Category: Schopenhauer
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Examples of Schopenhauer’s views on the nature of truth
Can I provide historical examples of Schopenhauer’s views on the nature of truth? Certainly. The examples are not perfect, but drive the point home. They show that Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) gave us valuable insights on human behaviour. Before presenting the examples after Schopenhauer’s time, I want to mention Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592), a French philosopher,…
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Schopenhauer and the nature of truth
Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) devoted his whole life to the pursuit of truth. He acknowledged that truth is sometimes unpleasant and harsh, but humans are better off when they face problems and take action to solve them. In his major work “The World as Will and Representation,” (1818), Schopenhauer categorized the will (“life force”) as the…
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Critique of Schopenhauer’s views on the unconscious
The twentieth century brought strong criticism of the views on the unconscious presented by Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860). I am referring specifically to the works of Carl Rogers, Wilhelm Reich and William James. Their definitions of the unconscious are based on the ideas developed by Schopenhauer, but only after having narrowed them down to a point…
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Impact of Schopenhauer’s views on the unconscious
Few historians acknowledge the large influence of Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) on psychology. I’m not just talking about his influence on Sigmund Freud and the concept of the unconscious mind. Schopenhauer’s theory of the will (“life force”) as irrational driver of human psychology had set the background for Freud’s concept of a subconscious. Nowadays, it’s widely…
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Schopenhauer and the unconscious
The philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) on the unconscious has exerted a vast influence on later thinkers such as Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Alfred Adler, or Wilhelm Reich. In his work “The world as will and representation” (1818), Schopenhauer outlined his philosophy of the unconscious. It’s based on his theory of the will, which I…
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Schopenhauer and Kant, a comparison
Despite their closeness in time, there are huge differences in intent and content between the ideas of Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) and those of Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860). Kant aimed at reconciling empiricism and rationalism, but with little success. The only result of his efforts is to decouple philosophy and science from ethics, leaving the area of…
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Examples of Schopenhauer’s views on the nature of existence
I’m going to point to several examples to illustrate the views of Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) on the nature of human existence. The examples are drawn from famous literary works depicting challenging situations that put Schopenhauer’s advice to the test. Before starting with the examples, let me summarize in four paragraphs Schopenhauer’s views on the nature…
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Impact of Schopenhauer’s views on the nature of existence
The stunning accuracy of the intuitions and insights gained by Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) becomes apparent when we compare him with other philosophers. Many have attacked Schopenhauer’s views on the nature of existence but the attacks have only served to reinforce his positions. You cannot dismiss Schopenhauer by saying that he was too pessimistic or nihilistic.…
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Schopenhauer’s views on the nature of existence
The concept of the will (which I translate as “life force” or “primal energy”) plays the key role in the philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860). He argued that a blind, irrational, overwhelming force drives all creatures to reproduce, sustain their own lives, and improves their situation. According to Schopenhauer, the will is exerting relentless pressure…
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Critique of Schopenhauer’s ideas on freedom
Despite his sound reasoning and accurate writing, Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) didn’t succeed in making his ideas on freedom popular. In particular, his theory of the will wasn’t taken seriously by other philosophers and fell into oblivion at the beginning of the twentieth century. According to Schopenhauer, civilized society should grant legal protection to life, liberty…
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