The Wisdom of Life - Softcover

Schopenhauer, Arthur

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1602063451 ISBN 13: 9781602063457

Publisher: Cosimo Classics, 2007

Synopsis

A disciple of Kant and a significant factor in shaping Nietzsche's thinking, Arthur Schopenhauer worked from the foundation that all knowledge derives from our experience of the world, but that our experience is necessarily subjective and formed by our own intellect and biases: reality, therefore, is but an extension of our own will. In this essay, translated by THOMAS BAILEY SAUNDERS (1860-1928) and first published in English in the 1890s, Schopenhauer explores concepts of what internal driving forces and external interpersonal dynamics contribute to the individual's happiness, from our own personalities to our wealth and social standing. The datedness of some of Schopenhauer's ideas-including a decidedly prefeminist interpretation of women's choices and a connection between fame and reputation that is no longer always active in our celebrity culture-only serve to highlight the philopher's basic assumption of human life: that it is characterized chiefly by misery. Students of philosophy and of 19th-century intellectualism will find this a fascinating read.

About this title

About the Author

The writings of German philosopher ARTHUR SCHOPENHAUER (1788-1860) were a profound influence on art and aesthetics, music and literature in the 19th century. Among his many writings are On the Fourfold Root of the Principle of Sufficient Reason (1847) and The World as Will and Idea (1819), considered his masterpiece.

From the Back Cover

A disciple of Kant and a significant factor in shaping Nietzsche's thinking, Arthur Schopenhauer worked from the foundation that all knowledge derives from our experience of the world but that our experience is necessarily subjective and formed by our own intellect and biases: reality, therefore, is but an extension of our own will.

In this essay, translated by THOMAS BAILEY SAUNDERS (1860-1928) and first published in English in the 1890s, Schopenhauer explores concepts of what internal driving forces and external interpersonal dynamics contribute to the individual's happiness, from our own personalities to our wealth and social standing. The datedness of some of Schopenhauer's ideas--including a decidedly prefeminist interpretation of women's choices and a connection between fame and reputation that is no longer always active in our celebrity culture--only serve to highlight the philosopher's basic assumption of human life: that it is characterized chiefly by misery.

Students of philosophy and of 19th-century intellectualism will find this a fascinating read.

Edition details

• Publisher: Cosimo Classics
• Publication date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1602063451
• ISBN 13: 9781602063457
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 108