Analysis of Schopenhauer’s idea of justice

The genius of Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) also shows in his unique idea of justice. On the one hand, he regarded it as highly desirable in society. Civilisation cannot exist without a consistent protection of life, liberty and property. On the other hand, Schopenhauer acknowledged that human life inevitably entails injustice; sometimes injustices are caused by errors and mistakes; on other occasions, injustice is caused by sheer bad luck that deprives a person of his health, property, or livelihood. In the latter cases, lamentations help very little. There is no mechanism to remedy all injustices in the world. Even with the best intentions, projects will sometimes fail, relationship break up, and accidents occur. Schopenhauer praised empathy and compassion as essential virtues to diminish suffering when injustices occur. You’ll find those recommendations in his key book “The world as will and representation” (1818) and in his “Aphorisms of life’s wisdom” (1851). It’s remarkable how profoundly Schopenhauer’s differs from other philosophers in his idea of justice. If we take for instance Ralph Waldo Emerson (1802-1882), we see a subjective focus with an emphasis on self-reliance and individual freedom. Emerson regarded justice as a result of divine guidance that leads individuals to do what’s right. His essay “Self-Reliance” advises readers to rely on their intuition more than on societal conventions. According to Emerson, justice depends more on a personal, intuitive understanding of what’s right than on legal and social frameworks. He viewed the collective justice of society as the outcome of each person’s listening to his inner moral truth. In contrast, Schopenhauer favoured the need of an objective legal system that protects life, liberty and property. He had no trust on intuition and subjective perceptions because he viewed them as easily swayed by the will (“life force”). Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/analysis-of-schopenhauers-idea-of-justice/