ABSTRACT
National Socialism arose out of a philosophical climate, which was induced and directed by its intellectual life at the highest level. Of special significance was the philosophical community in providing a metaphysical framework for a movement like the Nazis to develop among the people. The most noteworthy philosopher in making the transition was Arthur Schopenhauer. In all this, Schopenhauer is following the basic concept of Gottfried Leibniz by seeing an invisible will or force acting in all of nature, except acting apart from the rational orchestration of God or a heaven of ideals. The metaphysics of voluntarism will lead many in Germany to conceive of life as a power play, which lies outside the traditional boundaries of rational ideals and moral standards. In 1872, Friedrich Nietzsche published his first important work, The Birth of Tragedy, while serving as a professor of classical philosophy in Basel.
