Summary

Human, All Too Human (1878) marks the point whereNietzsche abandons German romanticism for the FrenchEnlightenment. At a moment of crisis in his life (no longer afriend of Richard Wagner, forced to leave academic lifethrough ill health), he sets out his views in a scintillating andbewildering series of aphorisms which contain the seeds of hislater philosophy (e.g. the will to power, the need to transcendconventional Christian morality). The result is one of thecornerstones of his life's work. It well deserves its subtitle 'ABook for Free Spirits', and its original dedication to Voltaire,whose project of radical enlightenment here finds a newchampion.Beyond Good and Evil (1886) is a scathing and powerful critiqueof philosophy, religion and science. Here Nietzsche presents uswith problems and challenges that are as troubling as they areinspiring, while at the same time outlining the virtues, ideas,and practices which will characterise the philosophy of thefuture. Relentless, energetic, tirelessly probing, he bothdetermines that philosophy's agenda and is himself theembodiment of the type of thought he wants to foster.