Happiness and Schopenhauer’s philosophy of life

Arthur #schopenhauer (1788-1860) had no problem accepting that he was eccentric. In fact, he considered it a privilege to be categorised as an eccentric. He considered it a confirmation of the originality of his ideas. Schopenhauer’s key contribution to #philosophy is the theory of the will, that is, the belief that the will (“life force”) exerts a strong influence on all living creatures. The will drives them at the same time towards survival, reproduction and pleasure, but without any consideration of cost and long-term consequences. By creating the theory of the will, Schopenhauer set himself apart from other philosophers, especially from #immanuelkant (1724-1804) and Friedrich #hegel (1770-1831). Kant and Hegel had placed philosophy on an idealistic path by focusing on #epistemology and proposing vague abstractions for defining morality. Schopenhauer rebelled against those vague abstractions that have no connection to reality; he simply pointed out that Kant’s “categorical imperative” and Hegel’s “absolute spirit” generate #confusion and fail to supply practical guidance for deciding on everyday matters. With the theory of the will, Schopenhauer placed happiness once again in the centre of philosophy; reflections on theory of knowledge (“epistemology”), history and society are important but should lead to practical recommendations. Otherwise, what is the point of philosophy? In this respect, Schopenhauer went much further than prior moralists such as Seneca (4-65 AD), which had called for #selfdiscipline , #equanimity and prudence. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/happiness-and-schopenhauers-philosophy-of-life/