Nietzsche
was born in Röcken, Prussia. His
father, a Lutheran minister, died when Nietzsche was five, and his mother in a
home that included his grandmother, two aunts, and a sister raised Nietzsche.
He
studied classical philology at the universities of Bonn and Leipzig and was
appointed professor of classical philology at the University of Basel at the age
of 24. Ill health (he was plagued throughout his life by poor eyesight and
migraine headaches) forced his retirement in 1879. Ten years later he suffered a
mental breakdown from which he never recovered. He died in Weimar in
1900.
In
addition to the influence of Greek culture, particularly the philosophies of
Plato and Aristotle, Nietzsche was influenced by German philosopher Arthur
Schopenhauer by the theory of evolution, and by his friendship with German
composer Richard Wagner.
Nietzsche's
first major work, Die
Geburt
der Tragödie
aus
dem Geiste de Musik
(The Birth of Tragedy), appeared in 1872. His most prolific period as an
author was the 1880s. During
the decade he wrote Also sprach Zarathustra (Parts I-III, 1883-1884; Part
IV, 1885; translated as Thus Spake Zarathustra); Jenseits von Gut und
Böse (1886; Beyond Good and Evil); Zur Genealogie de Moral
(1887; On the Genealogy of Morals); Der Antichrist (1888;
The Antichrist); and Ecce Homo (completed 1888, published 1908).
Nietzsche's
last major work, The Will to Power (Der Wille zur Macht), was
published in 1901.
One
of Nietzsche's fundamental contentions was that traditional values (represented
primarily by Christianity) had lost their power in the lives of individuals. He
expressed this in his proclamation “God is dead.” He was convinced that
traditional values represented a “slave morality,” a morality created by weak
and resentful individuals who encouraged such
behavior
as gentleness and kindness because the behaviour served their interests.
Nietzsche claimed that new values could be created to replace the traditional
ones, and his discussion of the possibility led to his concept of
the
over man
or superman.
According
to Nietzsche, the masses (whom he termed the herd or mob) conform to tradition,
whereas his ideal
overman
is secure, independent, and highly individualistic. The overman feels deeply,
but his passions are rationally controlled. Concentrating on the real world,
rather than on the rewards of the next world promised by religion, the overman
affirms life, including the suffering and pain that accompany human existence.
Nietzsche's overman is a creator of values, a creator of a “master morality”
that reflects the strength and independence of one who is liberated from all
values, except those that he deems valid.
Nietzsche
maintained that all human behavior is motivated by the will to power. In its
positive sense, the will to power is not simply power over others, but the power
over oneself that is necessary for creativity. Such power is manifested in the
overman's independence, creativity, and originality. Although Nietzsche
explicitly denied that any overmen had yet arisen, he mentions several
individuals who could serve as models. Among these models he lists Jesus, Greek
philosopher Socrates, Florentine thinker Leonardo da Vinci, Italian artist
Michelangelo, English playwright William Shakespeare, German author Johann
Wolfgang von Goethe, Roman ruler Julius Caesar, and French emperor Napoleon
I.
The
concept of the overman has often been interpreted as one that postulates a
master-slave society and has been identified with totalitarian philosophies.
Many scholars deny the connection and attribute it to misinterpretation of
Nietzsche's work. An acclaimed poet, Nietzsche exerted much
influence on German literature, as well as on French literature and theology.
His concepts have been discussed and elaborated upon by such individuals as
German philosophers Karl Jaspers and Martin Heidegger, and German Jewish
philosopher, Martin Buber, German American theologian Paul Tillich, and French
writers
Albert
Camus and Jean Paul Sartre After World War II (1939-1945), American theologians
Thomas J. J. Altizer and Paul Van Buren seized upon Nietzsche's proclamation
“God is dead” in their attempt to make Christianity relevant to its believers in
the 1960s and 1970s. See
also Existentialism.