Schopenhauer and the meaning of life

Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) built his philosophy step by step, starting with a central concept (the theory of the will), and adding layers of explanations. His physics, epistemology, logic and morality revolve around the theory of the will, and so do his views on the meaning of life. According to Schopenhauer, the will (“life force”) drives all living creatures to secure their survival and reproduction; at the same time, the will prompts them to seek pleasure but doesn’t pay attention to the costs and risks involved. Historians of philosophy call Schopenhauer pessimistic, but the adjective doesn’t quite match Schopenhauer’s ideas. He did point out that humans cannot fulfil all their goals and desires; it is a fact that everybody experiences some measure of failure, but this is not a solid argument to call Schopenhauer pessimistic. Schopenhauer’s observations about suffering are accurate. It is foolish to dismiss them because they are unpleasant. Nobody can deny that frustration eventually ensues when people keep multiplying their ambitions and pursuing them relentlessly. As soon as one desire is satisfied, argues Schopenhauer, a new one is created. Why? Because of the pressure exerted by the will. Life is too short for achieving all objectives, learning all skills, or reading all books. This is not pessimism; it’s a fact. When it comes to the meaning of life, Schopenhauer agrees with Aristotle (384-322 BC) that happiness is the ultimate goal of humans; however, Schopenhauer’s definition of happiness is different from Aristotle’s. In the “Nicomachean Ethics,” Aristotle defined happiness as thriving or flourishing. Schopenhauer chooses a less ambitious definition. He talks about absence of suffering, peace of mind, contentment, and repeated pleasure. I want to underline that Schopenhauer is emphasising the repeatability aspect. The easiest path to happiness, he argues, is to acquire habits (such as playing classical music) that lead to repeated pleasure without negative side effects. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/schopenhauer-and-the-meaning-of-life/