ABSTRACT
Friedrich Nietzsche was born in Prussia in 1844. Nietzsche distinguished himself as a young scholar of classical philology. At 24 he was appointed to the faculty of the University of Basel. Nietzsche's interpretation of evil belongs in the twin contexts of his critique of all prior metaphysics, and of his development of the will to power as an explanatory principle. As students of graffiti know well enough, Nietzsche proclaimed that "God is dead." In lectures that provided one of the first sustained philosophical interpretations of Nietzsche's philosophy, Martin Heidegger declared that Nietzsche's announcement of the death of God amounted to "the end of metaphysics." Nihilism is the arena of what Nietzsche regards as the most noble, life-affirming person. Tragically, Nietzsche's critique of the Jews, and his celebration of violent conquerors, were both appropriated by twentieth-century racist movements, including the Nazis, to mobilize campaigns of murder.
