I've been a fan of Arthur Schopenhauer since I read his Essays and Aphorisms many years ago. While I think that his philosophical system is too simple to be right, I appreciate the basic idea of the will or life-force being identical to the "strange and mysterious" forces of nature and to Kant's noumena. I am also impressed by how seriously he respects and incorporates insights from Eastern and Western religious traditions.
The main attraction of Schopenhauer is his writing style. He writes directly, provides clear examples rather than abstruse terminology, and chooses excellent literary references. I frequently find him funny, even - in fact, especially - when he's expounding on the cruelty and pointlessness of life.
This collection comprises mostly selections from his major work, The World as Will and Representation. It addresses the core of his thought more directly than Essays and Aphorisms did, although I have to say that I found the essays more entertaining and wide-ranging.
The biggest drawback to this collection is a total lack of critical comment. The editor doesn't provide any information about how the selections were chosen, or when they were written, or what's missing in the ellipses that appear within the selections. It's a good thing Schopenhauer is so clear himself.
The main attraction of Schopenhauer is his writing style. He writes directly, provides clear examples rather than abstruse terminology, and chooses excellent literary references. I frequently find him funny, even - in fact, especially - when he's expounding on the cruelty and pointlessness of life.
This collection comprises mostly selections from his major work, The World as Will and Representation. It addresses the core of his thought more directly than Essays and Aphorisms did, although I have to say that I found the essays more entertaining and wide-ranging.
The biggest drawback to this collection is a total lack of critical comment. The editor doesn't provide any information about how the selections were chosen, or when they were written, or what's missing in the ellipses that appear within the selections. It's a good thing Schopenhauer is so clear himself.
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