Idealism in Schopenhauer’s views on love and relationships

In his works, Arthur #schopenhauer (1788–1860) pointed out that #love #relationships often fail because people will initially idealise their beloved, and experience disappointment when they realise that their expectations do not match reality. Schopenhauer presented those views in “The world as will and representation” (1818) and in “Parerga and Paralipomena” (1851). He warned readers against seeking short-term pleasure without assessing the cost and risks involved. According to Schopenhauer, the whole cosmos is driven by the will (“life force”), which prompts living creatures to secure their survival and reproduction, and seek short-term pleasure. In his warning against delusion, Schopenhauer describes all problems accurately, but fails to provide solutions; he warns us against blind love, but fails to outline workable alternatives. The search for better answers must start with the definition of love. Schopenhauer describes love as “intense attraction” in a rather simplistic way. In doing so, he overlooks five hundred years of literary and psychological exploration. Schopenhauer lacks a nuanced view of love relationships. He could have grasped those nuances by reading the works of Francesco Petrarca (1304-1374) or Petrarch, the first poet who explored the complexities of love. In contrast to Schopenhauer’s oversimplification, Petrarch idealised #romantic relationships. His poems reflect the period between the Middle Ages and the #renaissance , a period when knights, aristocratic ladies and troubadours still played a major role. While Schopenhauer regarded all idealised love as delusion, Petrarch wrote sonnets about Laura, a mysterious woman that appears unattainable to him. Instead of referring to the will and instinctual forces, Petrarch wrote about beauty, gentle hearts, and eternal affection between kindred souls. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/idealism-in-schopenhauers-views-on-love-and-relationships/