In the spirit of “eternal recurrence,” it seems fitting to follow the account of Nietzsche’s death with a look back at his youth. The Making of Friedrich Nietzsche , written by Daniel Blue , was published in 2016. It offers many insights into Nietzsche’s student years prior to his professorship at Basel. Most of this information was previously unavailable to me when I started this philosophical biography back in 2008. As such, it is a welcome resource peering into the formative years of his mind and personality. For all the discuss ion about the impact that the death of Nietzsche’s father had on his youth, Blue reveals that Nietzsche, being so young, barely knew his father. The larger impact was made by the expectations Nietzsche’s family placed upon him in light of his father’s religious calling. More specifically, it was Nietzsche’s mother who impacted his preschool youth more than any other singular force. Blue’s discussion of this reveals ...
This blog is intended to be read in reverse order. That is, the most distant entry first. Friedrich Nietzsche offers possibly the best insights on how to posture and express one's life. His life's work was devoted to finding one's "style" within the chaos of existence. The trick, obivously, is not to lose your mind in the process. The title of this blog is explained in the February 29, 2012 post.