Although nineteenth century German philosopher, Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche only lived for the first year of the twentieth century, the influence he exerted in it was great. Born in 1844 in Röcken, modern-day Germany, Nietzsche’s work did not achieve much significance during his own lifetime. However, after his death in 1900, his work rose to prominence and left a substantial impact on public thought within the twentieth century. Greatness, therefore for the purpose of this essay will be defined as the quality of having a significant and lasting influence on many facets of society. It will be argued that Nietzsche’s greatness within the twentieth century was the result of his influence on thought in the era, specifically in the fields of philosophy,
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Nietzsche frequently challenged the foundations of the Christian faith and resented Christianity due to his belief that it protected people from their envy (School of Life, 2014). Christians, Nietzsche proclaimed, desired the real elements of fulfilment in life, such as status, sex, intellect and creativity, however were too incompetent to attain them (School of Life, 2014). As a result, the Christian tradition made suffering tolerable by constructing it as God’s will (Magnus, 2016). This belief led Nietzsche to write in his work, the Twilight of the Idols (1888) that there had been “two great narcotics in European civilisation: Christianity and alcohol.” (School of Life, …show more content…
Nietzsche had a significant occurrence in Camus’ two primary theoretical works: The Myth of Sisyphus (1942) and The Rebel (1951). In these works, the problem of nihilism is explored from an individual and collective perspective respectively. In both of these works the source of Camus’ understanding of nihilism stems from Nietzsche (Woodward, 2014). In addition, the conclusion of The Myth of Sisyphus reflects Nietzsche’s concept of eternal return. Similarly, many Nietzchean themes are present within Camus’s plays and novel (Woodward, 2014). The influence of Nietzsche’s work on notable twentieth century philosophers and philosophical writers shows his impact on the field of philosophy and therefore his
Nietzsche frequently challenged the foundations of the Christian faith and resented Christianity due to his belief that it protected people from their envy (School of Life, 2014). Christians, Nietzsche proclaimed, desired the real elements of fulfilment in life, such as status, sex, intellect and creativity, however were too incompetent to attain them (School of Life, 2014). As a result, the Christian tradition made suffering tolerable by constructing it as God’s will (Magnus, 2016). This belief led Nietzsche to write in his work, the Twilight of the Idols (1888) that there had been “two great narcotics in European civilisation: Christianity and alcohol.” (School of Life, …show more content…
Nietzsche had a significant occurrence in Camus’ two primary theoretical works: The Myth of Sisyphus (1942) and The Rebel (1951). In these works, the problem of nihilism is explored from an individual and collective perspective respectively. In both of these works the source of Camus’ understanding of nihilism stems from Nietzsche (Woodward, 2014). In addition, the conclusion of The Myth of Sisyphus reflects Nietzsche’s concept of eternal return. Similarly, many Nietzchean themes are present within Camus’s plays and novel (Woodward, 2014). The influence of Nietzsche’s work on notable twentieth century philosophers and philosophical writers shows his impact on the field of philosophy and therefore his