Essays and Aphorisms (Penguin Classics)

Arthur Schopenhauer wrote his essays and aphorisms in the financial hub city of Frankford, Germany during the mid-nineteenth century, a world where business owners and financiers ruthlessly competed against one another to amass fortunes, clerks chained to their desks toiled twelve hours a day, uneducated day laborers ground themselves down into faceless, mindless cogs of the urban wheel, and upper class ladies strolled the streets with parasols as they chattered incessantly over petty concerns - but, no matter what one's station in life - ruthless financial baron, toiling clerk, chattering lady or manual drudge - the monotonous hum of this bustling society gave few people encouragement or mental space to think independently or reflect philosophically. But no hustle and bustle for Arthur. Inheriting the family fortune and thus freed from any obligation to work for a living, Schopenhauer became a life-long bachelor and independent scholar, keeping his distance from other people as if they were a colony of doltish, novel-reading lepers. And, thus, after rousing in the morning and before playing the flute, partaking of lunch, and going for his two hour walk with his pet poodle, Schopenhauer sat at his desk, completely dedicating his time to writing. And this collection is Schopenhauer at his hyper-arrogant best, as self-appointed genius and highbrow aesthete, shooting verbal barbs and passing harsh judgment on everyone and everything in sight - would-be philosophers, journalists, bookworms, scholars, literati, historians, women, among numerous others. This book is great literature as well as original philosophy, the writing is so incredibly clear, crystal clear, actually - a straightforward, easy-to-follow, elegant prose. What a switch from hopelessly dry, turgid, stale academic philosophy with its endless references, footnotes and qualifications. On the topic of books and writing, here is a quote which is vintage Schopenhauer: "The thoughts a man is capable of always express themselves in clear, comprehensible and unambiguous words. Those who put together difficult, obscure, involved, ambiguous discourses do not really know what they want to say: they have no more than a vague consciousness of it which is only struggling towards a thought; often, however, they also want to conceal from themselves and others that they actually have nothing to say." Keep this in mind the next time you read an incomprehensible piece of writing - in truth, the burden is on the writer to make their thoughts clear, no matter how impressive the author's credentials. Among the topics address is aesthetics. As always, Schopenhauer never dances around an issue but goes right to the heart of the matter and tells it like it is. Here is what he has to say on opera: "Strictly speaking one could call opera an unmusical invention for the benefit of unmusical minds." For anybody with a keen interest in listening to music, these words have a very honest ring. Here is a quote that is especially appropriate to our current age of information: "Students and learned men of every kind and every ago go as a rule in search of information, not insight. They make it a point of honor to have information about everything . . . When I see how much these well-informed people know, I sometimes say to myself: Oh, how little such a one must have had to think about, since he has had so much time for reading!" The truth of this statement is compounded with the omnipresence of the internet. One more quote, this one capsulizing Schopenhauer's famous pessimistic view of life: "No rose without a thorn. But many a thorn without a rose." Even if you don't agree, you have to admire a brilliant, memorable metaphor. If you are new to Schopenhauer or philosophy, R. J. Hollindale provides an introduction which includes a mini-history of philosophy leading up to Schopenhauer, the cultural, literary and social context of Germany in the nineteenth century, as well as a mini-biography of Schopenhauer. This will be all you will need to have a rich appreciation for one of the most lucid and influential philosophers in the Western tradition.

This is not a selection of AS's works but rather a selection from a single work, PARERGA AND PARALIPOMENA (1851), though AS makes reference therein to his major work, THE WORLD AS WILL AND REPRESENTATION. The book is divided into 'essays' and 'aphorisms', though some of the essay sections contain subdivisions that are quite brief and some of the aphorisms sections extend to essay length. While AS is a significant philosopher the writing here is very accessible (if not commonplace in its attitudes). AS is often characterized as a dark and pessimistic thinker but he is nonetheless interesting and engaging in his points of view. The introduction by R.J. Hollingdale is very helpful in placing this work in the larger contexts of its times, of AS's life and the totality of his oeuvre. He is a master of the bon-mot. Two examples: "If you want to know how you really feel about someone take note of the impression an unexpected letter from him makes on you when you first see it on the doormat" (p. 171). "Great minds are related to the brief span of time during which they live as great buildings are to a little square in which they stand: you cannot see them in all their magnitude because you are standing too close to them" (p. 226). While many commentators warn readers about AS's gloominess I find him somewhat uplifting. He never shies away from saying what he believes. He talks about subjects that other philosophers might hesitate to discuss and when the times are trying he reinforces the feelings about the world and its inhabitants which you are trying to resist. Several things to keep in mind: he idolizes Kant, is generally contemptuous of Hegel and he believes that his thought was never recognized in the manner which it deserved. The latter feeling undergirds a number of his trenchant, pungent and engaging comments on the world of literature, letters and philosophy. A familiarity (even a brief one) with AS's thought is an essential part of one's philosophic education.

Fine service

The two people I found most interesting in Durant's Story of Philosophy were Schopenhauer and Spinoza. Reading Spinoza kind of scares me so I decided to read Schopenhauer first. I don't really know very much about philosophy and don't know the correct way to approach these texts. For the most part I don't see the world the same way as him, he's far too negative, but I do find his writing interesting. He's also extremely sexist or perhaps just plain anti female, I'd sometimes show his anti women remarks to my girlfriend while grinning just to get a rise out of her. As for the book itself, Hollingdale seems to have done a good translation, or at least it seemed very readable. The biggest negatives are there are very few textual notes and sometimes the non German text wasn't translated.

This edition of his larger work, Parerga and Paralipomena, is phenomenal. The writing is extremely easy to understand for anyone. This book can and will change your life and perspective on why things are the way they are. I will say, though, do not read this book and expect a politically correct take on everything. Man will always be a product of his environment and time period, but truth remains untouched and can only be tapped into temporarily by people of all eras. Look for the truth.

I recommend this book for a novice (like me) seeking a easier introduction to metaphysics, plus philosophy in general for teenagers. Furthermore regarding beginners: it’s recommended to pair up this work with a fundamentally recognized beginners choice for philosophy, such as The Republic By Plato or Meditations by Descartes. Being sensitized for what I was expecting to read, numerous occasions the sentences made me confused and I had to go back and read it again to understand what Schopenhauer meant, but eventually recuperated. Slowly digesting what is offered; I can say right now it has not only improved my reading comprehension, but successfully added new thoughts and perspectives to my life. Also maybe depression haha.

For those of you who do not wish to engage in the undertaking that is his magnum opus "The World as Will and Representation, this collection is what I suggest for you. Schopenhauer was a tremendous thinker, and perhaps the greatest interpreter of Kant's extremely complex ideas. His personal writings are a bit much to digest, and I believe it even caused me to become depressed for a while. I would not recommend his works for young men, it is for mature men. Overall I deeply admire, and consider Schopenhauer to be an essential read for anyone interested in Philosophy. This collection of works is a huge asset due to it being comprised of short passages and essays to randomly reflect upon. The book itself is well constructed and text perfectly clear. The intro alone by R.J. Hollingdale is well worth the cost. Mr. Hollingdale provides the most concise summary on the history of philosophy I have ever read. Loved this from cover to cover.

This is a book of aphorisms. Hollingdale redefined "essay" to mean a string of related aphorisms. The aphorisms are good though and they offer much interest to the reader of Nietzsche as well as being valuable in their own right.

great

I could never get into the rest of Schopehauer's stuff, but this material reads great - it feels more like casual insights than anything systematic, and some of it is pretty hilariously awful, but most of it is brilliant. Every time I pick it up for five minutes at a time I'm left with something significant to chew on.

Excelente libro, la edición me gustó mucho aunque la letra e impresión podrian ser mejores. No tenia plastico protector por lo que tenia algunas orillas raspadas.

book arrived 1 day later, but its all good, thank you!

great book