He was born in Saratov, the son of a priest. After graduating from St. Petersburg University in 1850, he taught school. From 1853 to 1862, he was the chief editor of Sovremennik (Contemporary). In 1862, he was arrested and exiled to Siberia, where he spent most of the rest of his life.
Chernyshevsky was a founder of Narodism, Russian populism, and agitated for the revolutionary overthrow of the autocracy and the creation of a socialist society. He thought of creating socialism based on the old peasant commune.
Chernyshevsky's ideas were heavily influenced by Herzen, Belinsky, and Feuerbach. Philosophically, he was a materialist.
He saw class struggle as the means of society's forward movement and advocated for the interests of the working people. In his view, the masses were the chief maker of history.