On Shopenhauer’s The World as Will and Idea

I’ve always enjoyed Shopenhauer’s work. And yet I’m struggling his epic The World as Will and Idea. In particular, the concept of the world as merely an idea.

“No truth therefore is more certain, more independent of all others, and less in need of proof than this, that all that exists for knowledge, and therefore this whole world, is…in a word, idea.”

That’s a stretch.

Life is a tangible reality, a concrete exclamation mark. It’s profound and absolute. Let me give you two example to illustrate the point:

• The ecstasy of an orgasm (body shaking, waves of pleasure, etc.)
• The pain of being burned alive

These are very real…more than idea. They exist in the here and now, and they are so profound that they cannot be denied.

I’ll continue with Shopenhauer, because I’ve enjoyed the other things that I’ve read. But my instinct is telling me that I won’t agree with a lot of this book.

See Related Article: Was Socrates a Poor and Ugly Loser?