Essays and Aphorisms

Schopenhauer believed that human action is determined not by reason but by will—the blind and irrational desire for physical existence. These writings depict individuals struggling in a Godless world, in which art, morality, and self-awareness are our only salvation.

One of the greatest philosophers of the nineteenth century, Schopenhauer (1788-1860) believed that human action is governed by will rather than reason. This selection of his writings on religion, ethics, politics, women, suicide, books, and many other themes is taken from Schopenhauer's last work, Parerga and Paralipomena, published in 1851. These pieces depict humanity as locked in a struggle beyond good and evil, with each individual absolutely free in a Godless world. In such a world, art, morality, and self-awareness serve as our only salvation. This innovative—and pessimistic—view has proven powerfully influential in philosophy and art, directly affecting the work of Nietzsche, Wittgenstein, and Wagner, among others.

Arthur Schopenhauer was born in Danzig in 1788, where his family, of Dutch origin, owned a respected trading house. Expected to inherit the business, Schopenhauer detested the work, and in 1807, following his father's suicide and the subsequent sale of the business, he enrolled in the grammar school at Gotha. He later pursued studies in medicine and science at Gottingen University and began studying philosophy in 1810. In 1811, he transferred to Berlin to write his doctoral thesis and began to write The World as Will and Idea, a comprehensive exploration of his philosophical views, completed in 1818. Although the book initially failed to gain traction, his steadfast belief in his own ideas sustained him through twenty-five years of unfulfilled desire for fame. During his middle years, he travelled widely across Europe, and in 1844, he released a significantly expanded edition of his book, which became one of the most widely read philosophical works posthumously. His fame was cemented in 1851 with the publication of Parerga and Paralipomena, a collection of dialogues, essays, and aphorisms. He passed away in 1860.

R.J. Hollingdale has translated several works by Schopenhauer, Goethe, T.A. Hoffmann, Lichtenburg, and Theodor Fontane, as well as eleven of Nietzsche's books, many for the Penguin Classics. He authored two books on Nietzsche and served as Honorary President of the British Nietzsche Society until his death in 2003.