-
A Critique Of The Moral And Religious Nihilism In The Philosophy Of Freidrich Nietzsche
CHAPTER ONE -- [Total Page(s) 2]
Page 2 of 2
-
-
-
Purpose of study.
This project is necessary in the face of the
present-day unscrutinized quest for faith or religion. For this reason,
it will follow a thought-pattern that will argue for the credibility of
God and religion. Thus the major task of this work is to criticize
without reservation this religious and moral demise of Nietzsche and
restore the supreme value to its place in the world.
Scope of study.
This
work does not however guarantee to exhaust the rigorous arguments
concerning the existence of God. It does not even pretend to expose the
whole philosophical thought of Nietzsche. It will evaluate and criticize
Nietzsche’s arguments concerning the existence of God.
Method of study.
For
the purpose lucidity this work will be largely critical and expository.
More so, a brief historical survey of Nietzsche is adopted to bring to
limelight, his conception about God.
Division of work.
This
work is divided into four chapters. Apart from the introduction, the
first chapter will x-ray the meaning of nihilism for Nietzsche, and the
religion and its values as attacked and refuted by him. In chapter two,
we shall be exposing the nihilistic morality as presented by Nietzsche.
Chapter three centers on the remedies offered by Nietzsche as the ideal
value after his nihilism of supreme value. Chapter four will evaluate
Nietzsche’s philosophy of nihilism.
BRIEF PROFILE OF FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE
Friedrich
Wilhelm Nietzsche was born on October 15, 1844 at Bocken in the
province of Saxony. He was the son and grandson of Lutheran ministers.
His father died at the tender age of four and he grew up under the care
of his mother Fran Nietzsche and his sister, Elizabeth.
At the age of
fourteen, he was sent to the famous Pforta School where he studied
classics, religion and German literature. In 1864, he went to the
University of Bonn and studied theology. But having lost his faith in
Christian religion in 1865 he abandoned theological studies, left Bonn
and went to Leipzig where he studied philology. Here, also he came upon
Schopenhauer’s works, The World as Will and Idea, which had an influence
on him and confirmed his atheistic standpoint. He was also influenced
by the Wagnerian music he came in contact with.
His outstanding
intelligence merited him the appointment as a lecturer at the age of
twenty, and later at the age of twenty-four, was yet appointed to the
chair of classical philology at the university of Basal. He was at this
school until heath forced him to resign his professorship in 1879. It
was during this period that he came close to a relationship with Wagner
but thy later separated. From 1880 to 1889, he lived life of solitude.
He surprisingly became insane in 1889 and remained in that state of
mental and physical paralysis until his death on August 25, 1900 at the
of fifty-five.
Nietzsche was a prolific writer and wrote extensively
even while ill. His major works include: The Birth of Tragedy, which he
wrote in 1872. Between the periods of 1873 to 1876, he published the
Untimely Meditations and Human, All-to-Human. Then, again between the
periods of 1881 to 1887, he wrote these five books: The Dawn, The Gay
Science, Thus spoke Zarathusthra, Beyond Good and Evil and Genealogy of
Morals. In 1888, he yet produced these books: The Case of Wagner,
Twilight of Idols, Anti-Christ, Ecce Homo, Nietzsche contra Wagner and
completed work, The revaluation of all Values (The Will to Power).
[1] F.Nietzsche Thus Spoke Zarathustra, in the portable Nietzsche Trans., ed. W. Kaufmann, (New York: Viking, 1954), p115
CHAPTER ONE -- [Total Page(s) 2]
Page 2 of 2
-
