Arthur Schopenhauer
Arthur Schopenhauer had ideas about space and time
that seemed to be much different than the average person. Schopenhauer thought
that space and time were foreign to us and we didn’t recognize this because it
was so normal and common in our day to day lives. As in an earlier post I
discussed Schopenhauer’s theory of will, well this theory plays a big roll on
his description on time and space, as well as in all living things.
Schopenhauer often described the will as an undivided unity rather than an
individuated being. Like most philosophers, critiques came at him with a
multitude of questions about his theory but, Schopenhauer came out on top with
answers that quieted most of the naysayers. Schopenhauer gave a reply that
stated that the will was simply sorted into a ‘hierarchy of beings’ or pyramid
example. The lowest level was will in natural forces and at the highest was
human beings, however the middle was left for other beings such as animals and
plants. Even though the middle or lower levels of this hierarchy seemed to be
less than humans they were still believed to be in the same place as far as
time and space goes. Schopenhauer often thought we all contained a certain
degree of intelligence regardless of our placement along the hierarchy. He believed
that intellect was designed to serve the will as well as serve individual organisms
by regulating their relations with the external world in order to secure their
self-preservation. Schopenhauer believed everything had a place in this world
and we all played a role along space and time.
CoPhilosophy: Sierra Cox #11 first installment Arthur Schopenhauerhttp://www.iep.utm.edu/schopenh/
"Schopenhauer came out on top with answers that quieted most of the naysayers."
ReplyDeleteI'm not so sure. But it's an interesting inversion, to call S's critics the "naysayers" - we tend to think of HIM as the ultimate naysayer, for whom Will subverts all "merely" personal human aspiration. If "everything had a place in this world and we all played a role along space and time," why (I'd ask S) the long face and deep pessimism?