Friedrich Nietzsche
German philosopher who declared the death of God, celebrated the will to power, and proposed the Übermensch as humanity's goal beyond slave morality. His aphoristic, poetic style and his attacks on Christianity, nihilism, and democracy made him the most influential and most misread philosopher of the modern era. He was insane in his last eleven years.
Works
- Thus Spoke ZarathustraPhilosophical epic introducing Zarathustra and the Overman beyond morality
- Beyond Good and EvilAphoristic philosophy attacking traditional morality and celebrating power and life
- The Birth of TragedyHistorical investigation of tragedy's emergence and decline in ancient Greece
- On the Genealogy of MoralityGenealogical critique of morality tracing good and evil to historical causes
- The Gay ScienceAphoristic work on happiness, philosophy, and affirmation of existence