Schopenhauer, Arthur

Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)

shopen-hou-er, Arthur (1788-1860), a celebrated German philosopher. He was born at Dantzic and died at Frankfort-on-the-main. When Dantzic lost its independence in 1793 the family moved to Hamburg. Here the son, at the age of seventeen, was placed in the office of a merchant; the father, who had acquired a fortune in mercantile pursuits, intending that his son should follow in his footsteps. The elder Schopenhauer died soon after, and the young man, disliking business, determined to devote himself to study. In 1813 he obtained the degree of doctor of philosophy from the University of Jena. He developed a system of his own, looking first with contempt and late with jealousy and bitterness upon Hegel and the idealistic philosophy, then at the height of its popularity. Toward the close of his life, Schopenhauer's views began to attract attention, and he enjoyed in his old age the admiration he had long craved. His most important work was The World Considered as Will and Idea. His fundamental doctrine is that the only essential reality in the world is will. He admired Plato and Kant, claiming to be the true successor of the latter, although in many points the two philosophers differ. Schopenhauer is regarded as the chief expounder of pessimism. He claims that life is essentially painful and all pleasure merely negative; that is, it is simply the relief arising from cessation of pain. Schopenhauer's writings fill, in various editions, from six to thirteen volumes. They are difficult reading, but he is looked upon as one of the great thinkers of his age. See Kant ; Hegel