The work of Friedrich Nietzsche, the world famous German philosopher, still causes a lot of controversy. Some consider him the “father” and theorist of racial theory, while others admire his outstanding research in the field of ethical philosophy. To form your own idea of ​​the achievements and conclusions of this extraordinary person, you should carefully study his biography and the formation of a worldview that allows you to draw your own conclusions.

Childhood

In 1844, in a small provincial town in East Prussia, the future scientist Friedrich Nietzsche was born. To this day, the philosopher’s ancestors are not exactly known: one point of view is that his ancestors had Polish roots and the surname Nitzke, another – German and Bavarian roots, names and origins. Some researchers believe that Nietzsche simply fantasized his Polish origin in order to cover his origin with a veil of mystery and arouse interest around his origin.

But it is very well known that both of his grandfathers (both on his mother’s and father’s sides) were Lutheran clergymen, just like his father. But already at the age of five, the boy remained in the care of his mother due to the premature death of his father. In addition, his sister, with whom Frederick was very close, had a huge influence on the child’s upbringing. Mutual understanding and ardent affection for each other reigned in the family, but already at that time the child showed an extraordinary mind and a desire to be different from everyone else and to be special in all respects. Perhaps it was precisely this dream that forced him to act differently from what others expected.

Classical education

At the age of 14, the young man went to study at the classical gymnasium of the city of Pforta, which was famous for teaching ancient languages ​​and history, and also classical literature.

Studying languages ​​and literature, the future philosopher achieved enormous success, but always had problems with mathematics. He read a lot, was interested in music and tried to write himself, while his works were still immature, but he, being carried away by German poets, tried to imitate them.

In 1862, a gymnasium graduate went to the central university of Bonn and entered the department of theology and philosophy. Since childhood, he felt a strong desire to study the history of religion and dreamed of following in the footsteps of his father and becoming a pastor-preacher.

It is unknown whether unfortunately or fortunately, but during his student days Nietzsche’s views changed dramatically, and he became a militant atheist. In addition, he did not develop trusting relationships either with his classmates or with the teaching staff of the University of Bonn and Friedrich transferred to study in Leipzig, where he was immediately appreciated and was invited to teach Greek language. Under the influence of his teacher Richli, he agreed to this service while still a student. After a very short time, Friedrich passed the exam and received the title of professor of philology and a teaching position in Basel. But he was not satisfied with this work, since he never saw himself only as a teacher and professor.

Formation of Beliefs

It is in his youth that a person greedily absorbs everything that piques his interest and easily learns everything new. Yes, and the future great philosopher in his youth he experienced several serious shocks that influenced the formation of his beliefs and the development of philosophical views. In 1868, the young man met the famous German composer Wagner. Undoubtedly, even before meeting him, Nietzsche knew and loved, he was even simply fascinated by the music of Wagner, but the acquaintance shook him to the core. Over the course of three years, their acquaintance grew into a warm friendship, since there were a lot of interests connecting these extraordinary people. But gradually this friendship began to fade, and after Friedrich published the book “Human, All Too Human” it was severed. In this book, the composer saw signs of the philosopher’s mental illness.

Nietzsche experienced another strong shock after reading A. Schopenhaur’s book “The World as Will and Representation.” In general, a scrupulous study of Schopenhauer’s works can change still immature views on the world; it is not without reason that he is called the “father of universal pessimism.” This is exactly the impression this book made on Nietzsche.

The young man was amazed by Schopenhauer’s ability to tell people the truth to their faces, without looking back at social laws and conventions. Since childhood, Nietzsche dreamed of standing out from the crowd and destroying the foundations, so the philosopher’s book had the effect of a bomb exploding. It was this work that forced Nietzsche to become a philosopher and publish his views, boldly throwing in people’s faces the real truth from which they cowardly hide.

During the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871), Nietzsche worked as an orderly and saw a lot of dirt and blood, but this, oddly enough, did not turn him away from violence, but on the contrary, made him think that any wars are necessary as processes that heal society, and since people are greedy and cruel by nature, during war they quench their thirst for blood and society itself becomes healthier and calmer.

Nietzsche's health

Since childhood, the future philosopher could not boast good health(in addition, the inheritance of a mentally ill father had an impact), his poor eyesight and physical weakness often let us down young man and were not given the opportunity to sit for a long time at work. Intensive study at the university led to the young man experiencing severe migraines, insomnia, dizziness and nausea. All this, in turn, led to a decrease in vitality and the appearance of a prolonged depressive state.

At a more mature age, he contracted neurosyphilis from a woman of easy virtue, which at that time could not yet be completely cured. At the age of thirty, my health deteriorated even more: my vision began to deteriorate sharply, debilitating headaches and chronic fatigue led to extreme mental exhaustion.

In 1879, due to health problems, Nietzsche had to resign from the university and seriously take up treatment. At the same time, his teaching took full shape, and his creative work became more productive.

Love on life's path

The personal and intimate life of the philosopher cannot be called happy. In his early youth, he had a sexual relationship with his sister, with whom he even wanted to start a family. Again, in his youth, he experienced violence from a woman much older than himself, which turned the young man away from sex and love for a long time.

He had quite a long relationship with women of easy virtue. But since the philosopher valued in a woman not sexuality, but intelligence and education, it was very difficult for him to establish long-term relationships that develop into strong bonds.

The philosopher himself admitted that only twice in his life did he propose to women, but in both cases he was refused. For quite a long time he was in love with Wagner’s wife, then he became very interested in the doctor and psychotherapist Lou Salome.

For some time they lived in a civil marriage, and it was under the influence of their relationship that Nietzsche wrote the first part of the sensational book “Thus Spoke Zarathustra.”

The apogee of creativity

After his early retirement, Nietzsche took up philosophy seriously. It was in the next ten years that he wrote 11 of his most significant books, which completely changed Western philosophy. Over the next four years, he created the most famous book, Thus Spoke Zarathustra.

This work cannot be called philosophical, in the usual and familiar sense of the word, the book contains sayings, poetry, abstract bright ideas, non-trivial thoughts about life in society. Within two years of its publication, Nietzsche became the most famous person not only in their own country, but also abroad.

The philosopher’s last book, “The Will to Power,” which took more than five years to complete, was published after the philosopher’s death with the help of his sister Elizabeth.

Philosophical teachings of Nietzsche

The views of Friedrich Nietzsche can be called everything-denying and extremely radical. Having become a militant atheist, he criticized the Christian basis of society and Christian morality. He considered the culture of Ancient Greece, well studied by him, as an ideal human existence, and characterized the further development of society as regression.

His philosophical vision of the world, outlined in the book “Philosophy of Life,” explains that every human life is unique and inimitable. Moreover, any human individual is valuable precisely from the point of view of his own life experience, obtained empirically. He considered will to be the main human quality, since only will can force a person to carry out any orders of the brain (mind).

From the very beginning of human civilization, people have been fighting for survival and in this struggle only the most worthy survive, i.e. the strongest. This is how the idea of ​​a Superman arose, standing “Beyond good and evil,” above the law, above morality. This idea is fundamental in Nietzsche’s work, and it was from it that the fascists drew their racial theory.

The meaning of life according to Nietzsche

The main philosophical question is: what is the meaning of human life? Why did humanity come to this world? What is the purpose of the historical process?

In his writings, Nietzsche completely denies the existence of the meaning of life, he denies Christian morality and proves that the church deceives people by imposing on them false concepts of happiness and fictitious goals in life.

There is only one life and it is real on earth here and now; you cannot promise a reward for good behavior in a different measure, which does not exist. HE believed that the church forces people to do things that are not at all characteristic of them, and are even contrary to destructive human nature. If you understand that there is simply no God, then a person will have to bear responsibility for any of his actions, without shifting them to the notorious “God’s will.”

It is in this case that a person will manifest himself: how greatest creation nature or man is an animal, aggressive and cruel. In addition, every man must strive for power and victory at any cost, only because of the desire to dominate given to him by nature.

Explanation of the concept of Superman

In his main book, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Nietzsche formulates the idea of ​​a Superman who should emerge as a result of the evolutionary process in the struggle for leadership. This man destroys all foundations and laws, he knows no illusions and mercy, his the main objective- power over the whole world.

In contrast to the Superman, the last man appears. How can one not recall Rodion Raskolnikov and his: “Am I a trembling creature or do I have the right?” This last man does not fight and does not strive for leadership, he chose for himself a comfortable, animal existence: he eats, sleeps and reproduces, multiplying the last people like himself, capable only of obeying the orders of the superman.

Precisely because the world is filled with people so unnecessary to history and progress, war is a blessing, clearing space for new people, a new race.

Therefore, Nietzsche’s concept was positively accepted by Hitler and others like him and formed the basis of racial theory. For these reasons, the philosopher’s works were banned in the USSR.

The influence of Nietzsche's philosophy on world culture

Today, Nietzsche's works no longer evoke such fierce rejection as at the beginning of the twentieth century. Sometimes they discuss with him, sometimes they think about it, but it is simply impossible to be indifferent to his ideas. Under the influence of these philosophical views, Thomas Mann wrote the novel “Doctor Faustus”, and the philosophical thought of O. Spegler developed, and his work “The Decline of Civilization” was clearly dictated by the interpretation of Nietzsche’s ideological views.

last years of life

Hard mental work shook the philosopher’s already weak health. In addition, a hereditary tendency to mental illness could manifest itself at any time.

In 1898, the philosopher saw a public scene of cruel abuse of a horse, which provoked an unexpected attack of mental illness. Doctors could not offer any other way out and sent him to a psychiatric hospital for treatment. For several months the philosopher was in a room with soft walls so as not to damage his limbs due to outbursts of aggression.

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Nietzsche was multifaceted, his works can be divided into several ideas:

1) Will to power.

2) Death is a god.

3) Nihilism.

4) Reassessment of values.

5) Superman.

Nietzsche's philosophy briefly mentions the theories that inform his thinking, such as Darwin's theory of evolution and natural selection and Schopenhauer's metaphysics. Despite the enormous influence of these theories on Nietzsche's works, in his thoughts he mercilessly criticizes them. However, natural selection and the struggle for survival, in which the strongest survive, led to the philosopher’s desire to create a certain ideal of man.

The main ideas of Nietzsche's works:

Will to power

Nietzsche's mature philosophy can be summarized in his desire for power and dominance. This was his main life goal, the meaning of existence. The will for the philosopher was the basis of the world, which consists of accidents and filled with chaos and disorder. The will to power led to the idea of ​​​​creating a “superman”.

Philosophy of life

The philosopher believes that life is a separate and unique reality for each person. He does not equate the concepts of mind and life and harshly criticizes expressions and teachings regarding thoughts as an indicator of human existence. Nietzsche presents life as a constant struggle, and therefore the main quality of a person in it is will.

True Being

Nietzsche's philosophy briefly illuminates the problems of existence. He believes that it is impossible to contrast the true and the empirical. Denial of the reality of the world contributes to the denial of reality human life and decadence. He claims that there is no absolute existence, and there could not be. There is only the cycle of life, a constant repetition of what once happened.

Nietzsche fiercely criticizes absolutely everything: science, religion, morality, reason. He believes that most of humanity are pathetic, unreasonable, inferior people whose only way to control is war.

The meaning of life should be only the will to power, and reason does not have such a significant place in the world. He is also aggressive towards women. The philosopher identified them with cats and birds, as well as cows. A woman should inspire a man, and the man should keep the woman strict, sometimes with the help of physical punishment. Despite this, the philosopher has many positive works on art and health.

Superman

Who is the superman, according to Nietzsche? Of course, this is a person with enormous will. This is a person who controls not only his own destiny, but also the destinies of others. The superman is the bearer of new values, norms, and moral guidelines. The superman must be deprived of: generally accepted moral standards, mercy, he has his own, A New Look to the world. A superman can only be called someone who is devoid of conscience, because it is she who controls the inner world of man. Conscience has no statute of limitations; it can drive you crazy and lead to suicide. The superman must be free from its shackles.

Let us take a closer look at the theory of the superman.

The idea of ​​the superman in Thus Spoke Zarathustra

“Thus spoke Zarathustra. A book for everyone and for no one" - first published in 1885, one of the most controversial and famous philosophical books. The book originally consisted of three separate parts, written over several years. Nietzsche intended to write three more parts, but completed only one - the fourth. After Nietzsche's death, Thus Spoke Zarathustra was published in one volume.

The book tells the story of the fate and teachings of a wandering philosopher who took the name Zarathustra in honor of the ancient Persian prophet Zoroaster (Zarathustra). Through his speeches and actions, Nietzsche expresses his thoughts. One of the central ideas of the novel is the idea that man is an intermediate step in the transformation of an ape into a superman: “Man is a rope stretched between an animal and a superman. A rope over the abyss." The philosopher, whose important theme is decadence, also emphasizes that humanity has fallen into decline, has exhausted itself: “Man is that which must be surpassed.”

In contrast to the superman, the author creates the image of the Last Man, which Zarathustra talks about in his speech to the crowd in the square. He combines all the negative traits, according to the writer: he does not know what love is, creation is aspiration, he is an opportunist, lives the longest, is indestructible, but “makes everything small.” Having forgotten about the highest ideals, he, having stopped in development, thinks that he has already found happiness. For him, work is not a means to achieve a goal, but only entertainment, and even then in moderation, so as not to get tired. He unites into a herd, wanting equality and despising those who feel differently. The crowd rejoices at the words of Zarathustra and asks to make them like the last man, which makes us understand that, according to Nietzsche, the whole world is striving for the wrong goals, guided by false ideals. Zarathustra in his speeches calls his opponents superfluous people, mediocrity. Another false virtue of theirs is sound sleep, which governs their entire life. It is from this that their moderation and evenness in desires come, and not from considerations of duty.

The superman, on the contrary, must harmoniously combine physical perfection and high intellectual qualities in order to renew humanity, embodying Nietzsche’s idea of ​​eternal return, which is expressed in the cyclical nature of existence. A superman must have, first of all, an indestructible will. With her help, he will overcome all difficulties and build a new world. But the superman is more a genius or a rebel than a ruler or hero. He is a destroyer of old values. Zarathustra calls to “break the old tablets, for God is dead.” In order to achieve his goal, a superman can neglect generally accepted morality (“There is no truth, everything is permitted”), since his mind should not be fooled by anything. Adhering to a pragmatic approach, Nietzsche gave him the right to be “beyond good and evil.” But this is not where the aphorism “nudge someone who is falling” comes from. It should not be understood in the simplified sense that you should not help your neighbors. Since the author has experienced the influence of Darwinism, he is confident that the most effective help to his neighbor is to give him the opportunity to reach an extreme in which he can rely only on his survival instincts, in order to be reborn from there, or die. This manifests Nietzsche’s faith in life, in its ability to self-regenerate and resist everything fatal (“What does not kill us makes us stronger”).

Comparing the great man and the latter, the author draws a parallel to the difference between diamond and charcoal. After all, they are one and the same thing, they consist of carbon, but diamond is hard and unbending, like the will of those striving for the coming of a superman, and coal is soft and crumbly, since the last person is weak and weak-willed. Concluding the comparison, Nietzsche laments that even great people are still too similar to people, that is, man is at the very beginning of his path to renewal.

Renewal must occur through three transformations. Camel's first transformation. He is a symbol of perseverance and endurance. A person must contrast these qualities with the spirit of the time, withstand all the tests without giving up, without turning into a small person. Second transformation of Leo. With his strength and rage, a person must destroy old foundations and traditions, and without destroying the old, he cannot get a new one. (“Carefree, mocking, strong - this is how wisdom wants to see us; she is a woman and always loves only a warrior”). Last transformation Child. He is a symbol of innocence, oblivion, a new beginning, initial movement, since Leo the destroyer is not able to create, he is replaced by the Child.

Nietzsche proclaims the freedom of death, the slogan of which is “Die in time.” This implies that death, as a part of life, must also be subordinated to a goal. A person must manage it, he has the right to do so. That is, for Nietzsche, God no longer has a monopoly on life, for God is dead. And man, subordinating death to the idea of ​​the superman, on his deathbed will bless the oaths of great people to be faithful to their goal.

The superman is freed not only from morality and religion, but also from authorities. Even such strong ones as the prophet of the superman - Zarathustra, who teaches his followers: lose me and find yourself. That is, every person must find himself, accept himself.

Traditions and institutions of society interfere with the search for oneself... The author declares priests to be enemies of the superman, because they are preachers of slow death, they serve a dead God and they are false (“When the commandments were especially sacred, there was the most robberies and murders in the world”). The good and righteous stand next to them. These are contented and compassionate townspeople, “whose bowstring has forgotten how to tremble and they will not become arrows of melancholy.” They can never become a bridge over the abyss, because they are happy with what they have. The aristocracy is also subject to harsh criticism, because who else but they should lead people to a bright future, but they are mired in vices, in fornication and lies, in self-interest and laziness.

In contrast to the aristocracy, Nietzsche elevates the common peasant who is capable of change. He has a will and that's what makes him strong. In support of this idea, the author tells us about a shepherd, a snake crawled into his mouth while he was sleeping, he bit off its head and threw it away at the prompting of Zarathustra, thus surviving. With this Nietzsche signifies his main idea: listen to Zarathustra and you will live.

“When [Nietzsche] became convinced that there was no God, he was overcome by such insane despair that, in essence, despite his exceptional literary talent, until the end of his life he was never able to adequately tell what people did when they killed God. But Nietzsche was not heard. Everyone still thinks that it doesn’t matter at all whether there is a God or not.” (Lev Shestov)

Great German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche was born in 1844 and died in 1900. The son of a Protestant pastor, Nietzsche became an orphan at the age of five after the death of his father and was carefully raised by his mother. He received his education at the University of Bonn, and later at the University of Leipzig, where he studied classical philology. In 1869, on the recommendation of his teacher Ritschl, Nietzsche was appointed professor of philology in Basel and held this position for 10 years. The only external fact that upset Nietzsche’s peaceful life was his participation in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871: he then signed up as a volunteer orderly, but not for long, as he became seriously ill. This illness was apparently the cause of the headaches and stomach cramps that Nietzsche began to suffer from that time and which, progressively worsening, forced him to leave the department in 1879. In 1890, the philosopher was finally broken by mental illness, which made him incapacitated.

Friedrich Nietzsche. Photo taken in Basel ca. 1875

In his first works, especially in “The Birth of Tragedy from the Spirit of Music” (1872); “Schopenhauer as Educator” (1874) and “Richard Wagner at Bayreuth” (1876), Nietzsche sets out the demands he makes on modern culture, which he wants to base on a generalization of three principles: Greek tragedy, musical drama Wagner, and the philosophy of Schopenhauer. The metaphysics of the latter forms the starting point of Nietzsche's philosophy. Like the Frankfurt hermit Schopenhauer, he sees the essence of the world in the suffering "will", but still this world, in his eyes, can be justified if we look at it solely as aesthetic phenomenon. If the world is full of evil, if “truth” makes us desire emptiness, then we will try to “desire chimeras”, we will try to find sufficiently beautiful, seductive illusions so that they make us love life, despite all its suffering, and we will apply all our mind and all our energy to knowledge of these illusions. There are two main illusions that provide justification for our existence and which Nietzsche in “The Birth of Tragedy from the Spirit of Music” calls Apollonian and Dionysian. Looking at the world from the point of view of its beauty forms, we can create ourselves a beautiful image- a dream that fills our entire existence - this is the Apollonian illusion. On the other hand, despite the terrible suffering, destruction and death, the manifestation of eternal world will in the constant sequence of its phenomena. Hence the second illusion: the eternity and indestructibility of the individual, the indestructibility of what lies at the basis of things spontaneous impulse– Dionysian. The combination of these two illusions creates the "tragic wisdom" to which the ancient Greeks rose in their tragedy. It must constitute the ideal of aspiration and modern civilization. This latter is now full of rational “scientific optimism”, believing that the world is understandable as a whole and in its parts and that the goal to which we must strive is the organization of personal and public life on the scientific understanding of the universe. The new civilization mistakenly imagines that science can give man the motives for action that he needs in order to find meaning in life. This error has given rise to a pseudo-civilization in Europe, the despised representative of which is the Bildungsphilister - the cultural philistine who trusts in science, which, in his opinion, will provide humanity with an ever-increasing amount of well-being.

However, in modern European civilization one can also discover signs that herald a great revolution. Richard Wagner resurrects the tragedy in his musical drama ancient Greece. Schopenhauer, with his ruthless pessimism, forever destroyed scientific optimism and showed that history is cruel and meaningless, that man is fatally doomed to suffering. However, Nietzsche, contrary to the spirit of Schopenhauer's philosophy, hopes that pessimism, instead of pushing a person onto the path of despair, on the contrary, will arouse heroism in him. A person will consider “good” not that which reduces suffering, but that which makes life more intense, beautiful, worthy; its highest purpose will not be to help the weak, but to elevate the genius above the mass of average people. Such is the philosophy of Nietzsche final goal humanity; his most perfect works contain the whole meaning of his existence. And if higher culture and the emergence of genius must be purchased at the price of suffering, the “free spirit” of modern civilization must learn to suffer himself and let others suffer for the progress of the human race.

Nietzsche finds traces of pessimism in all the ideas and beliefs of mankind and proves that belief in truth at all costs actually stems from the same pessimistic instinct that makes man sacrifice real life and create false idols to please the fictitious idea of ​​a supreme being. The purpose of man is not in the desire for good and not in the pursuit of truth. According to Nietzsche's philosophy, evil and illusion are as useful for the development of life as good and truth. The universe has no purpose. This is pure nonsense, which man is called to illuminate and, in his full power, determine its inner value. In the name of these considerations, Friedrich Nietzsche sharply attacks Christianity and asceticism, curses socialists, democrats and anarchists, denies altruism and the religion of compassion.

Portrait of Friedrich Nietzsche. Artist E. Munch, 1906

Negation reaches its apogee in Nietzsche in the period from 1870 to 1882, when he publishes the books “Human, All Too Human” (1878), “The Wanderer and His Shadow” (1880), “Dawn” (1881), “The Gay Science” ( 1882), “Thus Spoke Zarathustra” (1883 – 87), “Beyond Good and Evil” (1886), “Towards the Genealogy of Morality” (1887). This energy of denial becomes even more exalted and fierce in Last year his life as a thinker (1888). Nietzsche wrote nothing more harsh than Wagner's Incident, Twilight of the Idols, and Antichrist. Only in Zarathustra does the concept of life, as it was formed by Nietzsche during his youth, when he saw the happiness of humanity in the revival of Dionysian illusion and tragic wisdom, come to the fore again. Painted in new colors, in the mouth of Zarathustra it becomes the theory of the superman and the eternal return. Nietzsche believes that we have lived our lives an infinite number of times in its smallest details and will continue to relive it again. To know this highest law of life, to accept it as a guide not only without indignation, without horror, but with a good heart, and not only that, with enthusiasm and joy - this is the goal that Nietzsche’s Zarathustra points out to humanity. When it reaches it, a person will become a “superman”. In Nietzsche's philosophy, the superman is a man who has reached highest state health, physical and mental, free from outdated views, with the consciousness of the law of eternal return. The moment will come when man will use all his energy so that through his own self-destruction a superman will appear.

As a stylist, Nietzsche has not yet been surpassed in Germany; the success of his philosophical works must be partly attributed to his language. Nietzsche himself speaks of the “diamond beauty” of his Zarathustra. "Luther's language and the poetic form of the Bible are the foundations of modern German poetry - this is my discovery."

The literature on Nietzsche is extremely extensive, both in Germany itself and in other countries. Of the works about him, the most worthy of mention are:

Book of the Philosopher's Sister Elisabeth Förster-Nietzsche"The Life of Friedrich Nietzsche". It serves as the main source of biographical information about Nietzsche, containing many of his letters, sketches, poems, and unpublished passages

Georg Brandes"Friedrich Nietzsche. Treatise on Aristocratic Radicalism." (Nietzsche himself considered the expression “aristocratic radicalism” to be the best definition of the essence of his philosophy.)

Andreas Salome"Friedrich Nietzsche and His Works". An interesting study by a German writer who knew Nietzsche closely.

Georg Simmel"Friedrich Nietzsche. Moral and philosophical silhouette."

G. Feiginger"Nietzsche as a Philosopher".

A. Lichtenberger"The Philosophy of Nietzsche."

L. Shestov"Dostoevsky and Nietzsche".

E. Trubetskoy"The Philosophy of Nietzsche."

S. Frank"Friedrich Nietzsche and the ethics of love for the distant"

One of the most mysterious figures in the history of European non-classical thought is Friedrich Nietzsche. The philosophy of life, of which he is considered the founder, was born in the era of crisis of the nineteenth century. In those days, many thinkers began to rebel against traditional rationalism, denying its very basis - reason. There is disappointment in the idea of ​​progress. Existing ways and methods of cognition are seriously criticized as unnecessary for a person and not important for the meaning of his life. A kind of “rebellion against reason” occurs. As a criterion for philosophizing, the principle of connection with the individual, with his feelings, moods, experiences, with the hopelessness and tragedy of his existence is put forward. The attitude towards reason and rationalistic systems becomes negative, since they are accused of the impossibility of guiding a person both in life and in history. This style of thinking begins to dominate Western Europe. Nietzsche's philosophy of life (we'll look at it briefly in this article) is a prime example of this.

Biography of the thinker

Friedrich Nietzsche was born in a small town near Leipzig, in the large family of a Protestant pastor. He studied at a classical gymnasium, from where he developed a love for history, ancient texts and music. His favorite poets were Byron, Hölderlin and Schiller, and his composer was Wagner. At the Universities of Bonn and Leipzig, the young man studied philology and theology, but even then his classmates did not understand him. But he was so capable that at the age of twenty-four he was invited to be a professor. He took up a position in the department of philology at the University of Basel. For many years he was friends with Wagner, until he became disillusioned with the latter. By the age of thirty, he became very ill and began to live on a pension for health reasons. This time is the most fruitful in his life. However, even those closest to him gradually ceased to understand his writings. It was only in the eighties of the nineteenth century that Nietzsche’s works became truly popular. But he was not destined to see this. He did not receive any income from the publication of his works. Even his friends did not fully understand him. From the second half of the eighties, the philosopher began to experience clouding of reason, then madness. He spends some time in a mental hospital and eventually dies of apoplexy in the city of Weimar.

Revolutionary teaching

So, what is Nietzsche's philosophy of life? First of all, it should be said that this is a very controversial teaching. At the same time, it was often subject to various distortions, including from leading politicians. It was born under the influence of the theory of Schopenhauer and the music of Wagner. The main works of the philosopher, where this theory is presented, can be called “Dawn”, “Beyond Good and Evil” and “Thus Spoke Zarathustra”. Nietzsche is very characterized by polysemantic concepts and symbols. In Western European philosophical tradition Nietzsche's theory is recognized as revolutionary in its structure and the problems it raises. Although she had nothing to do with radical politics at all. It simply offers a unique approach to the entire heritage of humanity.

Criticism of culture

The philosopher greatly yearned for the mythical times when gods and heroes acted, and therefore began to develop his ideas by analyzing ancient tragedy. In it he distinguished two principles, which he called Dionysian and Apollonian. These terms are very important to Nietzsche. His main ideas in the field of culture are connected precisely with these concepts. The Dionysian principle is an unbridled, passionate, irrational desire that does not obey any laws and is not limited by boundaries, coming from the depths of life itself. Apollonian is the desire to measure, to give everything shape and harmony, to streamline chaos. An ideal culture, as the philosopher believed, is one in which these tendencies are in harmonious interaction with each other, when there is a kind of balance. Such a model, according to Nietzsche’s thought, is pre-Socratic Greece. Then came the dictatorship of reason, the Apollonian principle eclipsed everything and became rational and logical, and the Dionysian principle was completely banished. Since then, culture has been taking leaps and bounds towards destruction, civilization is rotting, spiritual values ​​have no meaning, and all ideas have lost their meaning.

About religion: criticism of Christianity

Many popular phrases today belong to Nietzsche. His statements, such as “God is dead,” are still quoted in literature, in polemics, and even in Everyday life. But what is the meaning of the philosopher's attitude to religion? In various of his works, including the pamphlet “Antichristian,” Nietzsche reproaches this particular religion for the death of God. Modern churches, he says, have become His tombs. Christianity with its apology for the weak is to blame for everything. The compassion it preaches kills the will to live. It perverted the commandments of Christ. Instead of teaching people to act as the Teacher does, it only requires them to believe. Christ demanded not to judge people, but his followers do the exact opposite all the time. It radiates a hatred of life. It gave rise to the principle of equality before God, which socialists are now trying to introduce on earth. All Christian values ​​are vices, lies and hypocrisy. In fact, there is a fundamental inequality between people - some of them are masters by nature, while others are slaves. Christ in modern society would be considered an idiot. However, it cannot be said that Nietzsche was merciless towards other religions. For example, he considered Buddhism to be a model of successful teaching. However, many modern researchers believe that the thinker criticized not so much the foundations of Christianity as its modern institutionalized form.

Nietzsche's actual philosophy of life

These ideas can be briefly summarized as follows. The central concept of all his theories is the spontaneously becoming Being. Its essence is the “will to power,” which is a cosmic principle independent of the subject, a play of forces, energies and passions. All this arose from nothingness. But this game leads nowhere, it is meaningless, meaningless. Man, as a social being, seeks to consolidate his inherent “will to power”, constancy, and believes that this is possible. But these are groundless hopes. There is nothing permanent either in nature or in society. Our world itself is a lie that changes all the time. This tragic contradiction is revealed by Nietzsche. The philosophy of life is also based on the fact that people need illusion. The weak in order to survive, and the strong in order to rule. The philosopher often emphasizes this point. Life is not just existence. This is growth, strengthening, strengthening. If the will to power is absent, any Living being degrades.

About history

The philosopher proves this thesis by considering social development. Nietzsche, whose statements are very vivid and precise, and therefore often turned into aphorisms, came to the conclusion that civilization had put shackles on people. This, as well as public morality and prevailing Christian tradition They turned a person from a strong, strong-willed creature into some kind of sick paralytic. At the same time, Nietzsche emphasizes the mystery of history as a science. This phenomenon appears to him as something opposite to life and will, and even dangerous for them. But this is also a necessary phenomenon. Such a danger can paralyze a person, or it can stimulate his development. There are several types of understanding history. The philosopher calls one of them monumental. It uses superficial analogies with the past and can become a dangerous weapon in the hands of politicians. The second is “antique”. It consists of a tendentious selection of facts, far from analyzing the real meaning of events. And only the third - critical - is a real and practical method. He struggles with the past, which is always worthy of condemnation. These words of Nietzsche about the life of all humanity may seem terrible. But he just proposes an argument with the past as an equal opponent. This discussion will allow us to “master” history and put it at the service of life. Then it will be possible to both honor tradition and try to free ourselves from it.

About ethics

Nietzsche is often called the founder of nihilism. There is truth in this. However, we should not oversimplify Nietzsche. The philosophy of life suggests that nothing can be built on nihilism alone. We need to replace it with something. The basis of human life is will. Schopenhauer thought so. However, for him the concept of will means something universal, abstract. Nietzsche has a specific individual in mind. And the main driving force of man is the same “will to power.” It is its presence that can explain the behavior of most people. This basis of behavior is not a psychological, but rather an ontological phenomenon.

This is the basis of the philosopher’s teaching about the ideal, or about the superman. If life has unconditional value, then those most worthy of it strong people, in which the will to power is best realized. Such a person is a natural aristocrat, and therefore he is free from the false values ​​imposed on him by age and tradition, which represent good and evil. Nietzsche described his ideal in his famous work, Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Everything is permitted to such a person. After all, God is dead, as Nietzsche often argued. The philosophy of life, however, gives no reason to believe that the superman lacks ethics. He just has his own rules. This is a man of the future who transgresses ordinary nature and is capable of founding a new humanism. On the other hand, the philosopher was very critical of the next century and prophesied that “it will face such colic, in comparison with which the Paris Commune is just a slight indigestion.”

About eternal return

Nietzsche was sure that eras when such ideal people could manifest themselves already existed in history. First of all, this is the “Golden Age” of pre-Socratic antiquity and the Italian Renaissance. This also shows the benefits of history for life. What does it consist of? After all, as the philosopher believes, it leads society to degradation. But history is the guarantor of the “eternal return” of those very “golden eras” that, it would seem, have long since sunk into the past. Nietzsche was a supporter of the so-called mythological time, which involves the repetition of any significant events. The superman is a rebel and a genius who will smash the old slave morality. But the values ​​he created will again be frozen by categories and institutions, and will be replaced by the era of the dragon, which will again dominate the new man. And this will be repeated ad infinitum, but between these two extremes a “golden era” will exist for at least some time, for which it is worth living.

Style and popularity

For this you just need to read Nietzsche. Quotes from this amazing philosopher-prophet are so attractive because he is trying to break down outdated, from his point of view, moral foundations, revise generally accepted values, appeals to feelings, intuition, life experience, and historical reality. Of course, his works contain a lot of bravado, designed for external effect. Since he was a philologist, he was very concerned with the literary aspect of his works. They are very succinct, clear, and his statements are often provocative and unexpected. This is a very shocking and “literary” philosopher. But the words of Nietzsche, whose quotes (like “If you go to a woman, do not forget the whip,” “Push the falling one,” and others) are taken out of context, should not be taken literally. This philosopher requires a heightened understanding and attunement to a completely different universe than the one to which we are accustomed. It was this revolutionary nature of presentation that brought Nietzsche’s works such amazing popularity. His radical questioning of values ​​and the objectivity of truth caused many fierce discussions and comments during the thinker’s lifetime. The metaphorical nature and irony of his statements and aphorisms was difficult to surpass. However, many contemporaries, especially Russian philosophers, did not understand Nietzsche. They criticized him, reducing the thinker's ideas exclusively to the preaching of pride, atheism and self-will. In Soviet times, there was a widespread tendency to consider Nietzsche as the person who contributed to the emergence of the ideology of National Socialism. But all these reproaches towards the thinker do not have the slightest basis.

Followers

Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophy of life was expressed in chaotic, troubled writings. But she received a second wind, oddly enough, in the systematic logical reasoning and clear conclusions of Wilhelm Dilthey. It was he who put the philosophy of life founded by Nietzsche on a par with academic schools and forced leading scientists to take it into account. He brought all these chaotic ideas into system. Rethinking the theories of Schopenhauer, Nietzsche and Schleiermacher, Dilthey combined the philosophy of life with hermeneutics. It adds new meanings and interpretations developed by the German tragic genius theory. Dilthey and Bergson used the philosophy of life to create an alternative picture of the world to rationalism. And his ideas about individual overcoming values, structures and context had a strong influence on thinkers of the late twentieth and beginning of the XXI centuries who used his concepts as a starting point for their own theories.

The philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche is one of the most famous in the world. His main ideas are imbued with the spirit of nihilism and harsh, sobering criticism of the current situation in science and worldview. The brief includes several main points. We should start by mentioning the sources of the thinker’s views, namely, Schopenhauer’s metaphysics and Darwin’s law o Although these theories influenced Nietzsche’s ideas, he subjected them to serious criticism in his works. Nevertheless, the idea of ​​​​the struggle of the strongest and the weakest for existence in this world led to the fact that he was imbued with the desire to create a certain ideal of man - the so-called “superman”. Nietzsche's philosophy of life, briefly speaking, includes the principles that are described below.

Philosophy of life

From the point of view of the philosopher, life is given to the knowing subject in the form of the only reality that exists for a certain person. If you highlight the main idea, brief philosophy Nietzsche denies the identification of mind and life. The well-known statement is subject to severe criticism. Life is understood primarily as a constant struggle of opposing forces. Here the concept of will, namely the will to it, comes to the fore.

Will to power

In fact, Nietzsche’s entire mature philosophy comes down to a description of this phenomenon. Summary This idea can be summarized as follows. The will to power is not a banal desire for dominance, for command. This is the essence of life. This is the creative, active, active nature of the forces that make up existence. Nietzsche asserted will as the basis of the world. Since the entire universe is chaos, a series of accidents and disorder, it is she (and not the mind) that is the cause of everything. In connection with ideas about the will to power, the “superman” appears in Nietzsche’s writings.

Superman

He appears as a kind of ideal, a starting point around which Nietzsche’s brief philosophy is centered. Since all norms, ideals and rules are nothing more than a fiction created by Christianity (which inculcates slave morality and the idealization of weakness and suffering), the superman crushes them in his path. From this point of view, the idea of ​​God as the product of the cowardly and weak is rejected. In general, Nietzsche’s brief philosophy considers the idea of ​​Christianity as the implantation of a slave worldview with the goal of making the strong weak, and elevating the weak into an ideal. The superman, personifying the will to power, is called upon to destroy all this lies and pain in the world. Christian ideas are seen as hostile to life, as denying it.

True Being

Friedrich Nietzsche fiercely criticized the opposition of a certain “true” to the empirical. Supposedly there must be some better world, opposite to the one in which a person lives. According to Nietzsche, the denial of the correctness of reality leads to the denial of life, to decadence. This should also include the concept of absolute being. It does not exist, there is only the eternal cycle of life, countless repetitions of everything that has already taken place.

Animals