About the book
German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer held that human action is driven not by reason but by will, a blind, irrational craving for physical existence. The selection comes from his last work, Parerga and Paralipomena, and gathers short pieces on religion, ethics, politics, suicide, books, women and many other subjects. Across them he depicts humanity caught in a struggle beyond good and evil, with each person free in a world without God and only art, morality and self-awareness offering salvation. That pessimistic outlook left its mark on Nietzsche, Wittgenstein and Wagner. The edition belongs to the Penguin Classics series.
Ryan Holiday put it on his Books to Base Your Life On list, describing Schopenhauer as a gifted writer of short thoughts that help people with their problems.
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This book has 1 recommendation
Ryan Holiday (Founder/Brass Check)
Schopenhauer is a brilliant composer of quick thoughts that will help us with our problems. His work was often concerned with the “will”–our inner drives and power. “For that which is otherwise quite indigestible, all affliction, vexation, loss, grief, time alone digests.” But he also talks about surprisingly current issues: “Newspapers are the second hand of history”–and that the hand is often broken or malfunctioning. And of course, the timeless as well: “Hope is the confusion of the desire for a thing for its probability.”
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