Essays and Aphorisms

One of the greatest philosophers of the nineteenth century, Schopenhauer believed that human action is determined not by reason but by 'will' - the blind and irrational desire for physical existence. This selection of his writings on religion, ethics, politics, women and many other themes is taken from Schopenhauer's last work, Parerga and Paralipomena, which he published in 1851. He depicts humanity as locked in a struggle beyond good and evil, each individual absolutely free within a Godless world in which art, morality and self-awareness are our only salvation. This innovative and pessimistic view proved powerfully influential upon philosophy and art, affecting the work of Nietzsche and Wittgenstein among others.

INTRODUCTION
ESSAYS
ON THE SUFFERING OF THE WORLD
ON THE VANITY OF EXISTENCE
ON THE ANTITHESIS OF THING IN ITSELF AND APPEARANCE
ON AFFIRMATION AND DENIAL OF THE WILL TO LIVE
ON THE INDESTRUCTIBILITY OF OUR ESSENTIAL BEING BY DEATH
ON SUICIDE
ON WOMEN
ON THINKING FOR YOURSELF
ON RELIGION: A DIALOGUE

APHORISMS
ON PHILOSOPHY AND THE INTELLECT
ON ETHICS
ON LAW AND POLITICS
ON AESTHETICS
ON PSYCHOLOGY
ON RELIGION
ON BOOKS AND WRITING
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ON VARIOUS SUBJECTS
LIST OF CORRESPONDENCES