Philosophical Lens
The Life and Philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer That Led To His Demise
A dive into Schopenhauer's life, philosophy, and legacy
Being one of the first philosophers to ever really question the value of existence, to explore the notion of human suffering and how it is all fundamentally rooted in our will to live, Schopenhauer is a pioneer in an area of philosophical inquiry that has become the driving force behind most modern philosophy.
Despite his profound contributions to understanding the condition of life and its challenges, Schopenhauer’s works showed an uncompromising pessimism which he himself admitted was all too powerful for any one person to fully understand or explain away.
His philosophy espoused ideas such as life being a painful state; one devoid of pleasure; essentially meaningless, and without any final purpose or destination leading towards anything better than oblivion.
He believed that the world stood as a manifestation of the will to live, which he defined as being an unconscious force that permeated existence.
It is this, the Will to Live, which is what motivates all living things to fulfill their basic needs for survival. Schopenhauer stated that the Will to Live has no particular…
