Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900)

1. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900)

2. Early Life • Born October 15, 1844 • 1849 father dies • 1864 goes to Bonn University to study theology and philology (classics and ancient languages) • 1865 transfers to Leipzig University to study philology

3. emphasized the centrality of the will/desire in understanding the world (most importantly humanity) Philosophical pessimism Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

4. Met in 1868 Became a father figure for Nietzsche Nietzsche saw him as the reincarnation of Greek tragedy Broke with Wagner due to anti-Semitism and Parsifal Richard Wagner (1813-1883)

5. Scholarly Career • Offered the Chair of the Department of Philology at Basle University in 1869 before completing his doctoral work • Gave popular lectures on Homer, Greek Tragedy and Pre-Socratic philosophy

6. “On Truth and Lie in Their Nonmoral Sense”1870 • First began to question the notion of eternal truth • Defined ‘truth’ as “errors whose origin has been forgotten” • Left unpublished at the time of his death

7. The Birth of Tragedy1872 • Originally dedicated to Wagner; removed in the 2nd edition • Focused on Greek theater (especially drama) and music • Saw these as the Greeks’ way of overcoming pessimism • Distinguished between Apollonian and Dionysian lives—sought a reconciliation of them

8. Apollo was charioteer of the sun and the god of reason The Delphic Oracle, an oracle of Apollo, inspired the mission of Socrates Represents life as a problem that must be solved through reason and principle The Apollonian

9. Dionysus (Roman: Bacchus) was god of wine His dismemberment by the gods was recreated in traditional bacchanalia Represents passion and the overcoming of pessimism through celebration The Dionysian

10. Human, All-Too-Human1878-1880 • Nietzsche’s first approach to understanding human psychology • One of the earliest developments of depth psychology • Developed several ideas crucial to Freudian psychoanalysis, including repression, sublimation and projection • Critically influential on his later work on religion and morality

11. Health Problems • Visited a brothel in his college days, where he contracted syphilis • Long list of physical ailments, including gastrointestinal problems, migraines and vision problems • Retired due to his condition in 1879 • Spent summers in cooler climates (primarily Sils-Maria, Switzerland) and winters in warmer climates (primarily Turin, Italy) • Tertiary effects eventually led to his breakdown from dementia in 1889 • Spent last 11 years of his life as an invalid

12. Daybreak1881 • First initiated his evaluation of moral ideals • Insisted in looking for the motivations that led to certain moral concepts and ideals—genealogical method • First contrasted ‘morality’ with ‘life’, insisting that morality as we know it is hostile to worldly life

13. The Gay Science1882-1887 • First proclaimed the death of God • Completes his break with Schopenhauer’s pessimism and begins constructing his positive philosophy • Begins his full-scale assault on the ideas of eternal truth and human nature

14. Inspired by the historical Zoroaster (c.628-551 BCE); written in scriptural style Proclaims the coming of Nietzsche’s higher man, the Übermensch Introduces the idea of the Eternal Recurrence of the Same (first mentioned in The Gay Science) Aims at the overcoming of pessimism through celebration of life Thus Spoke Zarathustra1883-1885

15. Beyond Good and Evil1886 • One of Nietzsche’s best-known and widely read works, inaugurated a period of incredible productivity • Explicitly connected morality and religion to hatred of life • Advocated a return to ancient systems of ethics that focuses on character • Advocated an ethics of nobility

16. The Genealogy of Morals1887 • Nietzsche’s most “traditional” philosophical writing • Sought to locate the origin of morality in ressentiment • Exposed the negative psychological motivations behind pity, guilt, responsibility and punishment

17. Twilight of the IdolsThe Antichrist1888 • Nietzsche’s grand declaration of war against Christianity and morality • Twilight focuses on the origin of philosophy’s errors in Socrates • The Antichrist focuses on Paul as the initiator of Christianity’s denial of life • Treats Paul as a perversion of Jesus’ teachings as a result of his commitment to the philosophy of Plato

18. Ecce Homo1888, published 1908 • Retrospective on his own work • Outlines his approach to philosophy • Intended to prevent both misuse of his work and blind obedience to his philosophy

19. Success and Destruction • First public lectures were given on Nietzsche’s philosophy in 1888, leading to a sudden interest in his works • Nietzsche’s long-time friend Lou Salomé publishes the first book on Nietzsche’s philosophy in 1894 • Suffered mental breakdown in early 1889 • Died August 25, 1900

20. Had control of Nietzsche’s literary estate Estranged from her brother because of her husband Bernhard Förster, an early member of the Nazi party Founded the Nietzsche Archives in 1894, to which she alone granted access Used Nietzsche’s writings to support Hitler and National Socialism Published My Sister and I, a fraudulent work of Nietzsche’s proclaiming her to be his sole interpreter Elisabeth Förster-Nietzsche

21. The Will to Power1901 • Edited by Nietzsche’s sister • Made up of notebook entries from a 10-year period ordered thematically • Presented as Nietzsche’s uncompleted masterwork • Exposed for what it really is by Walter Kaufmann

22. Nietzsche Rehabilitated • 1950 publication of Walter Kaufmann’s Nietzsche rescues Nietzsche from traditional Nazifications of his thought • 1952 Walter Kaufmann exposes My Sister and I as a fraud • 1965 Arthur Danto’s Nietzsche and Philosophy sufficiently “normalizes” Nietzsche to make his work studied in the English-speaking world