor his study of philosophy, although Nietzsche would received a teaching certificate. Despite the fact that the ultimately argue the impossibility of an evolutionary offer came at a time when he was considering giving up explanation of the human aesthetic sense.[25] philology for science, he accepted.[29] To this day, Niet- In 1867, Nietzsche signed up for one year of voluntary zsche is still among the youngest of the tenured Classics [30] service with the Prussian artillery division in Naumburg. professors on record. Before moving to Basel, Niet- He was regarded as one of the finest riders among his zsche renounced his Prussian citizenship: for the rest of [31][32] fellow recruits, and his officers predicted that he would his life he remained officially stateless. soon reach the rank of captain. However, in March 1868, Nevertheless, Nietzsche served in the Prussian forces dur- while jumping into the saddle of his horse, Nietzsche ing the Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871) as a medi- struck his chest against the pommel and tore two mus- cal orderly. In his short time in the military, he expe- cles in his left side, leaving him exhausted and unable to rienced much and witnessed the traumatic effects of bat- walk for months.[26][27] Consequently, Nietzsche turned tle.