Friedrich Nietzsche
Dare to question the obvious.
A philologist turned philosopher, Nietzsche examines the history of our values and the forces animating them. His writing changes form to unsettle certainties: aphorism, inquiry, poetry and provocation open new ways of thinking about life.
Are the values directing your life really the ones you want to defend?
Biography
Friedrich Nietzsche is born in Röcken, Prussia, into a pastor’s family. Trained in classical philology, he gradually turns his engagement with ancient texts into an inquiry into European culture. Much of his intellectual life takes place outside the university, amid ill health, travel and a still limited reception of his books.
02 /Philosophy
A value is not explained merely because it seems obvious to us. Nietzsche asks under what conditions it formed, which affects sustain it and what kinds of life it encourages. This inquiry shifts the question: judging by a morality is no longer enough; the value of that morality must itself be examined.
03 /Reading guides
Original introductions to enter the works, discover their central questions and take the reflection further.
04 /Bibliography
Works, testimonies and further readings are distinguished. Dates refer to composition or first publication, as specified in each entry.
A first reading.
When certainties begin to shift
Approach The Gay Science as a laboratory: learn to question your certainties without confusing clarity, cynicism and withdrawal from life.
The Gay ScienceWhere do our values come from?
Follow the three inquiries of On the Genealogy of Morality: how history, affects and relations of power enter into our evaluations.
On the Genealogy of MoralityEntering a demanding fable
Read Thus Spoke Zarathustra beyond its famous formulas: a work of transformation, solitude and returns to the world.
Thus Spoke Zarathustra