Since we haven't read biographical material about Nietzsche yet, I decided to blog about his background. Nietzsche, widely renowned for his influence upon existentialism and nihilism, and often considered one of the most famous 19
th century philosophers, was born on October 15, 1884 in a small town in
Prussia. In fact, his parents named him after King Frederick William IV of
Prussia, who turned forty nine on the day of the philosopher’s birth. In 1864, Nietzsche became a theology student at the
University of Bonn. However, he soon lost his faith and then changed his course of study to philosophy. Although Nietzsche wanted to serve in the
Prussian artillery unit, a riding accident and his poor health prevented it. Over the next several years of his life, he served as a professor of classical philosophy at the
University of Basel, despite his young age. However, because the state of his health continued to worsen, he was forced to resign from this position. At this point, Nietzsche traveled across
Europe, formed relationships with other philosophers, and accomplished most of his writing. On January 3, 1889, he suffered a mental breakdown and was sent to a clinic in
Jena. Although his mental illness was originally diagnosed as tertiary syphilis, it is highly debated by historians. In fact, many argue that his mental illness was related to his philosophy. Nietzsche suffered two strokes the year before his death that left him nearly paralyzed, and he finally died in 1900 of a stroke that was brought on by pneumonia.
Do you all think his mental illness could have been related to his philosophy?
6 comments:
I think this biographical information sheds light on Nietzsche's writings and philisophical views. I believe his mental illness could be linked to his philosophy since he seems to question and challenge everything in his environment, probably causing him to become hopeless and depressed. Since emotions impact the physical body, his anguish could have caused him to suffer from not only a mental illness, but also strokes and ultimately his death.
Thanks for the information, Samantha. Learning about his background helps to understand the influence on his works. I think his mental illness definitely helped him reach his profound state of mind. Many songwriters say that their creative energy is greatest when they are in times of stress or despair. I think Nietzsche's mental instability, from society's perspective, actually brought him to a higher functioning state of mind, a mental super-stability.
I definitely believe that Nietzche's philosophical beliefs affected his mental stability. He questioned forms of existence, organized religion, the conscious mind, and human spirit on several levels. Neitzche probably became so enveloped in his work that it led to his mental illness and distancing from society.
I thoroughly believe that Nietzsche's mental state contributed to his philosophy and vice versa. I feel like even discussing his philosophy in class forces me to use a different part of my brain, since it's something I would have never thought of on my own. I think Chrissy makes a great point, that many songwriters are often inspired by life struggles. Other artists are affected by mental instablility as well, like choreographers.
I definitely think Nietzche's philosophies relate with his sickness. So far in high school many of the writers we have read have been in some sickened state while writing. I'm sure Nietzche was in immeasurable pain and this effected his demeanor which ultimately cuased his attitude towards life. Also, many writers get inspiration from their sicknesses. At the end of their lives, writers like Nietzsche, Keats and Milton found a need to contribute something to humanity and therefore wrote marvelous works.
It's hard to not believe that the two aren't intimately related. Philosophy comes from the mind, and if the mind isn't working right, it is quite possible that the philosophy that comes out is just as mingled and convoluted. But I have to give Nietzsche credit for coming up with ground-breakingly new concepts, especially perspectivism, which I feel a lot of people take for granted as a school of philosophy in the modern world.
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