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Nietzsche was staunchly against nationalism, socialism, and Prussian militarism. Pretty much the anti-Hitler.


Nietzsche was also contemptuous of anti-Semitism. Like Machiavelli, his ideas and motivations were misunderstood and reduced to caricatures in the popular mind. It did not help that Elizabeth Nietzsche, his sister who survived him, was a fanatical supporter of Hitler, who edited his books to make them appear supportive of National Socialist ideology. For this reason, the older editions of Nietzsche's works available free online from such sites as Project Gutenberg are worthless.


He is one of those frequently quoted, rarely read, often misunderstood - and this association is unfortunate, unfair, and not accidental.


Sometimes I find this very depressing. Nietzsche's the rare philosopher who wrote very clearly. He spent his life struggling to be absolutely clear and make himself understood. But the vast majority of secondary literature is just completely wrong, sometimes to the point of almost being libelous - I have Bertrand Russel's section on him in a History of Western Philosophy in mind as an example.

The end result is that most people have no idea what Nietzsche thought and believed, but he gets held up as an example of something he spent his life fighting.


In Poland, there was a relatively famous historian of philosophy recommended to people interested in philosophy, Władysław Tatarkiewicz and his three tomes of Historia filozofii.

His chapter on Nietzsche was also just disastrous, while reading this, I had wondered whether he even knew who Nietzsche was.

So it's not just one time thing.

I remember reading that chapter - though I wish I had forgotten it. It made me look at Russell in a negative way.


Funny because Nietzsche eventually worked himself into such a state of opposition to prevailing German thought that he claimed to be descended from Polish nobles


He rails against Nihilism, but is the poster boy for being a nihilist.

Ironic.


Nietzsche's quest was to discover how to lead the good life despite the implications of nihilism.


https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1626069-4chan

I just can't help but share this meme from 4chan about Nietzche here.


If you stare too long into the abyss, the abyss stares back into you


His sister modified his works and tried to make it famous in Nazi Germany. This is the reason for the association.




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