The Philosophy Now Forum

I can't name any philosophers who readily come to mind who collapsed into insanity in their later years, other than Nietzsche. What are we to make of that? What caused Nietzsche to go insane? Was it some aspect of his philosophy or beliefs (as some claim), or was it solely to do with contracting a physiological ailment, as others seem to maintain (though perhaps not syphilis, which some make a case can be ruled out)?

He didn't go cuckoo, even in the end. That spaced out behavior was the product of a blend of physical disease (I've read all the theories... he had something), frustration with having to deal with it ("it's my dog... faithful and always by my side" - N (paraphrasing), and general intellectual disappointment with a lotta shit. Lonely, too. He wasn't solitary by nature... that was a little lie. He would rather be in the company of others, but he's so specific - himself and about others - that he has trouble hollerin at people. And what would his peer group be if he was a retired professor traveling around and boarding up in random towns? Where would he go to hang out? Loiter around the nearest university? All he really did was chill in little cafes all day as far as i know. This was his mid forties, obviously.

'Insane' is good for his PR and book sales, but he didn't really go insane. I've not heard any account of irrational behavior, but for the horse event... and I'm not sure that was cuckoo either. I think he was being dramatic and weird, not crazy. He was an eccentric dude before the sickness started wearing on em. As a kid in theology school, the young Fritz would impress his classmates by letting matches burn out in the palms of his hands. He was a real chad as a kid and during his tenure and even almost hooked up with Wagner's wife (that's my theory). We also know he was a chad because Lou wouldn't have fucked with em if he wasn't. Lou wasn't your ordinary gal, Gary. She was like a Russian intellectual Bonnie looking for her Clyde. Fritz was just too.... what's the words... philosophically harsh and imposing. What prolly happened was he and Lou would have their deep convos, and Lou would become a little too thrilled with life so Fritz would feel philosophically obligated to rain on her parade. His thing was if you didn't have the hardest, coldest views you were a pussy. So, when Lou got all jumpity and wanted to dance with Fritz on the hill with the flowers, he would be like, "Be weary of those with light feet and lofty ideals. Many of them dance to avoid themselves; pessimists who have grown to tired to stay still" or something cool like that. Then Lou would by like "But Freeeedrich... why are you always so gloomy?"

Eventually, this got to Lou, and even though Fritz was a chad, he just lost a lot of the boyish flippancy that would impress a Russian deva like Lou. His sickness could also be having some effect in this kind of behavior. His brain might be turning into a brain that can't have happy thoughts... or the headaches may be too bad to wanna chat about how great life is.