Biography of Friedrich Nietzsche. Interesting facts, works, quotes

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:53

Often the cause of outstanding achievements in philosophy and art is a difficult biography. Nietzsche Friedrich, one of the most significant philosophers of the second half of the 19th century, went through a difficult, short, but very fruitful life path. Let's talk about the milestones of the biography, about the most significant works and views of the thinker.

Childhood and origins

October 15, 1844 in East Germany, in the small town of Reckene, the future great thinker was born. Every biography, Friedrich Nietzsche is no exception, begins with ancestors. And with this in the history of the philosopher, not everything is clear. There are versions that he comes from a Polish noble family by the name of Nitsky, this was confirmed by Friedrich himself. But there are researchers who claim that the philosopher's family had German roots and names. They suggest that Nietzsche simply invented the “Polish version” in order to give himself an aura of exclusivity and unusualness. It is known for sure that two generations of his ancestors were connected with the priesthood, from both parents, grandfather Friedrichwere Lutheran priests, as was his father. When Nietzsche was 5 years old, his father died of a severe mental illness, and the mother was engaged in raising the boy. He had a tender affection for his mother, and with his sister he had a close and very difficult relationship, which played a big role in his life. Already in early childhood, Friedrich showed a desire to be different from everyone else, and was ready for various extravagant acts.

Education

At 14, Friedrich Nietzsche, whose philosophy had not even begun to emerge, was sent to the famous Pfort Gymnasium, where they taught classical languages, ancient history and literature, as well as general subjects. In languages, Nietzsche was diligent, but with mathematics he was very bad. It was at school that Friedrich developed a strong interest in music, philosophy, and ancient literature. He tries himself on the path of writing, reads a lot of German writers. After school, in 1862, Nietzsche went to study at the University of Bonn at the Faculty of Theology and Philosophy. From school, he felt a strong attraction to religious activities and even dreamed of becoming a pastor like his father. But in his student years, his views changed a lot, and he became a militant atheist. In Bonn, Nietzsche's relationship with classmates did not work out, and he transferred to Leipzig. Here he was waiting for great success, even during his studies he was invited to work as a professor of Greek literature. Under the influence of his favorite teacher, the German philologist F. Richli, he agreed to this job. Nietzsche easily passed the exam for the title of Doctor of Philosophy and went to teach atBasel. But Friedrich did not feel satisfaction from his studies, the philological environment began to weigh him down.

Youth Hobbies

In his youth, Friedrich Nietzsche, whose philosophy was just beginning to form, experienced two strong influences, even shocks. In 1868 he met R. Wagner. Friedrich was fascinated by the composer's music before, and the acquaintance made a strong impression on him. Two extraordinary personalities found a lot in common: both loved ancient Greek literature, both hated social fetters that hindered the spirit. For three years, friendly relations were established between Nietzsche and Wagner, but later they began to cool and completely stopped after the philosopher published the book Human, All Too Human. The composer found clear signs of the author's mental illness in it.

The second shock was associated with A. Schopenhauer's book "The World as Will and Representation". She turned Nietzsche's views on the world. The thinker highly valued Schopenhauer for his ability to tell the truth to his contemporaries, for his willingness to go against conventional wisdom. It was his work that prompted Nietzsche to write philosophical works and to change his occupation - now he decided to become a philosopher.

During the Franco-Prussian war, he worked as an orderly, and all the horrors from the battlefield, oddly enough, only strengthened him in the thought of the benefits and healing effects of such events on society.

He alth

Ever since childhood, he was not distinguished by good he alth, was very short-sighted and physically weak, perhaps this becamethe reason for how his biography evolved. Nietzsche Friedrich had a bad heredity and a weak nervous system. At the age of 18, he began to have attacks of severe headache, nausea, insomnia, he experienced long periods of reduced tone and depressed mood. Later, neurosyphilis was added to this, picked up from a relationship with a prostitute. At the age of 30, his he alth began to decline sharply, he became almost blind, and experienced debilitating bouts of headache. He began to be treated with opiates, which led to disruption of the gastrointestinal tract. In 1879, Nietzsche retired for he alth reasons, his allowance was paid by the university. And he began a permanent fight against diseases. But it was precisely at this time that the teachings of Friedrich Nietzsche took shape and his philosophical productivity grew significantly.

Private life

The philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, whose ideas changed the culture of the 20th century, was unhappy in relationships. According to him, there were 4 women in his life, but only 2 of them (prostitutes) made him at least a little happy. From early youth he had a sexual relationship with his sister Elizabeth, he even wanted to marry her. At 15, Friedrich was sexually abused by an adult woman. All this radically influenced the thinker's attitude towards women and his life. He always wanted to see in a woman first of all an interlocutor. Intelligence for him was more important than sexuality. At one time he was in love with Wagner's wife. Later, he was fascinated by the psychotherapist Lou Salome, who was also in love with his friend, the writer PaulRay. For a while they even lived together in the same apartment. It was under the influence of his friendship with Lou that he wrote the first part of his famous work Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Twice in his life, Friedrich made marriage proposals and was refused both times.

The most productive period of life

With retirement, despite a painful illness, the philosopher enters the most productive era of his life. Nietzsche Friedrich, whose best books have become classics of world philosophy, writes 11 of his main works in 10 years. For 4 years he wrote and published his most famous work, Thus Spoke Zarathustra. The book not only contained bright, unusual ideas, but formally it was not typical for philosophical works. Reflections, myology, poetry intertwined in it. Two years after the publication of the first parts, Nietzsche becomes a popular thinker in Europe. Work on the last book, The Will to Power, continued for several years, and included reflections from an earlier period. The work was published after the death of the philosopher thanks to the efforts of his sister.

Last years of life

At the beginning of 1898, a sharply aggravated illness led to the end of a philosophical biography. Friedrich Nietzsche saw a scene of a horse being beaten on the street, and this provoked a fit of madness in him. Doctors never found the exact cause of his illness. Most likely, a set of prerequisites played a role here. Doctors could not offer treatment and sent Nietzsche to a psychiatric hospital in Basel. There he was kept in a room upholstered with soft cloth so that hecouldn't hurt himself. The doctors were able to bring the patient to a stable condition, that is, without violent fits, and allowed him to be taken home. The mother looked after her son, trying to alleviate his suffering as much as possible. But she died a few months later, and Friedrich had an apoplexy that completely immobilized him and made it impossible to speak. Lately, a sister has courted the philosopher. On August 25, 1900, after another stroke, Nietzsche died. He was only 55 years old, the philosopher was buried in the cemetery in his hometown next to his relatives.

Nietzsche's philosophical views

The philosopher Nietzsche is world famous for his nihilistic and radical views. He was very sharply critical of modern European society, especially its Christian foundations. The thinker believed that since the time of Ancient Greece, which he considers as a kind of ideal of civilization, there has been a disintegration and degradation of the culture of the Old World. He formulates his own concept, later called the "Philosophy of Life". This direction believes that human life is inimitable and unique. Each individual is valuable in their experience. And he considers the main property of life not the mind or feelings, but the will. Mankind is in constant struggle and only the strongest are worthy of life. From here grows the idea of the Superman - one of the central ones in Nietzsche's doctrine. Friedrich Nietzsche reflects on love, the meaning of life, truth, the role of religion and science.

Main works

Legacylittle philosopher. His last works were published by his sister, who did not hesitate to edit the texts in accordance with her worldview. But even these works were enough for Friedrich Nietzsche, whose works are included in the mandatory program in the history of philosophy at any university in the world, to become a true classic of world thought. The list of his best books includes, in addition to those already mentioned, the works "Beyond Good and Evil", "Antichrist", "The Birth of Tragedy from the Spirit of Music", "On the Genealogy of Morals".

Searching for the meaning of life

Reflections on the meaning of life and the purpose of history are the basic themes of European philosophy, and Friedrich Nietzsche could not stand aside from them either. He speaks about the meaning of life in several of his works, completely denying it. He argues that Christianity imposes imaginary meanings and goals on people, in fact, deceiving people. Life exists only in this world, and it is unfair to promise some kind of reward in the other world for moral behavior. So, says Nietzsche, religion manipulates a person, makes him live for the sake of those goals that are inorganic to human nature. In a world where "God is dead", man himself is responsible for his moral character and humanity. And this is the greatness of man, that he can "become a man" or remain an animal. The thinker also saw the meaning of life in the will to power, a person (man) must strive for victory, otherwise his existence is meaningless. Nietzsche saw the meaning of history in the upbringing of the Superman, he does not yet exist and social evolution must lead to his appearance.

Superman concept

In his central work "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" Nietzsche formulates the idea of the Superman. This ideal person destroys all norms and foundations, he boldly seeks power over the world and other people, false sentiments and illusions are alien to him. The antipode of this higher being is the “last man”, who, instead of a bold struggle against stereotypes, chose the path of a comfortable, animal existence. According to Nietzsche, the world of his day was planted by such "last ones", so he saw in wars a blessing, purification and an opportunity for rebirth. The concept of the Superman was positively assessed by A. Hitler and accepted as the ideological justification for fascism. Although the philosopher himself did not think of anything like that. Because of this, the works and the name of Nietzsche were strictly banned in the USSR.

Quotes

The philosopher Nietzsche, whose quotes were distributed around the world, knew how to speak succinctly and aphoristically. Therefore, many of his statements are so fond of being quoted by various speakers on any occasion. The most famous quotes of the philosopher about love were the words: “People who are not capable of either true love or strong friendship always rely on marriage”, “There is always a little madness in love … but in madness there is always a little reason. About the opposite sex, he spoke very bitingly: "You go to a woman - take a whip." His personal motto was: "What doesn't kill me makes me stronger."

The significance of Nietzsche's philosophy for culture

Today, Friedrich Nietzsche, quotes from whose works can be found in many works of modern philosophers, no longer causes suchfierce debate and criticism, as in the early 20th century. Then his theory became revolutionary and gave rise to many directions that existed in the dialogue with Nietzsche. One could agree with him or argue with him, but it was no longer possible to ignore. The ideas of the philosopher had a strong influence on culture and art. Impressed by the works of Nietzsche, for example, T. Mann wrote his "Doctor Faustus". His direction "philosophy of life" gave the world such outstanding philosophers as V. Dilthey, A. Bergson, O. Spengler.

Interesting facts

Bright people always arouse the curiosity of people, and Friedrich Nietzsche did not escape this. Researchers are looking for interesting facts about his biography, people read about them with pleasure. What was unusual about the life of a philosopher? For example, he was fond of music all his life, he was a good pianist. And even when he lost his mind, he created musical opuses and improvised in the hospital lobby. In 1869, he renounced his Prussian citizenship and lived the rest of his life without belonging to any state.