A "grand declaration of war," this 1888 polemic examines what we worship and why. Intended by Nietzsche as an introduction to his philosophy, it assails "idols" of Western philosophy and culture.
German philosopher Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844-1900) ranks among the most influential of modern thinkers. His explorations of the motives underlying Western philosophy, religion, and morality have exercised a profound effect on generations of writers, theologians, philosophers, and psychologists. Although Nietzsche was strongly opposed to nationalism and anti-Semitism, his works were appropriated by Fascists to support the very concepts he deplored.
