Friedrich Nietzsche
Early Life
Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche was born on October 15, 1844, in Röcken (now part of Lützen), a small village in Prussia (part of the present-day state of Saxony-Anhalt in Germany). His father, Carl Ludwig Nietzsche, was a Lutheran pastor, and his mother was Franziska Oehler. Nietzsche had one younger sister, Elisabeth, and two younger brothers, Ludwig Joseph and Gustav Adolf. His father died from a brain ailment in 1849, and Ludwig Joseph died the following year. After the death of Nietzsche's father, the family moved to Naumburg, where Nietzsche attended a private preparatory school, the Domgymnasium.
Education
Nietzsche received a scholarship to attend the prestigious Schulpforta, an ancient boarding school in Naumburg, where he excelled in religious studies and German literature. At Schulpforta, Nietzsche received an intensive education in Latin, Greek, and German literature, and he began his lifelong interest in music and philology. In 1864, Nietzsche entered the University of Bonn, intending to study theology and classical philology—the study of languages in historical, literary, and linguistic contexts. After losing his faith in traditional religion, Nietzsche decided to concentrate on studying philology under Professor Friedrich Wilhelm Ritschl, whom he followed to the University of Leipzig in 1865.
Career as a Philologist
In 1869, at the age of 24, Nietzsche was appointed to the Chair of Classical Philology at the University of Basel in Switzerland. He was recommended by Ritschl, who had been impressed by Nietzsche's dissertation on the Greek poet, Theognis. Nietzsche's appointment was extraordinary as he had not yet earned the usual doctorate in classical languages. He served in the Prussian military during the Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871) and contracted dysentery and diphtheria, which damaged his health permanently.
Philosophical Ideas
Nietzsche's first work, "The Birth of Tragedy" (1872), was a radical reinterpretation of Greek art and culture from a Schopenhaurian and Wagnerian standpoint. By 1878, with the publication of "Human, All Too Human" a new phase in Nietzsche's philosophical development began. Nietzsche's philosophy is characterized by its emphasis on the will to power (Wille zur Macht), the radical critique of Christian morality, and the proclamation of the death of God.
The Will to Power
Nietzsche's concept of the will to power (Wille zur Macht) is one of his most famous ideas. He proposed that all living things strive for self-overcoming and enhancement. This will to power is not simply a desire for power over others, but a desire for self-improvement and self-enhancement.
Critique of Christian Morality
Nietzsche is known for his critique of Christian morality, which he viewed as life-denying and based on the concept of sin. He argued that Christian morality fosters a kind of slave morality that suppresses the human instinct for life and freedom.
The Death of God
Nietzsche is perhaps most famous for his proclamation that "God is dead." He did not mean this in a literal sense, but rather that the idea of God is no longer capable of acting as a source of moral or metaphysical knowledge.
Later Life and Death
In the late 1880s, Nietzsche's health deteriorated, and he suffered from numerous illnesses. His mental health also began to decline, and in 1889 he suffered a mental breakdown. He lived his last years in the care of his sister, Elisabeth, and died on August 25, 1900.
Legacy
Nietzsche's work has had a profound impact on philosophy and modern intellectual history. His ideas have been influential in many areas, including existentialism, postmodernism, and psychoanalysis. Despite his critique of Christianity, Nietzsche has also been influential in theological circles.