Arthur Schopenhauer Essay

Arthur Schopenhauer is a German philosopher who was born on February 22nd, 1788 and died on September 21st, 1860. He was born in the city of Danzig only when subsequently moved to the city of Hamburg where he became interested in studying metaphysics, morality and psychology. Schopenhauer is known as the philosopher of Pessimism because he created a theory that ch aloneenged the value of origination. Schopenhauers main focus was on individual motivation the forget and how world desires cause pain and suffering. He wrote a book on the will called The World as pass on and Representation.This book was a collaboration of Kants idea of idealism with his own theory on that the will is the thing-in-itself. Schopenhauer was greatly influenced by thinkers like Kant and Plato. He as well influenced thinkers like Sigmund Freud, Ludwig Wittgenstein and Friedrich Nietzsche. sum-up of Ideas The Will Schopenhauer believed that mercifuls were only motivated by their basic desires. He believ ed that human desires only cause suffering and pain. As well he believed that human desires argon illogical and directionless. He believed that the will controls all aspects of human life.Schopenhauers ideas on the will are similar to the ideas of Buddhism and the four dread truths. He believed that free will exists solely humans are non able to achieve it because everything is determined by how the body reacts to a situation. He stated that Man sight indeed do what he wants, but he can non will what he wants. (On the Freedom of the Will) Ethics The basics of Schopenhauer ethics is about lenience. He believes compassion cant be taught but only learned by experience. Compassion is the knowledge of seeing soul suffer passablely to a suffering they fuddle faced in their life and being able to relate and have sympathy for them.Schopenhauer distinguishes a good somebody not from the nature of their actions but the level of compassion they have for them. He believes that the diffe rence in the midst of a good someone and a normal person is distinguished by when seeing mortal suffer the good person will sacrifice his own upbeat for the other person. Therefore he takes on all their troubles. Schopenhauer believes this is the highest degree in ethical conduct. Pessimism Schopenhauer believes since the will has no purpose or goal that the will can never achieve satisfaction.He believes the main goal of existence is to gain satisfaction but trying to achieve it is unsustainable because it leads to frustration. For that reason he says existence of human beings can only be characterized by suffering. He believes this theory is for all animals and since humans have a higher sharp capacity that they will suffer more in life than every other animal. He as well stated that even utilize reasoning will not change the amount of suffering the person experiences because reason only increases the suffering. Schopenhauer concludes that nonexistence is and should be more preferable consequently existence.He believes people should realize that to exist is to suffer and the goal in life for people should be to try and resist ones desires. Application Animal Welfare Schopenhauer believed humans and animals are essentially equal and the same. He believed that everything is basically will and that humans and animals are the same because they can recognize characteristics and emotion in each other. Schopenhauer stated Unlike the intellect, it the Will does not depend on the perfection of the organism, but is essentially the same in all animals as that which is known to us so intimately.Accordingly, the animal has all the emotions of humans, such as joy, grief, fear, anger, love, hatred, strong desire, envy, and so on. The great difference between human and animal rests solely on the intellects degrees of perfection. (On the Will in Nature, Physiology and Pathology) He believed that a good person will have compassion for animals when they are hurt becaus e they are fellow sufferers. People who are cruel to animals are not good people because they do not have compassion.