The relationship between Schopenhauer and Nietzsche is fascinating, especially since they never actually met in person. Nietzsche was initially deeply influenced by Schopenhauer but eventually developed a profound philosophical break with him.

Their "break" wasn't a personal falling out but rather Nietzsche's intellectual evolution away from Schopenhauer's philosophy. Here's why and how it happened:

The initial attraction was powerful. When Nietzsche discovered Schopenhauer's "The World as Will and Representation" as a young student in 1865, he was captivated. Schopenhauer's atheism, pessimism, and focus on the irrational aspects of human experience resonated strongly with him, offering an alternative to the optimistic rationalism dominant in German philosophy.

The key reasons for their philosophical divergence:

Life-affirmation vs. pessimism : Schopenhauer viewed life as essentially suffering and advocated for the denial of the will through asceticism and aesthetic contemplation. Nietzsche eventually rejected this as life-denying nihilism. He developed his concept of amor fati ("love of fate") and the affirmation of life with all its suffering as a direct counter to Schopenhauer's pessimism.

Will to power vs. will to live : Nietzsche transformed Schopenhauer's concept of the "will to live" into his own "will to power" - a more creative, expansive force rather than just a blind drive for self-preservation.

Morality : Schopenhauer maintained a fairly conventional morality based on compassion despite his atheism. Nietzsche came to see this as another form of life-denying morality, leading to his critique of all traditional moral systems.

The role of art : While both valued art highly, Schopenhauer saw it as providing temporary escape from the will, whereas Nietzsche came to see art as the highest life-affirming activity.

Nietzsche clearly marks this break in his work "Human, All Too Human" (1878), where he starts to criticize many of Schopenhauer's core ideas. By "The Gay Science" (1882), he has moved decisively beyond Schopenhauer's influence, though he always maintained a certain respect for Schopenhauer as a philosophical predecessor who helped free him from conventional thinking.

Just a moment...