Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) deployed large efforts to study Christianity and Eastern religions. His goal was to draw the best ethical advice from religion. When I say “best advice,” I mean practical, tangible, hands-on advice.
I find it remarkable that Schopenhauer devoted long years to studying religion. His theory of the will (“life force”) has no direct connection to religion and his ethics are equally far from divinities and devotionals.
The key idea in Schopenhauer’s philosophy is that the world is governed by the will, that is, a blind, irrational force driving all creatures towards securing their survival and reproduction, and towards seeking pleasure.
More often than not, observed Schopenhauer, the influence of the will has nefarious results. It generates short-term passion and desire, without assessing any risks and costs. Over time, it inevitably leads to failure and suffering.
Schopenhauer’s assessment of religion
For Schopenhauer, religion is an attempt to cope with the suffering generated by the will. Some ethical advice in religion happens to be solid and commendable, but it is undermined by the helplessness generated by worshipping a higher realm.
Blind faith constitutes a severe negative aspect in religion, said Schopenhauer, because it discourages critical thinking; the key to improving one’s results is making better decisions; those require critical thinking.
Schopenhauer also pointed out that religions often generate pointless conflicts. There is no benefit to be drawn from lack of tolerance. Bigotry leads to violence that serves no purpose. That’s why Schopenhauer was more interested in ethics than in religion.
What about the positive elements in religion? Schopenhauer did not deny those. For millions of people, religion is a source of comfort and hope. It imbues them with a sense of purpose; it helps them cope with setbacks and uncertainties.
The problem, concluded Schopenhauer, is that the negative factors weigh much heavier than the positive ones. Even if you draw comfort and hope from religion, lack of critical thinking is likely to destroy your life.
Schopenhauer’s teachings drawn from religion
However, religion works well when one focuses on morality aspects. Schopenhauer praised the ethical tenets of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Christianity because those delivered excellent results.
In his theory of the will, Schopenhauer applied key ethical commandments from Buddhism, Hinduism, and Christianity. I refer to the ethical system proposed by Schopenhauer in “Two fundamental problems of ethics” (1843) and “The world as will and representation” (1818).
Through empathy and compassion, Schopenhauer expected readers to transcend the pressing influence of the will, develop their self-awareness, reduce their stress and anxiety, and lead a better life overall.
When Schopenhauer stated that “religion trains individuals to think small,” he was referring to blind faith, bigotry, and all sort of religious conflicts. He encouraged readers to discard all aggressiveness and violence.
For Karl Marx and other communist philosophers, religion is the opium of the people. Did Schopenhauer hold a similar view? Only to a certain extent. Although he may have uttered a similar statement, he did it to create controversy, not because he wanted to eradicate religion.
Schopenhauer’s advice drawn from Christianity
In fact, if you read Schopenhauer’s essays published under the title “Parerga and Paralipomena” (1851), you’ll find many recommendations that mirror the ethical values of Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism.
Schopenhauer warned for instance against avarice and blind ambition; his warnings are reminiscent of the Gospel (Timothy 6:10), that tell us that the love of money is the root of all evil.
None however that Schopenhauer’s rejection of avarice was motivated by practical considerations. He didn’t invoke divine commandments in his arguments. He just made the point that it is better to avoid an obsession with money.
Similarly, Schopenhauer’s forceful endorsement of empathy and compassion reminds me of the Gospel (Luke 6:31) telling us to do to others as we want them to do to us.
Schopenhauer is advising empathy and compassion out of a purely practical reasoning. He does not try to impose virtues on he basis of divine commandments, but explains why virtues should be practised.
He argued that empathy and compassion help practitioners increase their self-awareness, escape the influence of the will, and make better decisions; the Gospel (Galatians 6:9) mentions occasionally that doing good leads to a good harvest, but those tangible promises are overall rare.
The virtue of prudence in Schopenhauer and Christianity
Prudence and foresight are major virtues in Schopenhauer’s ethical system. He views them as crucial intellectual habits for averting the dire influence of the will. In this sense, there are many Biblical quotations warning people against imprudence.
In this respect, I will quote Proverbs 14:29, which says that patient people possess great understanding, but quick-tempered individuals are self-destructive.
I can only commend Schopenhauer’s efforts to draw the best ethical teachings from Western and Eastern religions. He did a great job overall in turning abstract divine commandments into practical, hands-on recommendations for everyone to practise.
If you are interested in the practical, day-to-day application of rational philosophy, I recommend you my book titled “The 10 principles of rational living.”
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