Love Me If You Dare

Friedrich Nietzsche was a product of his time. His polemic essays were influenced by his upbringing and his early encounters with the most gifted minds of the 19th century. The Enlightenment was a point of no return. He was one complicated character, which might be one of the reasons why he had a mental breakdown.

The native of Röcken would turn 170 on October 15. And his works are still considered influential. So what makes him tick?

Rebel with a cause

"The unconscious disguise of physiological needs under the cloaks of the objective, ideal, purely spiritual goes to frightening lengths - and often I have asked myself whether, taking a large view, philosophy has not been merely an interpretation of the body, and a misunderstanding of the body."

- "The Science of Joy" (1886)

Perceptive readers would see Nietzsche's writings as an expression of rebellion. They would sympathize with him, even pity him. But the German wouldn't like any of it.

Nietzsche was four years of age when his father, a Protestant minister, passed away. Ludwig Joseph, his younger brother, died the following year. After living with his grandmother and aunts for a few years, the young Nietzsche moved to his own place with his mother and younger sister. He was brought up in an atmosphere of gloomy Lutheran piety, which would have a profound effect later in life. Then the chronic illnesses, which he contracted in the course of his time of serving in the Prussian forces during the Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871). He might've enjoyed life more if not for these circumstances.

From a twentieth-century viewpoint, Nietzsche's philosophy means what won't kill you makes you stronger.

Researcher Mark Seery, a psychologist at the University at Buffalo in the US, said: "A lot of ideas that seem like common sense aren’t supported by scientific evidence."

"Indeed, a lot of solid psychology research shows that having miserable life experiences is bad for you."

The philologist and philosopher is a testament to that. However, the events during the nineteenth century demands utmost seriousness.

Reason is dead

At the young age of 24, Nietzsche became professor of classical philology at the University of Basel. He didn't complete his doctorate, he didn't receive a teaching certificate either. It was also during this time when he declared himself a stateless citizen. Outside the hollowed grounds of the university, Europe was undergoing a transformation.

Prior to Nietzsche's time, the continent believed - and followed - the tight association of reason and divinity. It begun with Plato and carried through the Christian tradition (of the Eastern Roman Empire) until René Descartes in the 17th century. The Frenchman's scientific revolution, coupled with the Englightenment, pushed religion out of the picture. Then Nietzsche's writings became a word of mouth. It would be easy to brand him an atheist, which wasn't the case. One must look at his life to understand him. Then again, Nietzsche might be too hot to handle.