On the Use and Abuse of History for Life Author:Friedrich Nietzsche On the Use and Abuse of History for Life, 1874 (Vom Nutzen und Nachteil der Historie für das Leben) offers - instead of the prevailing view of "knowledge as an end in itself" - an alternative way of reading history, one where living life becomes the primary concern; along with a description of how this might improve the health of a society. It a... more »lso introduced an attack against the basic precepts of classic humanism.« less