For Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860), creativity is the key element in genius. However, Schopenhauer defined creativity in an usual way. He wasn’t referring to the ability to create new concepts by recombining existing ones. No, he was referring to the rare ability to come up with breakthrough, surprising ideas.
His theory of the will (life force) doesn’t attribute creativity to nature. Schopenhauer viewed the will as a wild, blind force that drives all living creatures to secure their reproduction and survival, and seek short-term pleasure regardless of the cost.
In his book “The world as will and representation” (1818), Schopenhauer emphasized the need for reason, creativity, and self-discipline to escape the dire influence of the will.
Schopenhauer rated creativity as important as all other skills derived from human intelligence. Creativity has little value in the absence of prudence, foresight, self-discipline, self-reliance and purposefulness.
Schopenhauer’s path to creativity and genius
When virtues are practised in unison, they produce sizeable benefits, noted Schopenhauer. The problem is that few people have the motivation and endurance to keep practising virtue in the face of short-term failure.
Creativity is the opposite of the will because it pushes in the opposite direction. While the will leads to deep chaos, entropy, disorder and suffering, creativity creates order, purpose, clarity and harmony. Creativity is the ultimate antidote to suffering.
According to Schopenhauer, self-awareness is the first step to minimize the negative effects of the will. How can one grow self-aware? You need to stand still and observe. Stop striving, running and chasing. Stop reacting automatically. Slow down.
After becoming self-aware, one needs to adopt measures to curtail the influence of the will. Are you pursing objectives that you have not chosen yourself? Are you implementing projects that have few chances of success?
Schopenhauer’s books “Parerga and Paralipomena” (1851) and “Two fundamental problems in ethics” (1843) encourage readers to cultivate prudence, foresight, purposefulness, self-discipline and self-reliance.
Creativity and genius constitute the result of daily, relentless self-discipline. They are the result of sustained efforts to create order mentally and practically, emotionally and intellectually.
Workability of Schopenhauer’s views on genius
Unfortunately, Schopenhauer incurred inconsistencies in his definition of genius. He was aware of the tremendous efforts it takes to conceive an original painting, sculpture or building. In the case of music and literature, it takes many years to develop composition skills.
Schopenhauer’s errors in this field are inexcusable because he should have known better. He was right in pointing out that geniuses possess high intuitive perception and creativity, but completely wrong in theorizing that geniuses “tap the essence of the will.”
Without stating it openly, Schopenhauer is restoring Plato’s theory of the forms. Plato (429-347 BC) had mistakenly argued that humans gain knowledge by accessing an intangible world of abstractions (“forms”) where ideas reside.
Schopenhauer’s definition of geniuses as individuals able to “tap the essence of the will” is nonsensical. The will is a blind, irrational, chaotic force. Obviously, it cannot generate harmony and structure.
Schopenhauer’s explanation of how geniuses are created
By the time of Hegel’s death in 1831, Schopenhauer had all the necessary elements to realize that he had made a mistake. He had ridiculed Hegel for having invented a “universal spirit” that allegedly drives history, but was unwilling to acknowledge the foolishness of his own theory of “tapping the essence of the will.”
However, Schopenhauer was right in attributing to geniuses an extraordinarily high creativity level. A motivated, dedicated individual can master a field of activity and perform excellent work, but geniuses go further than that.
While competent people tend to be predictable, geniuses are going to devise breakthrough solutions, innovations and works. Their originality is linked to their self-reliance. They can think originally because they are capable of ignoring what everyone else is saying.
Schopenhauer was a genius and experienced first-hand how the mind of genius works, but failed to identify the connection between self-reliance and high creativity.
I find it disappointing that Schopenhauer joined the thinkers who sustain that “genius is innate.” That’s a lazy excuse for his unwillingness to examine the facts; he knew perfectly well that “born geniuses” such as Mozart are shaped by massive practice and determination.
Schopenhauer’s explanation of why some geniuses fail
Although Schopenhauer rightly remarked that geniuses live frequently on the fringes, marginalized and misunderstood, he provided the wrong explanation. When he argued that geniuses fail professionally because their uncompromising commitment to truth, he was just trying to glorify his own failures.
I am afraid that the truth is more prosaic than Schopenhauer would have liked. Geniuses often fail professionally because of their fanatic focus on one area of expertise, and their ignorance in other areas, especially, in marketing and business skills.
Schopenhauer wrote colourfully about how geniuses can see things that are invisible, intangible and shapeless to everybody else, but wrongly attributed those abilities to innate traits.
If you adopt Schopenhauer’s views on this matter, you may weaken your motivation to improve your skills, productivity and success. Despite his great contributions to philosophy, Schopenhauer did a poor job at explaining his own genius and creativity.
If you are interested in applying rational principles each day for addressing problems, I recommend you my book titled “Asymmetry: The shortcut to success when success seems impossible.”
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