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Essays and Aphorisms
One of the greatest philosophers of the nineteenth century, Schopenhauer believed that human action is determined not by reason but by 'will' - the blind and irrational desire for physical existence. This selection of his writings on religion, ethics, politics, women and many other themes is taken from Schopenhauer's last work, Parerga and Paralipomena, which he published...more
Paperback, 240 pages
Published
May 30th 1973
by Penguin Classics
(first published 1851)
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I'm sorry I didn't read this two years ago, when I thought pessimism was something reserved for those exiled from the general population's way of thinking. Considering it was written in the mid 19th century, everything in this book is highly accessible, written fairly simply, with only a few technicalities in between.
And if it's the pessimism you want, then the opening essays are what you're after. They're drenched in reasons why we as a species are an error in creation, too highly adapted to...more
And if it's the pessimism you want, then the opening essays are what you're after. They're drenched in reasons why we as a species are an error in creation, too highly adapted to...more
Nietzsche is a ray of f'n sunshine compared to Schopenhauer. Check it: "If the immediate and direct purpose of our life is not suffering than our existence is the most ill-adapted to its purpose in the world" --- holy shit!) but S. lays down some good nuggets on the denial of the will/desire that dovetails nicely with some Eastern philosophies.
Some nice views on aesthetics (they give us a respite from the endless loop of desire->satisfaction -> desire, since when we see something beautifu...more
Some nice views on aesthetics (they give us a respite from the endless loop of desire->satisfaction -> desire, since when we see something beautifu...more
This is a bad book. A really bad book. Hell, it’s even a dangerous book. Anyone that takes Schoperhanuer seriously, is going to expect a rotten world, prolong a rotten world, and thus fortify the self fulfilling prophecy that nothing good has happened, will happen, and can happen. Fortunately this entire foundation is grounded on extremely shoddy philosophy.
Schopenhauer was known in Germany as that guy who lectured in an empty room, while Hegel filled the auditorium. This isn’t surprising, Hegel...more
Schopenhauer was known in Germany as that guy who lectured in an empty room, while Hegel filled the auditorium. This isn’t surprising, Hegel...more
Jun 19, 2009
Tyler
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
General Philosophy Fans
Recommended to Tyler by:
I. Kant
Shelves:
philosophy
Schopenhauer's salad bowl of short essays and sayings held out the prospect of an in-depth look at his philosophy of pessimism, which I was most keen to find out about. But this collection, while it contains observations that might be construed as pessimistic, doesn't advance pessimism as a carefully laid out philosophical standpoint. I was a little disappointed.
Most of what he says is a letdown. Either his remarks are a bit pedestrian or they're wildly mistaken. He advances a notion that women...more
Most of what he says is a letdown. Either his remarks are a bit pedestrian or they're wildly mistaken. He advances a notion that women...more
This book is a superb way to acquaint yourself with the basics of Schopenhauer's philosophy. The one problem is that Schopenhauer's philosophy is a system, and to read fragments of it is not going to give you a comprehensive picture of his system. For Schopenhauer, everything in the world falls smoothly into place in the grooves of his total worldview; to take little bits of his philosophy and quote them out of context is what Bryan Magee referred to once as "intellectually disastrous." Neverthe...more
This Penguin edition is a smart and concise introduction to Schopenhauer's thought, collecting essays from his earlier Parerga und Paralipomena. Schopenhauer's pessimism has long seen its flurry of vilification and dispute, in due to the ineluctable contempt shown toward women in an appreciable portion of his writings. That his thoughts were marred by these fanatical prejudices proves unfortunately a relative discrepancy in his philosophical handle, which, notwithstanding the isolate shallowness...more
This is a great book full of essays and aphorisms (as the title alludes to). I agreed with a lot of Schopenhauer's philosophical points, dark and unpleasant as some of them may be. Schopenhauer wrote with a unique brand of pessimism, but much of what he wrote is astonishingly clear compared to other German philosophers. It's interesting to note that Schopenhauer believed reading history of any kind was unnecessary.
I checked out Arthur Schopenhauer’s Essays and Aphorisms, because I am a fan of aphorisms, which are like compact little essays. I am guessing that Schopenhauer’s disciple Nietzsche acquired this habit from his master. Schopenhauer’s pessimistic view of humanity seemed to sit well with me, for some reason, as I was reading it a few weeks back. There’s an excellent introduction by R.J. Hollingdale that gives insight into the life of Schopenhauer and how his character and personality affected his...more
"if you really want to know how you feel about someone, see what impression you get when an unexpected letter from them ends up on your doormat." that was one of the first difficult things i ever understood and i remember understanding it the last month of high school waiting for everyone to get out of gym (which id have to take in summer school) so we could go get high.
Schopenhauer is above all a wit, secondly a seeker, thirdly a dilettante, and least of all (but still) a misanthrope. He's like what would happen if Oscar Wilde were straight (perhaps closeted), jealous, and had read Kant. Just when you think Schopenhauer has forsaken anyone who is not he or his few idols, he arrives with a paragraph in passionate defense of animals, or a diatribe against slavery that betrays his deep identification with those who have been most crushed and ground into the earth...more
Almanların filozof küçük Emrah'ı: Schopenhaur.entel acıların çocuğu.Düşünceleriyle nietzsche garibini de etkilemiş ve onun hayattan soğumasına neden olmuş filozof.Bence Schopenhaur'in pesimist,karamsar felsefesi derinlikten yoksun ama Nietzsche'de bu derinlik var.
Aşağıdaki sözleri çok iddialı:
"Şu dünyayı Tanrı yarattıysa, onun yerinde olmak istemem doğrusu. Çünkü, dünyanın sefaleti yüreğimi parçalar.Yaratıcı bir ruh düşünülürse, yarattığı şeyi göstererek ona şöyle bağırmak hakkımızdır: "bunca mu...more
Aşağıdaki sözleri çok iddialı:
"Şu dünyayı Tanrı yarattıysa, onun yerinde olmak istemem doğrusu. Çünkü, dünyanın sefaleti yüreğimi parçalar.Yaratıcı bir ruh düşünülürse, yarattığı şeyi göstererek ona şöyle bağırmak hakkımızdır: "bunca mu...more
"Schopenhauer este filosoful pesimismului.", spune Titu Maiorescu (cel care a tradus in romana), deci nu va asteptati sa gasiti secretul fericirii. Sau poate doar putin. Daca vei deveni omul pe care il descrie el drept cel mai fericit si crezand ca asa vei fi fericit => vei fi fericit. Simple as that :). Pe mine m-a linistit foarte mult sa-l citesc. Nu e totuol ingrozitor de pesimist, se vede ca avea zile bune si rele.
Nu spun ca sunt de acord cu tot ce am citat aici, doar ca vreau sa-mi amint...more
Nu spun ca sunt de acord cu tot ce am citat aici, doar ca vreau sa-mi amint...more
Schopenhauer is the precursor to the existential philosophers, and his influence can be read in Kierkegaard and especially Nietzsche. His work is bold and even arrogant. His thoughts on women are at once embarrassingly backward (even for his time) and surprisingly progressive (especially his ideas about prostitution). But it is for his originality, his synthesis of Kant and Buddhism, his incisive observations, and his masterly style (which comes through well in this translation) that he is recog...more
I don't agree with most of Schopenhauer's metaphysics, but it doesn't mean I didn't find it to be both interesting and artistically sublime. This book, however, while spending a little time on Schopenhauer 's metaphysical beliefs, covers a whole span of his opinions on topics from politics and religion to aesthetics and suicide.
Schopenhauer is not only an original thinker, but a vivid and powerful writer. He has a gift for imagery and metaphor, as well as for using ordinary language to explain...more
Schopenhauer is not only an original thinker, but a vivid and powerful writer. He has a gift for imagery and metaphor, as well as for using ordinary language to explain...more
Perhaps to some dismay, it is truly amazing how much my views are in line with Schopenhauer. I am also struck by the clarity of his writings despite the fact that he wrote over a 150 years ago. The essays that have left strong impressions in my mind are:
"On the Sufferings of the World"
"On the Vanity of Existence"
"Psychological Observations"
"Of Women"
"A Few Parables"
There are many jewels in these essays that I'm sure will enlighten today's contemplating souls. Because of these essays, I intend...more
"On the Sufferings of the World"
"On the Vanity of Existence"
"Psychological Observations"
"Of Women"
"A Few Parables"
There are many jewels in these essays that I'm sure will enlighten today's contemplating souls. Because of these essays, I intend...more
It was a satisfying point of curiosity to discover recently that Samuel Beckett had found something in the works of Voltaire and Schopenhauer as I felt I did when first I came to read them. Maybe this is why Beckett's work affects me the way it does, fitting into a larger, allusive scheme of thought- one where an honest confrontation of man's condition precedes the supposition of solutions, much less their pursuit.
Perhaps for this very reason, pretentious Hegelians and discomfited Marxists are e...more
Perhaps for this very reason, pretentious Hegelians and discomfited Marxists are e...more
Arthur Schopenhauer's "Essays and Aphorisms" are excerpts taken from his second book "Parerga and Paralipomena." Schopenhauer writes in a clear, concise, and surprisingly very easy to read (especially as compared to his contemporaries such as the convoluted and complex Hegel) prose which was an obvious influence on latter German philosophers such as Friedrich Nietzsche. In "Essays and Aphorisms" Schopenhauer expostulates on a variety of different subjects ranging from his controversial viewpoint...more
I enjoyed Schopenhauer more than I expected. For the eccentric Arthur things in life were generally fairly dour and tough with occasional light interludes. His misogyny was of its time, but his pessimistic outlook was a pioneering response to the prevailing view of optimism and improvement that came to dominate the 19th century. The anti-vivisection and animal rights passages were also way ahead of their time; some of his views on science, however, now look a bit odd.
He wrote extremely well and...more
He wrote extremely well and...more
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"Essays and Aphorisms" is my introduction to Schopenhauer, an introduction that has led me to decide that I will have to read all of the Dutch-German philosopher's works. Schopenhauer was a major influence on Nietzsche, but I am now wondering if in this case the teacher was more brilliant and important than the student....
Of course, Schopenhauer also influenced the likes of Jung, Wittgenstein, Wagner, and Weininger, among others...Enuff said..
Of course, Schopenhauer also influenced the likes of Jung, Wittgenstein, Wagner, and Weininger, among others...Enuff said..
Great book. For the quality of his writing alone, Schopenhauer is worth reading. He is quite possibly the most pessimistic human being to ever live, and he outlines his philosophy in concise, witty prose.
His philosophy itself is worth considering, but it seems to have been torn apart and brought to completion by Nietzsche.
Highly recommended.
His philosophy itself is worth considering, but it seems to have been torn apart and brought to completion by Nietzsche.
Highly recommended.
The two people I found most interesting in Durant's Story of Philosophy were Schopenhauer and Spinoza. Reading Spinoza kind of scares me so I decided to read Schopenhauer first. I don't really know very much about philosophy and don't know the correct way to approach these texts. For the most part I don't see the world the same way as him, he's far too negative, but I do find his writing interesting. He's also extremely sexist or perhaps just plain anti female, I'd sometimes show his anti women...more
Schopenhauer was a fascinating man. On one hand he advocated the futility of life, and on the other hand he refused to live in an apartment higher than the ground floor out of a morbid fear of dying in a fire. Schrödinger had a cat and Schopenhauer a poodle. Unfortunately we don't know the breed of Pavlov's dog.
Jan 19, 2009
James Beezhold
added it
While I don't agree with his views on women on the whole I found his methods of argumentation very helpful.
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Arthur Schopenhauer was a German philosopher best known for his work The World as Will and Representation. Schopenhauer attempted to make his career as an academic by correcting and expanding Immanuel Kant's philosophy concerning the way in which we experience the world.
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“A man can be himself only so long as he is alone; and if hes does not love solitude, he will not love freedom; for it is only when he is alone that he is really free.”
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“Every miserable fool who has nothing at all of which he can be proud, adopts as a last resource pride in the nation to which he belongs; he is ready and happy to defend all its faults and follies tooth and nail, thus reimbursing himself for his own inferiority.”
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