Abstract

Discussing how Nietzsche influenced the philosophy of Maria Zambrano requires a review of both biographical and theoretical elements. To begin this analysis, first this article looks at how Nietzsche’s philosophy arrived on the Iberian Peninsula, and considers his link with Spanish realism, and his influence on Unamuno and Ortega y Gasset. In the second section, Nietzsche’s influence is considered in relation to biographical and theoretical antecedents in Maria Zambrano’s writings, in addition to looking at the role of Nietzschean images of the superman and the eternal return in her thought. A third section analyzes the expression “To say the people is to say Ecce homo” to discuss the type of democracy that Zambrano proposes. Finally, four areas showing Nietzsche’s influence on Zambrano’s thought are presented.