Photo by Rebecca Melton
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) was a German philosopher and composer. Nietzsche was the most influential modern thinkers and attempted to upend traditional Western religion, morality, and philosophy. He strongly protested nationalism, anti-Semitism, and he was an all around skeptic on power politics. Nietzsche published many books containing his philosophy, speaking out in dark times. At age 24, Nietzsche became a professor of classical philology at the University of Basel. Nietzsche broke boundaries and became one of the youngest professors the University of Basel had ever seen. Unfortunately, as life continued on, Nietzsche slowly became overwhelmed by mental illness. Nietzsche kept his convictions until his death, writing out letters wishing for the abolishment of fascists. Nietzsche died in 1900 after having two strokes that completely paralyzed him.