Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) was a German philosopher, cultural critic, and poet whose work left a profound imprint on modern intellectual history. Born on October 15, 1844, in Röcken, Prussia, Nietzsche was raised in a household steeped in religious tradition, which he would later come to question and critique. He demonstrated exceptional intellectual capabilities from a young age and went on to study classical philology at the University of Bonn and later at the University of Leipzig. Nietzsche's early career as a philologist was marked by his appointment as a professor at the University of Basel at the remarkably young age of 24. However, his burgeoning interest in philosophy soon overshadowed his philological work. His initial philosophical influences included Arthur Schopenhauer and Richard Wagner, although he would later distance himself from both. Nietzsche's philosophical journey is characterized by a profound skepticism of traditional values and moral systems, leading him to question foundational concepts of truth, morality, religion, and the nature of existence.