Homer and Classical Philology (Inaugural Lecture, Basel, 1869) - Friedrich Nietzsche

In Homer and Classical Philology , Friedrich Nietzsche reflects on the meaning, limits, and purpose of classical philology through one of its most enduring problems: the Homeric question. Rather than treating Homer simply as a historical author, Nietzsche examines how the name “Homer” became a cultural symbol, an aesthetic judgment, and a point of unity for a long tradition of epic poetry. The lecture explores the tensions between science, history, aesthetics, and education, arguing that philology must be more than technical scholarship or textual correction. It must also ask what we seek when we study antiquity, authorship, tradition, and beauty. Nietzsche challenges simplistic oppositions between folk poetry and individual genius, showing that great worksemerge through complex relations between creativity, transmission, and cultural memory. This text offers a powerful early statement of Nietzsche’s vision of philology as a discipline guided by philosophy, truth, and the search formeaning. Dr. Jorge Fymark Vidovic López https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8148-4403 https://www.edicionesclio.com/