Philosophical Influences on Nietzsche: Schopenhauer, Kant, and Wagner

Art, Aesthetic Intuition, and Intellectual Knowledge

Unlike Schopenhauer, Nietzsche emphasizes the individual. Schopenhauer adopts the Kantian distinction between phenomenon and noumenon, establishing an empirical world and a "real" one, whose essence is the will.

• For Schopenhauer, all desire is "by nature pain."
• Suffering is the engine of life.
• The will is energy, manifested in everything through a process of "participation," where everything is individualized yet part of a universal single will.

This concept remains one of the major influences on Nietzsche.

Scientific Influence

Nineteenth-century philosophy was heavily influenced by biology, the science of life. Vitalism is a philosophy that establishes life as the supreme value, reacting against systems that stifle it. Historicism emerges from history as a science, reacting against specific conceptions of human culture.

Vitalism and historicism oppose certain interpretations of life and history:

• Vitalism: Reacts against forces that stifle life, where life loses its primary property and becomes merely a mechanical force.
• Historicism: Opposes positivism, aiming to claim scientific status and methodology for disciplines dealing with human beings.

Kant's Influence on Nietzsche

Nietzsche appreciates the discovery of the subjectivity of time, space, and causation, which reveals the illusory nature of the "real" world. While he coincides with Kant's desire to dismantle traditional metaphysics, he realizes Kant did not truly wish to deny the metaphysical realm. Nietzsche accuses Kant of being tempted by it, calling him not only misleading but a liar. In his work, Nietzsche discredits both Kant's philosophy and his character, criticizing him for being a "teacher."

Wagner's Influence on Nietzsche

Nietzsche was initially seduced by Wagner and his music, viewing him as the prototype of the artist and the hope of the "free spirit." However, with the work Parsifal, Nietzsche became disappointed, as he felt it represented a Christian farce, leading him to break ties with the composer.

Other Influences

Stirner influenced Nietzsche in his defense of individualism and liberalism. Literarily, he was influenced by Goethe, Heine, Dostoyevsky, Voltaire, and Stendhal.

Current Philosophical Historicism and Vitalism

These movements developed throughout the nineteenth century and the first quarter of the twentieth. Both share a focus on life but approach it from different perspectives. Nietzsche's thought, much like that of Unamuno, can be seen as a tragic form of the philosophy of life. The goal is not to determine what is objectively true or false, but to determine what is true for life itself.