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'''Friedrich Nietzsche''' (1844-1900) was a [[Germany|German]] [[atheism|atheist]] philosopher whose work set in motion the [[existentialism]] movement of the 1900's.<ref>[http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/nietzsche/ Stanford's Biography on Nietzsche]</ref> Nietzsche was critical of religion in general, though especially Christianity, which he described as the "religion of pity."<ref>[http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Friedrich_Nietzsche/ Nietzsche Quotations]</ref> Nietzsche is famous for his statement that “God is dead.”  Nietzsche criticized Western democracy, preferring instead rule by elitist groups who could become almost superhuman through effort and courage. Nietzsche suffered a mental collapse (probably brought on by syphilis) in 1889, and spent the last ten years of his life unable to care for himself. His sister, an anti-Semite and Nazi supporter, began editing many of his works during this time, simply excising portions that did not fit with Nazi ideology. Hitler began promoting a seriously altered version of Nietzsche's social philosophy after [[World War I]] based largely on these changes, seeking to encourage fascist self-esteem in the German people. Nietzsche himself was not an anti-Semite, however, and would have criticized fascism and Nazi Germany just as strongly as Western democracy.

'''Friedrich Nietzsche''' (1844-1900) was a [[Germany|German]] [[atheism|atheist]] philosopher whose work set a foundation the [[existentialism]] movement of the 1900's.<ref>[http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/nietzsche/ Stanford's Biography on Nietzsche]</ref> Nietzsche was critical of religion in general, though especially Christianity, which he described as the "religion of pity."<ref>[http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Friedrich_Nietzsche/ Nietzsche Quotations]</ref> Nietzsche is famous for his statement that “God is dead.”  Nietzsche criticized Western democracy, preferring instead rule by elitist groups who could become almost superhuman through effort and courage. Nietzsche suffered a mental collapse (probably brought on by syphilis) in 1889, and spent the last ten years of his life unable to care for himself. His sister, an anti-Semite and Nazi supporter, began editing many of his works during this time, simply excising portions that did not fit with Nazi ideology. Hitler began promoting a seriously altered version of Nietzsche's social philosophy after [[World War I]] based largely on these changes, seeking to encourage fascist self-esteem in the German people. Nietzsche himself was not an anti-Semite, however, and would have criticized fascism and Nazi Germany just as strongly as Western democracy.

The statement "God is dead" was popularized in 1965 when Time Magazine published an issue containing these words in large type on its front cover. A popular joke of the 1960s was:

The statement "God is dead" is often taken out of context.  Originally, it appeared in Nietzsche's "The Gay Science."  The story was of a mad man entering a church in day light, a lantern held aloft in his hand, telling everyone that he was looking for God. They laughed at him asking if God was lost. He told them that he was looking because "God is Dead" and every church his tomb. The man was upset, going on about how the death of God meant the lose of all meaning, as though some one had wiped away the horizon and taken the back drop away from existence.

 

:"''God is dead.''"&mdash;Nietzsche

:"''Nietzsche is dead.''"&mdash;God

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