Jaspers sought to avoid the trap of citing pieces of Nietzsche's work to support and reinforce already-held opinions. Instead, he shows the range of Nietzsche's views - including his endorsement of war and warriors, his prophecies of world struggle and "new masters" and the arrogance of the supermen. Yet Jaspers finds Nietzsche's philosophy to be extraordinary, not only because he foresaw all the monstrosities of the 20th century, but also because he saw through them.

Karl Jaspers (1883-1969), a founder of existentialism, studied law and medicine at the University of Heidelberg in Germany, and received his M.D. in 1909. He taught psychiatry and philosophy at the University of Heidelberg, and philosophy at the University of Basel in Switzerland. His books include Psychology of World Views, and Philosophy.