Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (/ˈniːtʃə, ˈniːtʃi/ NEE-chə, NEE-chee,[10] German: [ˈfʁiːdʁɪç ˈvɪlhɛlm ˈniːtʃə] ⓘ or [ˈniːtsʃə];[11][12] 15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher. He began his career as a classical philologist before turning to philosophy. He became the youngest person to hold the Chair of Classical Philology at the University of Basel in 1869 at the age of 24, but re