Nietzsche was the first of the Philosophers to actually face up to humanity's loss of faith in the transcendent, specifically God and religion. Prior to Nietzsche, and at the risk of oversimplification, all values, truth, and rationality has been received from and also built upon an agency outside of humanity.
For Nietzsche this transformation had its basis in "the death of God." The death of God had two dimensions. On the one hand the death of God was a cultural event, signifying the waning and demise of the "Christian moral" interpretation of life and of the world. As a cultural event, the death of God in Nietzsche's opinion, would lead to the emergence of nihilism having devastating effects upon culture.
On the other hand, the death of God was a philosophical development, signifying the abandoning of anything like the "God hypothesis." As a philosophical development, the death of God required a radical reconstruction of life, world, culture, human existence, values, and morality, which Nietzsche attempted to construct.
Related to both the cultural and philosophical concerns of the death of God, with Nietzsche there emerges a call for humanity to establish the foundation for these central elements to the human condition, which is "within."
In short, Nietzsche proposes that humanity establish its own values.
For many, this call is disturbing at the least and is impossible to confront.
Interestingly, Nietzsche was the son of a Luther minister. His attack on Christianity is said by many to be violent, hostile and dramatic. A reading of Nietzsche seems to confirm this observation. It should be remembered that Nietzsche's attack is not upon Christ, but upon Christianity.
He calls humanity to stand on its own feet with this previously adhered to religious dogma and he even goes so far as to call for a reevaluation of all values.
This Nietzschean call for a foundational shift is something to be appreciated.
