A fifth-century BCE Athenian philosopher criticized by Nietzsche for his focus on rationalism and dialectic, seen as contributing to cultural decline.

An Athenian philosopher whose theory of forms is critiqued by Nietzsche as devaluing the sensory world in favor of an imagined higher reality.

An 18th-century German philosopher whose work, according to Nietzsche, continues the Platonic tradition by proposing a true world beyond sensory experience.

A 19th-century German philosopher whose pessimistic worldview and emphasis on denial are opposed by Nietzsche’s philosophy of life affirmation.

An 18th- and 19th-century German writer admired by Nietzsche for his life and work that embody growth, self-cultivation, and affirmation of experience.

A pre-Socratic philosopher from Ephesus whom Nietzsche praises for affirming a world of perpetual change and rejecting static metaphysical concepts.

A fifth-century BCE Athenian historian lauded by Nietzsche for his realistic and unsentimental analysis of power and human nature.

An 18th-century Genevan philosopher criticized by Nietzsche for his idealism and moralism, which Nietzsche sees as expressions of ressentiment.

A historical figure presented by Nietzsche as an embodiment of the will to power and as an example of aristocratic instincts in action.