ABSTRACT
Nietzsche was one of the most prominent of modern German philosophers, and he is considered the apostle of extreme modern rationalism and one of the founders of the socialistic school. The obituary also describes Nietzsche as largely influenced by the pessimism of Schopenhauer, without noting that the influence was primarily in the form of defining a position against which he reacted. It also tells the reader, falsely, that Nietzsche was of Slavonic ancestry and that he lost his parents early in life. It describes his field of study as Oriental languages, and attributes his death to apoplexy and his early retirement to "an affection of the brain and eyes" brought on by overwork. By the end of World War II, Nietzsche's association in popular consciousness with the Nazis made it hard enough to discuss his philosophy in polite academic circles, even without delving into his illiberal and disturbing ethical views.
