"Nietzsche regarded 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra' as his most important work. It describes how the ancient Persian prophet Zarathustra descends from his solitude in the mountains to tell the world that God is dead and that Superman, the human embodiment of divinity, is his successor. Nietzsche uses a mixture of parables, epigrams and dreams to introduce some of his most striking doctrines, including nihilism and the eternal return of the same. With blazing intensity and poetic brilliance, Nietzsche argues that the meaning of existence is not to be found in religious pieties or meek submission to authority, but in an all-powerful life force: passionate, chaotic and free. Regarded as one of the most profound German philosophers, Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) is popularly considered a cultural critic and philologist whose work exerted a scholarly influence on modern intellectual history. His intellectual works focus on widespread themes such as religion, morality, philosophy, and science. Prominent elements of his philosophy include his radical critique of truth, a genealogical criticism of religion, and Christian morality. His body of work touched a wide range of topics, including art, philology, history, music, tragedy, and culture, most of which drew inspiration from Greek tragedy."