Seconde Considération intempestive: De l'utilité et de l'inconvénient des études historiques pour la vie

"[A]s long as the past is principally used as a model for imitation, it's always in danger of being a little altered & touched up & brought nearer to fiction. Sometimes there is no possible distinction between a "monumental" past & a mythical romance."--from The Use & Abuse of History One of the most controversial thinkers of the 19th century, Nietzsche's been vilified, lauded, variously interpreted, yet remains a profoundly important figure, his works a necessary component of a rounded education. This 1873 essay discusses the inevitably subjective lenses thru which we see, explore, examine & lend meaning to past events & characters. As we find ourselves plunged into times feeling of urgent historic significance, his reflections & speculations are newly provocative. Psychologist & philosopher Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844-1900) was made classical philology professor at the University of Basel at age 24. Dissatisfied with academics, he created an alternative intellectual society among friends like composer Richard Wagner, historian Jakob Burckhardt & theologian Franz Overbeck. His philosophical works include Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Beyond Good & Evil, Ecce Homo & The Anti-Christ.