Appendix to the Public Lectures
GA 85
4 July 1900, Berlin
Translated by Steiner Online Library
43. Friedrich Nietzsche as a Philosopher and Poet
[ 1 ] On Saturday, the Association for the Promotion of the Arts had organized a Nietzsche memorial service in the Civic Hall of City Hall, which proceeded in a dignified and beautiful manner. The program opened with a harmonium prelude to “Tristan and Isolde.” Dr. Rudolf Steiner then took the floor to present a portrait of Friedrich Nietzsche as a philosopher and poet. The speaker’s insightful remarks can be briefly summarized as follows: Any assessment of Nietzsche must, above all, be based on the disharmony of his mind and the man’s split personality, which best explains why Nietzsche, as a human being, was and remained the very opposite of his philosophical theories. Furthermore, one must acknowledge that Nietzsche was not a herald of a new worldview, just as he was not a prophet and did not reveal new ideas. His work consisted solely of deepening and refining existing ideas and views. – This lecture was followed by various recitations of Nietzsche’s poetry; a harmonium performance brought the celebration to a close.