Category: Schopenhauer
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Schopenhauer and freedom
The idea of freedom in Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) is linked to his philosophy of the will. He outlined his concept of the will in his major works “About the fourfold root of the principle of sufficient reason” (1808) and “The world as will and representation” (1818). According to Schopenhauer, the will (which I translate as…
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Analysis of Schopenhauer’s idea of justice
The genius of Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) also shows in his unique idea of justice. On the one hand, he regarded it as highly desirable in society. Civilization cannot exist without a consistent protection of life, liberty and property. On the other hand, Schopenhauer acknowledged that human life inevitably entails injustice; sometimes injustices are caused by…
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Schopenhauer and the idea of justice
In the philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860), we find a unique combination of realism and empathy. His books show that Schopenhauer was fully conscious of the advantages of industrial societies. They offer individuals far more chances than agrarian, immobile, medieval structures. At the same time, Schopenhauer was aware that perfection cannot be expected from any…
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The myth of Schopenhauer’s pessimism
In a discussion about pessimism in Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860), we must begin by defining our terms. Before you engage any philosophical discussion, you should ask people to define their terms. It’s a waste of time to argue for or against an idea, if words are being misinterpreted. Misunderstandings are a widespread ground for litigation. I…
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Human flourishing and Schopenhauer’s pessimism
Literary critics state that Albert Camus (1913-1960) wrote his novel “The Stranger” under the influence of Schopenhauer (1788-1860), but they are completely wrong. Camus created a protagonist, named Meursault, who displays indifference and defeatism that do not exist in Schopenhauer’s work. Worse still, Camus did not provide any useful advice to his readers. If anything,…
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Exaggeration and reality in Schopenhauer’s pessimism
In history, few authors have been categorized as pessimistic as Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860). Critics reproach him for his observation that most pleasures fail to provide us long-term fulfilment, but is Schopenhauer’s observation inaccurate? When Schopenhauer said that worldly achievements should be regarded as distractions from long-term failure, was he not simply acknowledging the fact that…
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Schopenhauer’s pessimism: what it is and what it’s not
According to most philosophy books, Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) was profoundly pessimistic. However, when you look into the details of his life and his works, you will see that the truth goes in the opposite direction. Historians tell us that Schopenhauer was confronted with a series of personal tragedies that rendered him pessimistic, but is this…
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Critique of Schopenhauer’s philosophy of history
Posterity showed vast disagreements with the philosophy of history put forward by Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860). His individualist view of society came to be rejected by Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) in the first place. Schopenhauer had argued that the will (“life force”) exerts a large influence on individual and society choices, but not to the extent of…
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Schopenhauer and the philosophy of history
The philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) places history on a secondary plane. Schopenhauer didn’t give history a central role because he did not consider that humanity should achieve any goal beyond the happiness of the individual. Schopenhauer believed that an eternal life force (“the will”) drives all creatures towards self-preservation and reproduction, but the influence…
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Schopenhauer and the philosophy of time
The reflections of Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) are to be found in his work “The world as will and representation.” I consider equally interesting the observations contained in his “Aphorisms on the art of living,” published in 1851. In contrast to Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831), Schopenhauer is not a philosopher of history. He didn’t develop an all-inclusive…
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