Friedrich Nietzsche

Question 1

Where and when was Friedrich Nietzsche born?

Answer 1

Nietzsche was born in Röcken, Prussia on October 15, 1844.

Question 2

What was Nietzsche’s profession before resigning due to health issues?

Answer 2

Nietzsche was a professor of classical philology at the University of Basel.

Question 3

Which book introduced Nietzsche’s concept of the ‘Übermensch’?

Answer 3

Thus Spoke Zarathustra.

Question 4

What famous declaration did Nietzsche make about God?

Answer 4

Nietzsche declared ‘God is dead.’

Question 5

Which of Nietzsche’s works critiques traditional morality and promotes individualism?

Answer 5

Beyond Good and Evil and On the Genealogy of Morality.

Question 6

In which year did Nietzsche suffer a complete mental breakdown?

Answer 6

1889.

Question 7

How did Nietzsche describe the driving force behind human behavior?

Answer 7

The ‘will to power’.

Question 8

Fill in the blank: Nietzsche’s critique of morality and religion came during the period of ______.

Answer 8

Secularization in Europe and the rise of industrialization.

Question 9

How did Nietzsche’s ideas influence psychology?

Answer 9

His concepts on human drives and the subconscious influenced thinkers like Freud and Jung.

Question 10

Which philosophers were influenced by Nietzsche’s existential ideas?

Answer 10

Philosophers such as Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus.

Question 11

What is Nietzsche’s critique of Enlightenment values based on?

Answer 11

He critiqued Enlightenment ideals of reason and progress, seeing them as insufficient to provide meaning.

Question 12

Why did Nietzsche criticize Christianity and nationalism?

Answer 12

He saw both as promoting ‘herd morality’ and undermining individual greatness.

Question 13

Which family member distorted Nietzsche’s writings after his death?

Answer 13

His sister, Elisabeth Förster-Nietzsche.

Question 14

What health issues plagued Nietzsche throughout his life?

Answer 14

Severe migraines, poor eyesight, and possibly syphilis.

Question 15

Fill in the blank: Nietzsche’s book The Birth of Tragedy explores the tension between ______ and ______ in Greek tragedy.

Answer 15

Rationality and emotion.

Question 16

What was Nietzsche’s relationship with Richard Wagner?

Answer 16

Nietzsche initially admired Wagner but later criticized him for anti-Semitism and nationalism.

Question 17

What major world event or ideology misinterpreted Nietzsche’s philosophy?

Answer 17

The Nazi regime misinterpreted his concept of the ‘Übermensch’ and twisted his writings.

Question 18

Who took care of Nietzsche during the last years of his life?

Answer 18

His mother and later his sister.

Question 19

Fill in the blank: Nietzsche is considered a precursor to ______ and ______ in philosophy.

Answer 19

Existentialism and postmodernism.

Question 20

What is the significance of Nietzsche’s statement ‘God is dead’?

Answer 20

It represents the decline of religious belief in modern society and the need for new values.

Question 21

What did Nietzsche mean by the term ‘Übermensch’?

Answer 21

A figure who creates their own values and lives beyond traditional morality.

Question 22

What significant event involving a horse marked Nietzsche’s mental collapse?

Answer 22

In 1889, Nietzsche threw his arms around a horse being whipped in Turin, Italy, and broke down in tears.

Question 23

Fill in the blank: Nietzsche rejected Schopenhauer’s pessimism and eventually developed a more ______ approach to life.

Answer 23

Life-affirming.

Question 24

What unique interest did Nietzsche pursue before philosophy?

Answer 24

Nietzsche briefly pursued a career in music and composed several pieces.

Question 25

Which of Nietzsche’s works focuses on the critique of Christian values?

Answer 25

On the Genealogy of Morality.

Question 26

How did Nietzsche refer to democracy, socialism, and nationalism in his work?

Answer 26

He referred to them as examples of ‘herd morality.’