Friedrich Nietzsche (1844โ1900) was a German philosopher. Though he began his career as a classical philologist studying Greek and Roman texts, Nietzsche went on to publish numerous influential works critiquing contemporary society. Central to his philosophy are the death of religion in the modern world and the notion of overcoming a system of morality that is based on the dichotomy between good and evil. In 1889 Nietzsche suffered a breakdown that resulted in nearly complete mental incapacitation. He died in 1900.