Arthur Schopenhauer

Arthur Schopenhauer

Philosopher of Will and Representation

Biography

Born: February 22, 1788, Danzig, Royal Prussia (now Gdańsk, Poland)

Died: September 21, 1860 (aged 72), Frankfurt, Free City of Frankfurt (now Germany)

Nationality: German

Era: 19th-century philosophy

School: Post-Kantianism, Philosophical pessimism, Voluntarism

Main Interests: Metaphysics, Ethics, Aesthetics, Epistemology

Arthur Schopenhauer was a German philosopher. He is best known for his 1818 work Die Welt als Wille und Vorstellung (The World as Will and Representation), which characterizes the phenomenal world as the product of a blind and insatiable metaphysical will. Building on Immanuel Kant's transcendental idealism, Schopenhauer developed an atheistic metaphysical and ethical system that rejected the contemporaneous ideas of German idealism. He was among the first Western thinkers to share and affirm significant tenets of Indian philosophy, such as asceticism, self-abnegation, and the notion of the world as appearance. His work has been described as a prime example of philosophical pessimism.

Key Contributions

  • The World as Will and Representation: His magnum opus, arguing that reality is fundamentally the "Will" – a striving, irrational force – and that the world we perceive is merely its "representation."
  • Philosophical Pessimism: Unlike many Enlightenment thinkers, Schopenhauer believed that suffering is inherent to existence and that happiness is merely the fleeting absence of pain.
  • Aesthetics: Art provides a temporary escape from the suffering of the Will, offering a disinterested contemplation of Platonic Forms.
  • Ethics of Compassion: While generally pessimistic, he advocated for compassion as a means to alleviate suffering, stemming from the recognition of the Will's unity in all beings.
  • Influence on various fields: His ideas deeply influenced art, literature, psychology (Freud), and philosophy (Nietzsche, Wittgenstein).

Brief Autobiographical Sketch

Younger Arthur Schopenhauer

Though Schopenhauer never wrote a formal autobiography, his extensive correspondence and notes provide insights into his life and character. Born into a wealthy merchant family, he inherited a substantial fortune, which allowed him to pursue a life of independent scholarship without the need for an academic position. He was a solitary figure, often critical of his philosophical contemporaries and the academic establishment. His relationships were often strained, and he struggled for recognition for much of his life. It was only later in his life that his work began to gain significant attention and acclaim, particularly after the publication of his essays in Parerga and Paralipomena. He lived a disciplined life, dedicating himself to study, writing, and his beloved poodles, often seeing human society as a source of vexation rather than joy. He found solace in art, music, and the contemplation of philosophical truths.

Ten Popular Quotes

Schopenhauer with a book
  1. "Man can do what he wills but he cannot will what he wills."
  2. "Compassion is the basis of morality."
  3. "Life is a pendulum that swings back and forth between pain and boredom."
  4. "Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see."
  5. "To deny the Will is to deny suffering."
  6. "Every man takes the limits of his own field of vision for the limits of the world."
  7. "Optimism is, in essence, a treacherous doctrine."
  8. "There is only one inborn mistake in us, and that is the notion that we exist in order to be happy."
  9. "Mostly it is loss which teaches us about the worth of things."
  10. "Pleasure is nothing else than the sudden cessation of pain."