FRIEDERICH NIETZSCHE AND HIS PHILOSOPHIES Friederich Nietzsche was born in 1844 in the Prussian province of Saxony. He was the offspring of a long line of clergymen including his father, who was the pastor of a Lutheran congregation. His childhood was consumed with the haunting death of his father and, soon after, brother. After enrolling in school, he suffered from intense, painful headaches and myopia which caused burning sensations and blurred vision. This may have been syphilis and it may have been contracted from his father who had shown similar symptoms. In 1858, he enrolled in the prestigious Pforte boarding school. His illness continued to plague him, resulting in several “pilgrimages” to the sanitarium yet, he was able to form a group called Germania, which was devoted to the continuing study of “intellectual subjects.” He delivered impressive lectures on subjects ranging from Nordic legends to German poetry. Shortly before graduation, he made the decision to study philology due to his intrigue of it’s emphasis on analysis and logic.It was after he left the University of Bonn that Nietzsche’s life took a significant course. After acquiring a massive debt at Bonn, Nietzsche left for Leipzig for a more affordable solution to a quality education. There, he discovered Arthur Schopenhauer’s The World as Will and Representation. In his work, Schopenhauer declared that conflict and suffering were the purpose of life. This predilection intrigued Nietzsche. He (Nietzsche) soon developed a routine of little rest and an excess of study. It was then that he had decided to become a philologist and the world became introduced to his philosophies.Sometimes philosophy is called "timeless," implying that it's lessons are of value to any generation. This may be hard to see in Nietzsche's work; but, we are assured that it was appropriate thought for his time. However, even Nietzsche's critics admit tha...
