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Questions tagged [schopenhauer]

Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) was a German philosopher. In 1818 he wrote The World as Will and Representation.

The following are some sources for more information on Schopenhauer.

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What does Schopenhauer mean by 'A man can do what he wants, but not want what he wants'?

I first encountered the bolded quote on p 80, Philosophy: A Complete Introduction (2012) by Prof Sharon Kaye (MA PhD in Philosophy, U. Toronto), part of Chapter 6 on Thomas Hobbes, Rousseau, free will, determinism, and compatbilism. [ Reddit :] I…
user8572
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How valid is Nietzsche's critique of Buddhism?

According to a paper titled Nietzsche's Reception of Buddhist Psychology With Constant Reference to Christianity by McDonald (2012), given at a conference in Copenhagen, Nietzsche's work contains 158 references to Buddhismus and its cognates within…
Dr Sister
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How does Schopenhauer maintain idealism without God?

In Berkeley's idealism God holds the world together, enabling us to avoid chaos and experience a shared, orderly reality. But Schopenhauer is an idealist and an atheist. How can we then explain the shared experience of reality? What holds everything…
Bill Herd
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What are some counterarguments to Schopenhauer's refutation of free will?

The following slogan often attributed to Schopenhauer "A man can do as he will, but not will as he will" [so there is no free will] — quoted by Albert Einstein in "Mein Weltbild" (1931) has always irritated me. What would be a counterargument to…
Xolotl
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Schopenhauer and space-time

Consider the following, fairly famous statement (amongst the cognoscenti of natural philosophy) of Minkowski, a collaborator of Einsteins on the new conception of space and time that Einsteins theory appeared to demand: The views of space and time…
Mozibur Ullah
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Why was music such a fascination for philosophers and mathematicians alike?

Why were ancient philosophers and mathematicians so intrigued by music? Why did philosophers like Plato, Arthur Schopenhaur, Neitsche and etc perceive it differently than other forms of art? P. S it would be great if you could also give me some…
user25854
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Why does Wittgenstein say Schopenhauer has a crude mind?

"One could call Schopenhauer an altogether crude mind. I.e., he does have refinement, but at a certain level this suddenly comes to an end & he is as crude as the crudest. Where real depth starts, his finishes. One might say of Schopenhauer: he…
shrey
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Had Wittgenstein moved away from Schopenhauer by the time of the Tractatus?

Wittgenstein, according to Elizabeth Anscombe (one of his students), was impressed by Schopenhauer as a young man; given Schopenhauer is known for asserting The world is my idea:”—this is a truth which holds good for everything that lives and…
Mozibur Ullah
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What to do before reading The World as Will and Representation

What should I do/read before reading the main work of Arthur Schopenhauer. I am 50 pages in and it seems like there has to be some pre knowledge before beginning this book. Any advices?
OcK
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Schopenhauer's Fourfold Root: query on a passage

This is my first posting, and I have no background in philosophy so I beg your indulgence if this is an unusually basic query. I was hoping for clarification of a very short passage in Schopenhauer's "On the Fourfold Root of the Principle of…
Jack H
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Have interpreted Schopenhauer's ethics correctly?

May anyone please help me if I interpreted Schopenhauer's ethics correctly/have forgotten something important: "Important for the ethics of Schopenhauer is the egoism - because you see yourself as the center of the world because of the allmighty…
Timo Güntner
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Schopenhauer and the 'ability to make decisions' as a metric for free will

I've been having a less than productive discussion with someone about perspectives on free will. I feel confident in my position, but experience has taught me that my confidence is often in direct opposition to my accuracy. It is my assertion that…
Futilitarian
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Unclear phrase in Arthur Schopenhauer's essay

English isn't my first language and I am reading an essay by Arthur Schopenhauer. I came across the following lines I couldn't understand: The Art of Literature By Arthur Schopenhauer: "Thus genius may be defined as an eminently clear consciousness…
Waqas Younas
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How does this anthropic principle argument from Schopenhauer make any sense?

According to a blog post This is what another universe looks like, "in Arthur Schopenhauer's 1844 work "Von der Nichtigkeit und dem Leiden des Lebens", he argues that our world must be the worst of all possible worlds, because if it were…
EternalPropagation
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Another Schopenhauer "Fourfold Root" question

This is my second ever question. I am reading Schopenhauer's "On the fourfold root of the principle of sufficient reason". I am a beginner to philosophy, and received a very helpful reply to my previous question (thanks Victoria ;-) ). I have what…
Jack H
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