Zur beanspruchten Eigenständigkeit Friedrich Nietzsches gegenüber Paul Rée. Ein Versuch

Abstract Before the study deals with the subject of Paul Rée’s possible influence on Friedrich Nietzsche, a biographical and work-historical sketch of Paul Rée is given, based primarily on archive material, which corrects a number of errors. The question of influence has two dimensions: one of content, and one of method, which Rée uses when he wants to turn moral philosophy into a science with the help of Charles Lyell’s book on geology. The study comes to the conclusion that Rée’s influence on Nietzsche is not insignificant, even if there are voices (Montinari, Gerhardt) that can certainly understand Nietzsche’s assertion that he was an independent thinker. Nietzsche’s treatise on the Genealogy of Morals , in which he decisively rejects Rée’s influence, is appreciated by Max Weber because of the concept of ressentiment used there, even if he is critical of it.