Schopenhauer’s key ideas on ethics

John Vespasian summarises the moral philosophy put forward by Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) in seven key ideas. The presentation of those key ideas will identify, when relevant, the difference between Schopenhauer and other philosophers. Schopenhauer’s ethics don’t rely on revelation by God or prophets. His ethics overlap with Christianity in some areas, especially in the appreciation of compassion as a major virtue, but do not refer to the teachings of Jesus Christ as recorded in the Bible. Like Christians, Schopenhauer calls for compassion, but his arguments are different. He views empathy and compassion as highly desirable attitudes that help alleviate suffering and also improve the life of people who practise them. In 1843, Schopenhauer wrote the book “Two fundamental problems in ethics,” where he justifies compassion on logical and practical grounds alone. In doing so, the rejects regarding them as God’s commandments. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/schopenhauers-key-ideas-on-ethics/