Although his lifestyle was unpretentious, modesty was not a characteristic of Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860). He did not hide that he regarded himself as a genius. He considered other philosophers, with few exceptions, as misguided fools.
Why did Schopenhauer consider himself a genius? Surely not because of his productiveness. In terms of output, he was not extraordinarily prolific, especially if compared with Plato and Aristotle.
Schopenhauer only wrote three sizeable books: “About the fourfold root of the principle of sufficient reason” (1814), “The world as will and representation” (1818), and “Parerga and Paralipomena” (1851). He also wrote a few minor works, but I know many intellectuals far more prolific than Schopenhauer.
Schopenhauer’s genius
His claim to genius rests on the quality of his philosophical insights, not on the size of his literary output. Talented people, he said, can achieve targets that no one else can hit, but only geniuses can hit targets that no one else can conceive.
Schopenhauer placed himself amongst the geniuses because of the depth of his insights. His theory of the will (“life force”) is based on widely observable facts, but nobody so far had put them together and drawn universal conclusions.
His philosophy of life rest on the idea that the will drives all living creatures, relentlessly and inexorably, towards survival, reproduction, and the search of short-term pleasure. The idea is straightforward, but the consequences are earth-shattering.
Schopenhauer and self-awareness
First of all, Schopenhauer contested the belief that everyone is seeking to further his own self-interest. That’s obviously not true, argued Schopenhauer, because history offers innumerable examples of individuals who make foolish decisions and harm themselves.
Think for instance of overweight individuals. Do you think that they have never heard that excessive weight is unhealthy? Of course they have. Of course they know the truth.
The habits, such as overeating, that make people overweight are harmful but incredibly addictive. Those habits deliver short-term pleasure easily and intensely. Overeating is driven by the will, as defined by Schopenhauer. That’s why it’s so difficult to acquire better habits.
Schopenhauer noted that it is foolish to practise habits that harm one’s health, but millions of people do it everyday. Their lack of self-awareness prevents them from contesting the will.
Self-awareness is the very first step to self-improvement but there are many other steps. If you want to counteract, minimize or prevent the negative influence of the will, you need to grow aware of such influence.
Schopenhauer and self-reliance
After cultivating self-awareness, you’ll need to acquire the habits of risk assessment, adopting adequate margins of safety, self-discipline and self-reliance.
Schopenhauer drew those habits from Buddhism, Hinduism, and Christianity, but refused their extreme asceticism. He did not believe that the renunciation of all desires can make people happy. There is no happiness in “nirvana,” only nihilism.
In contrast, prudence and foresight can increase happiness. It is not wrong to seek pleasure, argued Schopenhauer, but you should not risk your health and your future.
Your goal should be to seek repeatable, sustainable pleasure that ensures lifetime happiness.
Schopenhauer and happiness
Schopenhauer emphasized the advantages of long-term pleasure and happiness. It pays off to steer away from short-term choices that will prove detrimental down the road.
Schopenhauer criticized blind conformity, self-effacement, and mindless gregariousness. In general, individuals devote too much time to worrying about other people’s opinions. It would be much more beneficial to put that time to good use.
Especially if you live in a big city, there is no need to put up with foolish people. You can simply avoid them and put your time to a better use.
In his major work “The world as will and representation,” Schopenhauer recommends artistic contemplation. Listening to inspirational music, reading good literature, or taking a walk in nature can help you reduce stress and counteract the influence of the will.
Schopenhauer and social virtues
Concerning social virtues, Schopenhauer emphasized good manners (because they prevent unnecessary conflict), fairness, justice, and compassion.
He acknowledged the difficulty of finding justice in society. Even the best legal system is going to fail from time to time. In his philosophy of life, Schopenhauer was a hard realist but still perceived vast emotional benefits for people who do the right thing.
When injustice occasionally prevails, he argued, we should remind ourselves that life swings like a pendulum, backwards and forwards. Instead of giving up, it is better to work steadily, so that our next project produces a better outcome.
As a said, Schopenhauer had a high idea of himself. He was certainly a genius and had little regard for confused people. In particular, he detested time-wasters. In those cases, he drew more happiness from reading books than from debating fools.
If you are interested in applying rational philosophy to your life here and now, I recommend you my book “Sequentiality: The amazing power of finding the right sequence of steps.”
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