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The Will to Live: Selected Writings
Expounds upon the metaphysical philosopher's thought on ethics, human nature,and the function and significance of human existence
365 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1962
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About the author
Arthur Schopenhauer
2,033 books5,992 followersArthur Schopenhauer was born in the city of Danzig (then part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth; present day Gdańsk, Poland) and 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.
He was the son of author Johanna Schopenhauer and the older brother of Adele Schopenhauer.
He was the son of author Johanna Schopenhauer and the older brother of Adele Schopenhauer.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 7, 2020
Quite a lot of brilliance shown in this collection, which I wanted to read before plunging into his full-length tomes. But those pieces on women... holy shit.
August 13, 2025
I didn’t expect this book to feel so personal. Schopenhauer has this way of talking about life, desire, and suffering that makes you stop mid-page and just… stare into space for a while. It’s heavy, sure, but in the best way.. like someone finally put into words thoughts you’ve had but never said out loud.
Richard Taylor’s selection makes his work more approachable without watering it down, so you still get the rawness and depth, but it’s not buried under endless academic jargon. Some passages are tough to swallow, not because they’re hard to understand, but because they’re so honest.
It’s the kind of book you read slowly, underline too much, and keep thinking about days later. Definitely a reread for me.
Richard Taylor’s selection makes his work more approachable without watering it down, so you still get the rawness and depth, but it’s not buried under endless academic jargon. Some passages are tough to swallow, not because they’re hard to understand, but because they’re so honest.
It’s the kind of book you read slowly, underline too much, and keep thinking about days later. Definitely a reread for me.
July 8, 2008
For $2, this collection was a worthy find at the Newberry Library's book sale. I had borrowed The World as Will and Idea from the Jones Library in Amherst just after I'd graduated, but I burrowed into Dickinson and forgot about the gloomy German for four years. Now that I've read this, I'm ready for Schopenhauer's major work. His views on sex, death, art, religion, suffering and nature are profoundly pessimistic; or, in another light, realistic. I'd recommend Schopenhauer to anybody who really digs Beckett or Nietzsche, because his insights into the tragicomedy are piercing and occasionally very funny.
The only quibble I have with this collection is that its editor made two major mistakes: failing to trim the lengthy, repetitive "On Death" and ending it all with the uncharacteristic, seemingly unconnected essay "The Art of Controversy." Otherwise, it's a strong selection, although The World as Will and Idea is surely the single Schopenhauer tome to pick up if you want the best of the best.
From "On the Vanity and Suffering of Life": "Awakened to life out of the night of unconsciousness, the will finds itself an individual, in an endless and boundless world, among innumerable individuals, all striving, suffering, erring; and as if through a troubled dream it hurries back to its old unconsciousness. Yet till then its desires are limitless, its claims inexhaustible, and every satisfied desire gives rise to a new one. No possible satisfaction in the world could suffice to still its longings, set a goal to its infinite cravings, and fill the bottomless abyss of its heart."
The only quibble I have with this collection is that its editor made two major mistakes: failing to trim the lengthy, repetitive "On Death" and ending it all with the uncharacteristic, seemingly unconnected essay "The Art of Controversy." Otherwise, it's a strong selection, although The World as Will and Idea is surely the single Schopenhauer tome to pick up if you want the best of the best.
From "On the Vanity and Suffering of Life": "Awakened to life out of the night of unconsciousness, the will finds itself an individual, in an endless and boundless world, among innumerable individuals, all striving, suffering, erring; and as if through a troubled dream it hurries back to its old unconsciousness. Yet till then its desires are limitless, its claims inexhaustible, and every satisfied desire gives rise to a new one. No possible satisfaction in the world could suffice to still its longings, set a goal to its infinite cravings, and fill the bottomless abyss of its heart."
July 19, 2023
Brilliant. Cranky. Laughable. Breathtaking . I agree with everything. I disagree with everything. I want to make Schaupenhauer some soup. This is exercise for the intellect. His pessimism is so passionate , his ire for the world so intense, that his love and aspirations for the world are laid clear. His intense disappointment in mankind is his faith in its potential. I love this book and this thinker.
March 15, 2014
One of my favorites. Excellent book.
April 7, 2024
The human animal explained
July 10, 2025
Schopenhauer was a philosopher before his time. A lot of what he said on animal rights and the rights of slaves put him in a very modern framework. His thoughts on women could use some work, but all in all, I was impressed.
Arthur Schopenhauer lived from 1788 to 1860. He was not popular during his lifetime, but that seemed to change right before his death. Schopenhauer was called the pessimist, and I suppose it’s easy to see why. Schopenhauer himself introduced a larger audience to the works of the Buddhists and Hindus by commenting on their ideas of negation and self denial.
The collection I found was edited by Richard Taylor. The book predates the ISBN number system.
I enjoyed the book. Thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.
Arthur Schopenhauer lived from 1788 to 1860. He was not popular during his lifetime, but that seemed to change right before his death. Schopenhauer was called the pessimist, and I suppose it’s easy to see why. Schopenhauer himself introduced a larger audience to the works of the Buddhists and Hindus by commenting on their ideas of negation and self denial.
The collection I found was edited by Richard Taylor. The book predates the ISBN number system.
I enjoyed the book. Thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews