“We have art in order not to die of the truth.”
Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich Nietzsche is one of those philosophers you hear about and think, “Oh, he’s probably super boring and complicated,” but then you actually read about him, and he’s kind of fascinating. Like, first of all, he’s basically the original edgy thinker. Born in 1844 in Germany, Nietzsche’s whole vibe was questioning pretty much everything people believed in, especially stuff like religion and morality. He didn’t just question things to be a rebel, though—he was genuinely trying to figure out how people could live their best, most authentic lives.
One of his most famous ideas is the whole “God is dead” thing, which, yeah, sounds super dramatic. But what he meant wasn’t that some higher power literally died. He was saying that, in modern society, people were moving away from traditional religious values, and that left a big void. Like, if people aren’t using religion to guide their lives, then what do they use? He thought people needed to create their own values and meaning, which is actually kinda inspiring, right? Like, take charge of your life and figure out what really matters to you.
Nietzsche was also all about this idea of the “Übermensch,” or “overman.” It’s not as weird as it sounds. He was basically describing a person who rises above the usual way of thinking and creates their own path. To me, it’s like saying, don’t just follow the crowd—be bold and live your truth, even if it’s hard. That said, people have totally twisted this idea over the years, which sucks because Nietzsche wasn’t about hate or superiority.
Oh, and here’s a fun fact: he had a pretty tragic life. He was super smart and wrote a ton of books, but he was sick a lot, struggled with mental health, and died in 1900. Still, his work didn’t get big until after he died, which is so typical, right?
Honestly, Nietzsche makes you think about stuff in a deeper way—like, why do we believe what we believe? Are we living authentically, or are we just following rules society handed us? I’m not saying he’s easy to read (some of it is so dense), but his ideas feel surprisingly modern, even if they’re over 100 years old.
