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 of the will doesn’t mean that society must go in a particular direction.
According to Schopenhauer, the events in the world are a perpetual manifestation of the will, but the results are not easy to foresee. The will can lead to pleasure and happiness, but also to conflict, suffering, and pointless pursuit of power.
For this reason, Schopenhauer rejected the notion of linear progress in history. History can meander from good to worse, and then back to excellent. It is not leading to a particular goal, destination or achievement. It’s the result of the actions of large numbers of people, each pursuing his own happiness.
Schopenhauer’s view of history as non-deterministic
Schopenhauer views of history appeared first in his doctoral thesis published in 1814 “On the fourfold root of the principle of sufficient reason” and later in his key work “The world as will and representation,” published in 1818.
The philosophy of history in Schopenhauer’s work is neither pessimistic nor optimistic. I would rather describe it as liberal and non-deterministic. Schopenhauer viewed the influence of the will as a driving factor, but not as overwhelming.
Each human being remains free to adopt countermeasures to protect himself against the deleterious aspects of the will; none of us is a puppet at the hands of the will; we can make our own choices; we can steer our life in the direction of our dreams.
Schopenhauer acknowledged that human existence is driven by desires that will often remain unfulfilled. It is a process of work, struggle and inevitable suffering, but this should not lead you to the conclusion that passivity is better than action.
Schopenhauer’s view of history as individualistic
In “The world as will and representation,” Schopenhauer is portraying those struggles as expressions of the will to live and attain happiness. He did recognize the insatiable nature of the will, but this doesn’t mean that you should give up your desire to achieve happiness.
Schopenhauer particularly conveyed his views on history in an essay timed “On History” published as part of his “Parerga and Paralipomena” in 1851. In his essay on history, he speaks of the quasi-cyclical nature of events driven by the eternal will (life force), but not aiming at any particular destination.
“History is the school of reality,” argued Schopenhauer. He did employ abundant examples from history in his book “On the fourfold root of the principle of sufficient reason,” arriving at the conclusion that “scenes change, but the actors are always the same” because of the eternal influence of the will.
Although Schopenhauer repeatedly underlined the influence of the will, he didn’t push his thesis to absolute dominance. He deeply disliked Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831) and his idea of an absolute spirit that dominates history.
In contrast to Hegel, Schopenhauer wasn’t deterministic. He regarded individual freedom as inviolable, and defined history as “an indeterminate, indistinct, questionable record of events, not necessarily of progress.”
Schopenhauer’s emphasis on individual happiness
In contrast to the Hegelian fixation on great men driving the course of history under an absolute spirit, Schopenhauer didn’t expect events to turn in any particular way. “History is just the outcome of innumerable biographies,” not the result of magical forces controlling humanity.
Schopenhauer acknowledged that ideas play a major role in historical events, but didn’t regard events as linear. People will often repeat old mistakes due to ignorance, oversight, or stress.
There is no hidden hand behind events. There are no eternal forces preventing “events which already happened from taking place once again.”
In his essay “On History” (1851), Schopenhauer argued that “the course of history is determined by individual wishes that are often irrational, not by clever, coordinated plans.”
Schopenhauer on the repetition of historical mistakes
People who study history tend to work to improve their own lives, while most of their peers will choose to remain ignorant. Schopenhauer defined history as “an endless repetition of past errors,” but those should not prevent you from taking action to attain happiness.
Which period of history was Schopenhauer’s favourite? His interest in Eastern philosophy (Buddhism, Hinduism) and in Christianity made him particularly attracted to ancient history, but drew lessons from “every culture, custom and tradition.”
His advice to us is adopting a measured course of action. It’s not possible to achieve all goals and live forever, but through patient work and sound philosophy, we can steer away from all kind of unnecessary suffering, and enjoy life to the utmost.
If you are interested in applying rational ideas to problem solving, I recommend you my book “Asymmetry: The shortcut to success when success seems impossible.”
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