Category Archives: Schopenhauer

Philosophical Pessimism

Arthur Schopenhauer, the quintessential philosophical pessimist

A thoughtful reader offered a rejoinder to the conclusion of my recent series on life and meaning. In it he advances an unequivocal pessimism in response to my (qualified) notions of optimism and hope. I reprint it here, edited slightly for brevity. Continue reading Philosophical Pessimism

Summary of Schopenhauer on Hope: From “Psychological Observations”

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I would be remiss if I didn’t consider the critique of hope found in the philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer. (I considered his pessimism in my last post.) He speaks of hope most directly in his essay, “Psychological Observations.” Immediately preceding his brief discussion of hope, he makes these pertinent observations Continue reading Summary of Schopenhauer on Hope: From “Psychological Observations”

Commentary on Schopenhauer’s “On the Vanity of Existence”

(Yesterday’s post summarized Schopenhauer’s “On The Vanity of Existence”)

In focusing upon the movement of time Schopenhauer has zeroed in on a fundamental fact of life which may render it meaningless Continue reading Commentary on Schopenhauer’s “On the Vanity of Existence”