The problem of evil was addressed by Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) by referring to the theory of the will (“life force”), which constitutes the pillar of his philosophy. Schopenhauer defined the will as the force driving living creatures to secure their survival and reproduction, and seek pleasure.
According to Schopenhauer, the will creates endless human desires. As soon as one desire is fulfilled, another one arises. It is simply impossible to satisfy them all. As a result, frustration and suffering ensue.
Schopenhauer described the will as a blind, wild, irrational, relentless force. It drives people in a certain direction without any consideration of risks, costs, deservedness or justice.
The will is impervious to legal considerations. It does not know the meaning of human rights, property rights, fairness or contractual commitments. It does not submit itself to any legal framework, nor cares about exploitation, abuses, victimization, and mistreatment.
Schopenhauer and the cause of evil
Schopenhauer attributes all evil to the influence of the will. He acknowledges that the will is inflicting damages, suffering, and confusion on people, but the will rejects any responsibility or liability.
The will operates without empathy, mercy or moderation. It is a doom machine, pushing individuals towards the precipice. The will drives people to seek pleasure, ensure their survival and reproduction, and disregard the consequences. No wonder that its influence leads to vast tangible and intangible damage.
How does Schopenhauer’s view of evil compare to religious views, especially in Christianity? The differences are massive.
For Schopenhauer, evil is the natural outcome of the will if left to operate unchecked. It’s up to each individual to adopt an array of countermeasures to avert the negative influence of the will.
For Christianity, evil is a separate force opposed to God. It’s malevolent and ruthless but not overwhelming. Christians view God as benevolent and omnipotent, and justify evil by a divine decision to leave humans free to find the right path.
Schopenhauer and the remedies against evil
Schopenhauer regards widespread suffering as normal in the sense that evil is the natural outcome the will. Happiness exists only to the extent that it is created by humans by acting against the will.
According to Schopenhauer, human happiness (starting with the avoidance of suffering) requires sustained effort. It is never automatic. Humans cannot become happy by doing nothing. If you do nothing, the will takes control and wrecks havoc.
How do you counter evil? In “Two fundamental problems in ethics” (1843), “Parerga and Paralipomena” (1851), and other books, Schopenhauer proposes active measures that everybody can adopt.
First, Schopenhauer calls for renouncing vanity, ostentation, and the search for pointless luxury. As a general rule, those are not worth the accompanying effort, risk and anxiety.
Second, Schopenhauer recommends stress reduction. Most people create unnecessary problems for themselves by chasing goals of questionable value and feasibility.
Think your projects through before investing in them; check if they are workable. I agree with Schopenhauer that we should not devote efforts to projects or careers without potential. Let’s grow self-aware and throw away dead wood and dead weight.
Third, Schopenhauer calls for cultivating habits to improve results and minimize costs and risks. I’m referring to the habits of prudence, foresight, securing adequate margins of safety and staying away from people of bad character.
Schopenhauer and the protection against evil
Schopenhauer acknowledged that some measure of evil and suffering is inescapable because those are shadows of the will. It is not that the devil is tempting you to do bad things, but that thoughtlessness leads to bad things by default.
Rational thinking is the prerequisite of human achievements in architecture, painting, music, engineering, etc. Achievement requires sustained effort against the will. When the effort stops, chaos reasserts itself. When rationality stops, gardens devolve to wilderness.
In his book “The world as will and representation” (1818), Schopenhauer called readers to view evil and suffering as part of the price of existence.
No matter how hard you work, you are not going to achieve perfect happiness. Day after day, the will keeps inflicting harm, and you can never counteract it completely. This shouldn’t stop you from doing your best and enjoying life.
Human life is a tragedy, but at the same time, it can be filled with frequent episodes of happiness. The will drives humans to endless striving, wrote Schopenhauer, but you aren’t a helpless puppet.
You can massively improve your life by growing self-aware and making good decisions. The will creates massive evil and suffering, but you can erect strong defences. Evil is the dark, wild side of the will, but you can bring light and order in your own life.
If you are interested in applying rational philosophy step by step to all situations, I recommend you my book “Consistency: The key to permanent stress relief.”
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