Arthur Schopenhauer was a very pessimistic philosopher. He thought that life is so painful it would be better not to have been born. He thought that humans are always wanting more. We are never satisfied with what we have. No matter what we are able to aquire, we will always want the bigger and better thing. Even though his way of thinking sounds dull and gloomy, he thought he had a solution to our problems. He thought if we recognized the true nature of reality then we will not be as dull. He took quite a bit of influence from Buddha, but unlike Buddha, he was quite a vain person. He believed he was better than most philosophers of the time.
Schopenhauer described The World of Representation in his book. This is the world as you view it around you. He also believed that there was a deeper reality that exists beyond our experiences. He believed that there was no separation of space and time, it is simply just an inner aspect to our own experiences. He describes Will as aimless or "blind." Our "Will" has no purpose or goal, it is simply a force of energy. He also believed that there was no God to give the energy direction. We are all just a part of a meaningless force. He believed that experiencing art could make our lives bearable. Like most people in today's society, he believed that music was the best form. This is why music can move us so profoundly. No other philosopher ever put art as a center place in philosophy. His ideas were popular with musicians and novelists alike. The basic moral idea of his was the morality of compassion. He believed that everyone should care about one another. Even with his strong pessimistic views, some believed him to be a hypocrite because he wanted to spread compassion.
I agree with his views on humanity's wavering desires and the aptitude with which we search out the next best thing once we have achieved our latest yearning. Humans are very fickle and ungracious, especially in the age we live in now where gratification comes so much more rapidly. I do not, however, agree with his solution. His seems to be a sort of scale where the people closest to enlightenment are the best; I imagine he believed himself farthest along, so, for that reason alone, he should be the most revered man, much like Plato putting philosophers at the top of the food chain in the government whilst he himself is a philosopher. If he truly believed he knew the way, then why act haughty and snobbish instead of explaining how it is done? To me, he just wnated to show off how far along his spectrum he actaully was instead of legitamately offering help, which explains his lack of compassion even though he claims that hurting other people is self-infliction.
ReplyDeleteEphesians 2
8For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast.
After reading this website, it appears to me that he drew heavily from Plato and tried to build or stem from what he had said, but I've only read a small portion, so I could be way off base.
"The universal condition of everything that appears is the subject, a necessary presupposition, already presupposed by the forms of knowledge (space, time, etc). All knowledge of objects comes from phenomena, which is what appears for a subject. Therefore, there is no object in itself, an object existing independently of a subject. The subject's body is already an object of knowledge, and the subject-as-body is a representation. "
FQ: Which pessimistic philosopher believed that the world and all phenomena are governed by "the Will"? Arthur Schopenhauer
DQ: How can humans will anything if we, and our actions, are ultimately governed by "the Will," an aimless, all-powerful force?
Links:
http://kj2000.scripturetext.com/ephesians/2.htm
http://www.galilean-library.org/site/index.php/page/index.html/_/essays/philosophy/schopenhauers-philosophy-part-1-r56
I like that even though he was pessimistic on the state of humanity, he believed in the goodness that humanity COULD be.
ReplyDeleteAs a sort of tie in, if you have ever read Night by Elie Wiesel you can remember the scene where Juliek played his violin in the camp. If you have read this then you can understand what I am construing.
"It was pitch dark. I could hear only the violin, and it was as though Juliek's soul were the bow. He was playing his life. The whole of his life was gliding on the strings--his last hopes, his charred past, his extinguished future. He played as he would never play again...When I awoke, in the daylight, I could see Juliek, opposite me, slumped over, dead. Near him lay his violin, smashed, trampled, a strange overwhelming little corpse.”
When the chapter on Schopenhauer started out with the quote "Life is painful and it would be better not to have been born" I got kind of depressed. I hate reading about how everyone thinks humans are so horrible. I agree that humans are in general selfish and always want more, but I don't think that makes life not worth living. He says that the human condition is part of a meaningless force. But he thinks we can remove ourselves from our striving and desire with art, especially music. (However, I think music today is a WHOLE lot different than it was back then.... If he heard some of the stuff people listen to today, I'm sure he'd be appalled and would think humans have destroyed the only thing he thought was good! haha) I believe there is so much more in life that makes it "bearable" than just art. Sure music is great. But so are friends and relationships. I personally am happier and feel like my life is more purposeful when I'm living it out with people I love.
ReplyDeleteAnd other than that I just think he was a big hypocrite.
Why do so many philosophers seem so depressed?
FQ: What were Schopenhauer's two levels of reality? Answer: Representation & Will
DQ: Is harming others self-injury?
I very much dislike Schopenhauer's pessimism. It really just depresses me to even read the passage. Schopenhauer's idea that it is better to not even be born is just disgusting. How could anyone think that of themselves or humanity? Schopenhauer must of had an extremely rough and lonely life to feel the urge to not even have life in the first place. It hurts me to even read this pattern of thinking. I do believe that humans are always striving for bigger and better things, however that to me is a good thing. Without this desire, maybe events like the industrial revolution would not of taken place. At least his views on music are on point, as it is in my opinion the best expression of art.
ReplyDeleteFQ: Who said it would be better if he wasn't even born?
DQ: Why are humans so fickle in their desires for the next best thing?
-Trevor Wiemann
He was trying to make an excuse and justify he feelings toward to world by turning it into a philosophy on life..
ReplyDelete"He fancied up his personal pessimism and called it philosophy." - Dr. Oliver