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Feb 27, 2025 5 min

Schopenhauer’s views on genius

from John Vespasian Hosted by John Vespasian

For Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860), creativity is the key element in genius. However, Schopenhauer defined creativity in an unusual way. John Vespasian explains that Schopenhauer was not referring to the ability to create new concepts by recombining existing ones. No, he was referring to the rare ability to come up with breakthrough, surprising ideas. His theory of the will (life force) doesn’t attribute creativity to nature. Schopenhauer viewed the will as a wild, blind force that drives all living creatures to secure their reproduction and survival, and seek short-term pleasure regardless of the cost. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/schopenhauers-views-on-genius/

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