Friedrich Nietzsche
1. Life and Works
Nietzsche was born on October 15, , in Röcken (near Leipzig), where his father was a Lutheran minister. His father died in , and the family relocated to Naumburg, where he grew up in a household comprising his mother, grandmother, two aunts, and his younger sister, Elisabeth. Nietzsche had a brilliant school and university career, culminating in May when he was called to a chair in classical philology at Basel. At age 24, he was the youngest ever appointed to that post. His teacher Friedrich Wilhelm Ritschl wrote in his letter of reference that Nietzsche was so promising that “He will simply be able to do anything he wants to do” (Kaufmann 8). Most of Nietzsche’s university work and his early publications were in philology, but he was already interested in philosophy, particularly the work of Arthur Schopenhauer and Friedrich Albert Lange. Before the opportunity at Basel arose, Nietzsche had planned to pursue a second Ph.D. in philosophy, with a project about theories of teleology in the time since Kant.
When he was a student in Leipzig, Nietzsche met Richard Wagner, and after his move to Basel, he became a freque
Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche was born on October 15, , on the forty-ninth birthday of his namesake, the Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm IV, in the small German village of Röcken bei Lützen, southwest of Leipzig. Nietzsche was descended from Lutheran ministers; his paternal grandfather, Friedrich August Ludwig Nietzsche, was a distinguished Protestant scholar. When Nietzsche was five years old, his father, Karl Ludwig Nietzsche (–49), died, and his two-year- old brother, Ludwig Joseph, died six months later. Upon their death, the family moved to Naumberg an der Saale, where Nietzsche lived with his mother, Franziska, his grandmother, Erdmuthe, his father’s two sisters, Auguste and Rosalie, and his younger sister, Therese Elisabeth Alexandria. Near Naumberg, from the ages of 14 to 19 (–64), Nietzsche prepared for university as a student at the esteemed boarding school Schulpforta. Its alumni include Johann Gottlieb Fichte (–) and Nietzsche’s lifelong friend Paul Deussen (–), who became a famous Orientalist. In his student years, Nietzsche was known for his dedication to music and literature. He came to know Richard Wagner’s music from the pages of the Zeitschrift für Musik. His r
Friedrich Nietzsche (–) was a German philosopher whose radical ideas reshaped Western thought. Known for concepts like the Übermensch, the “death of God,” and the “will to power,” Nietzsche challenged traditional morality, religion, and philosophy. His critiques of Christianity and conventional values laid the foundation for existentialism, postmodernism, and contemporary philosophy.
Though largely unrecognized in his lifetime, his works have since influenced countless thinkers across disciplines. Nietzsche’s life was marked by intense intellectual pursuit, chronic illness, and eventual mental decline. This biography explores his journey—from his early life to his philosophical legacy—and the profound impact he left behind.
Early Life and Background
Birth and Family Background
Date and Place of Birth
Friedrich Nietzsche was born on October 15, , in the quiet, rural village of Röcken, located in the Prussian province of Saxony (modern-day Germany). Interestingly, his birth occurred on the same day as the birthday of King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia, a monarch whom Nietzsche was named after. This royal connection was seen by some as an auspicious start to th
Early Life and Family Background:
Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche was born on October 15, , in Röcken, a small village near Leipzig in the Prussian Province of Saxony. He was named after King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia, on whose birthday he was born. His father, Karl Ludwig Nietzsche, was a Lutheran pastor who died in when Friedrich was five years old, leaving a lasting impact on the family. His mother, Franziska Nietzsche, moved the family to Naumburg to live with her mother and Nietzsche's two aunts.
Nietzsche was raised in a pious and conservative household, surrounded by strong female figures. His father's early death and the religious environment of his upbringing deeply influenced his early worldview.
| Friedrich Nietzsche 17 years old in Naumburg beginning of June |
Education and Early Influences:
Nietzsche excelled academically from a young age. He attended the prestigious Schulpforta boarding school from to , where he received a rigorous classical education. Schulpforta was known for its strict discipline and high academic standards, and it was here that Nietzsche first began to develop his interests in literature, music, and philosophy.
After graduating
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